Our Research

Most of the educational research surrounding Peer Collaboration or peer mediation has focused on the effect of Peer Collaboration on special education students.  Other than student attitudes and/or tolerance of special needs students, there is little research on how typical peers benefit from Peer Collaboration.  To that end, in 2012 we conducted a research project to answer the following question:

 

• To what extent do general education students gain 21st century skills from peer collaborating with special education and typically developing students?

 

The question is important because it is an attempt to measure actual skills (related to employability, career preparedness, and vocational readiness) acquired by Peer Collaboration.

 

Our research indicated that out of the 23 21st Century Skills measured, students who were involved in the Peer Collaboration program, made gains in 11 of the 23  21st Century Skills as compared to same age students who were not involved in the program.

Peer Collaborator's GAINS

Student prompts others to participate

Student conducts him/herself in a respectable, professional manner

Student provides assistance to others without doing it for them

Student connects ideas during classroom discussions

Student is comfortable interacting with the differences of others (i.e., cultural, social, political, gender, religious, ability level, etc.)

*Student uses feedback to guide future actions

Student helps motivate others (i.e., gives positive feedback to others)

Student actively listens to adult instruction (i.e., nodding, eye contact, asking questions)

Student is willing to listen to constructive criticism

Student completes and submits assignments on time

 * statistical significance

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