New York College Learning Skills Association

RTDE Issue Contents

Research and Teaching
in Developmental Education

Volume 21, Issue 2, Spring 2005

The Importance of Peer Interaction for At-Risk College Students in
Their Comprehension of College Material
By Grace-Ann Gorga Cukras

Abstract

Many at-risk college students with low literacy skills must pass a required reading test to demonstrate their level of proficiency in handling college-level material. This study investigated the effectiveness of at-risk college freshmen working in cooperative groups with peer facilitators on improving reading scores. At-risk students seem to realize the complexity of the written language after collaborating with their peers. Peer interaction was a more effective means for students to learn inferential material than the traditional classroom environment in which the instructor imparts information to the students in a lecture and question and answer format.