Effects of Training Peer Tutors to Deliver Praise Statements, Prompts, and Correction Procedures on Academic Skills of Students Who Have Severe to Moderate Disabilities

Peer tutors have been utilized in many settings to work with various individuals, including those with disabilities. There has not been considerable research into the training of peer tutors for students who have severe disabilities in the junior high setting and the effect the training has on the performance of students with disabilities. The purpose of this project was to determine whether training junior high school-­‐aged peer tutors on the use of praise statements, a prompt hierarchy, correction procedures, and data collected to track tutee performance increased academic skills of students with disabilities. Seven peer tutors participated. Five students (i.e., tutees) with disabilities were involved. Multiple tutors worked with each tutee according to a block schedule. By training peer tutors on the use of specific skills, such as use of praise statements, prompt hierarchies, error correction procedures, and data collection, peer tutors showed increased tutorial skills as evidenced by tutor observation scores. The students with disabilities evidenced increased academic skills as measured by differences in post-­‐ test scores compared to pre-­‐test scores in curriculum-­‐based assessments. Both tutors and tutees reported high levels of satisfaction following the peer tutor experience. The project provided data on the effectiveness of peer tutoring for increasing skills of students with severe to moderate disabilities in a junior high setting