Effects of Video Instruction and Coaching on Accurate Prompting by Peer Mentors

Peer support has demonstrated promise in promoting inclusive practices and initiating relationships between students with and without disabilities. This support has resulted in friendships, but also academic, social, vocational, and communicative growth by students with and without disabilities. Yet, little research has focused on how to teach peer mentors, who are often students without disabilities, how to provide quality support in these interventions. Additional research is needed to determine the most effective, efficient, and sustainable methods to deliver instruction to peers providing support. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, five peer mentors were instructed on least-to-most prompting procedures through an intervention package of video instruction and coaching with a supplementary implementation checklist. All five peer mentors achieved mastery of the prompting procedures within the intervention. Three mentors achieved mastery within the video instruction phase, and two mentors needed additional coaching before reaching criterion. Although coaching was not always necessary due to mastery and little room for growth, all peer mentors requested to receive coaching anyway. The desire to obtain coaching when no longer necessary might be a potential contributor to the successful maintenance of the mentor’s accurate prompting post-intervention. In addition, mentees with disabilities demonstrated higher accuracy in their response to their peer mentor’s prompts. Most importantly, all participants (students with and without disabilities and their parents) found this intervention to be socially valid. Implications and directions for future research are presented, highlighting the need for effective and efficient instruction to facilitate long lasting, high-quality, and readily available peer support to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities