Peer support creates positive outlook towards learning and social groups

IN the study I conducted on the value of peer assistance, it shows that this assistance not only become a helpful tool in learning improvement but also on the outlook towards social groups.

The peer to peer mentoring make students become appreciative to their classmates. I asked the assigned ‘guardian angels’ if their ‘partners’ were paying gratitude every time they were reminded but according to them they were not expressive to tell them personally. It was only during my group interview with the ‘partner’ students that this feeling of gratitude came out. The intervention as it turned out did not only serve to help at-risk of failing students to cope up with academic requirements but it acted also as a support system among classmates. This system resulted a closer relationship among them. Children who care about maintaining friendships view help seeking as a valued classroom activity (Newman, 2000).

The tapped “guardian angel” students felt uneasy in the beginning to remind their assigned “partners.” Others admit they do not often talk to their ‘partners’ before. It was awkward at first but as it went on, both got used to it. The study reveals that the relationship with their partners became closer. Also, it came out that the low performing students felt the care of their classmates by helping them with their assignments and activities. Through this intervention, it was apparent that the ‘target’ students realized the importance of collaborative learning.

Collaborative learning in my study is the exerting of effort of peers in helping another peer/ classmates do and submit assignments and activities. Classmates are not placed there without reason at all. Classmates are friends who can help them with their academic learning. This corroborates with the findings that among elementary-and middle-school students, ‘‘quality’’ friendships are ones characterized by help and support as well as by certain features that would seem to mediate students’ efforts at help seeking, i.e., self-disclosure, reliability, affection, companionship, intimacy, and lack of conflict and rivalry (e.g., Buhrmester, 1990; Furman & Buhrmester, 1985) (Newman, 2000).

This realization, just like a positive outlook towards education or academic learning is not realized to its fullest extent. As shown in their everyday academic performance through the intervention course, many still incurred lots of absences intentionally despite the reminders from their ‘guardian angels.’ There is development in their attitude in the sense that sometimes they do their assignments and activities but with regards to its consistency, it’s more of an attitude problem. The intervention can only do something to lessen the problem but it cannot totally change it. In my interviews, many of the ‘target’ students had the same problem when they were in Grade 9. Two of them have the same problem of absenteeism, other have history of disruptive behavior in their previous schools.

Students with academic dis-engagement problem usually had a starting point which was not immediately and timely corrected. This attitude was then carried because students thought they could get away with it and passed the year level without changing. But with peer to peer intervention strategy, students’ positive attitude towards academic and social groups is developed and enhanced.

Collaborative learning in my study is the exerting of effort of peers in helping another peer/ classmates do and submit assignments and activities.Classmates are not placed there without reason at all. Classmates are friends who can help them with their academic learning.