Peers supporting peers!

Article written by Abhirami Suseel, Intern at Heart It Out, Bangalore

Peer support is a help group consisting of peers who support each other and bring out the best in each other. Such groups are found in various areas like schools, colleges, workplaces, offices, organisations, etc. Peer support groups are self-helping and often bring out results quickly. They are prevalent around the globe. Peer support groups are also used in therapy and psychological well being. In the academic environment, the use of peer support groups must be encouraged. Children should understand how to help others and receive help from others. Let’s make the best use of peer support groups and also know more about the same.

Source: BOLD blog

Peer support is a support system of peers, trained to provide social, emotional, and sometimes academic assistance and create a safe environment. Peer support occurs when people provide experience, knowledge, personal, social, or practical help. (Mason, Mary. July 2018) It is generally known as an initiative that consists of trained supporters. Still, it can be provided by peers without training as well.

Peer support is often used in the field of mental health, given its positive impact. Dr Karen Fortuna (2019) derived the effectiveness of peer support from a variety of psychosocial processes:

1. Social support is positive psychosocial interaction with others having mutual trust and concern. Positive relationships facilitate positive adjustment and buffer against stressors and adversities by offering support. (Cohen, S. 2004)
2. Emotional support is facilitating self-esteem, attachment and giving reassurance to peers and supporting them emotionally. (Jeremy Y. 2012)
3. Instrumental support gives material goods and provides services that will boost a person’s mental state and make them feel supported. Companionship can also be called a form of instrumental support. (Thoits, 1986). Information support guides them and advises them on topics and areas where they need guidance and advice. It is also giving feedback to let them know what they can do better and eventually better their performance. (advice, guidance, and feedback). (Solomon & Phyllis, 2004).
4. Experiential knowledge is information that people obtain from living through particular experiences. Experiential knowledge tends to be unique and, when shared, contributes to solving problems and improving quality of life.
5. Social learning theory states that peers are role models for others. It further states that the interactions with peers who are successfully coping with their experiences of illness and other life events are more likely to result in positive behaviour change. (Bandura, 1977)
6. Social comparison explains that individuals are comfortable getting in conversations with others with whom they have something in common. Such interactions help them strive to be their better selves.
7. The Helper theory or the helper therapy principle as explained by Frank Riessman (1965) suggests that when an individual (the “helper”) assists another person, the helper may benefit. The helper-therapy principle states that there are four benefits to peers who provide support: ( National Association of Social Workers,1956).

(a) The helper may feel an increased sense of interpersonal competence with the realisation that they made an impact on another person’s life.

(b) The helper develops a sense of equality in giving and taking between himself or herself and others.

( c)The helper gains new personally relevant knowledge while helping.

(d) the helper gets social approval from the person they help. (Clark,1975)

8. Self-determination conveys the idea that individuals have the right to determine their future. People are more likely to act on their own decisions rather than decisions made by others for them.

Source- pearson

Peer support in academic environments

In academic environments, Peer support is a strategy that involves placing students in small groups to make them participate in learning activities that support the development of academic and social skills. This approach is simple and does not usually require additional staff or extra money for the institution. It is an experiment based method used to yield positive results related to students’ achievements and facilitate a sense of belonging.

This system is also beneficial for teachers in instructing students with and without disabilities. A study conducted by Social Psychology International, UK, (2000) found that teachers could still hold positive attitudes towards inclusion, even if the management team and department heads within the same school were not regarded as being particularly supportive. Peer support was highlighted as a valuable component that enabled teachers to feel that they could include children with special needs successfully. The study revealed that teachers forming peer groups and teaching children with special needs enables children with special needs to improve their academic areas a lot better. When teachers form support groups and help other teachers train students with special needs, they become a part of an inclusive practice and will be given enough attention to improving themselves. Teachers supporting other teachers facilitate more attention to each child, thereby boosting them in academic areas where they are weak. (Ainscow, 2000).

Source- giphy

In terms of peer support groups, Jeremy Y. Ng (2012) found that in schools they concentrate mainly on elements of instruction, coaching, and mentoring. When it comes to coaching and instructing, peer support groups do not have seniority levels.

In schools, students also form groups and learn together. The group usually consists of 3–5 members, of which 2 of them will be mentors or supportive peers. Peer support groups help increase the productivity of students who want/aim to perform better in academics. Peer support groups enhance each student according to their intrinsic motivation and aptitude. Students who are slow learners can also benefit from peer support groups because they will help such students work on the topic for a longer period of time after class hours.

Source: John Santrock- educational psychology (ebook)

In university and college, peer support groups are crucial, especially in the first year. Students may face many hardships with academics and extracurriculars and might experience stress over many issues like relationships with friends, family, and academic pressure.” Over time, this amount of stress can accumulate and negatively impact their well-being”.

Peer support ensures these students are placed in groups to support each other on academic and personal levels. They can help solve problems in a student’s academic life and enhance the sense of belongingness towards the institution in the students. Very often, students in colleges would feel like they’re alone and that they are not lovable. They’ll be worried about how to “fit in’’ with their colleagues. Such thoughts will eventually lead to a feeling of loneliness. The age group, 15–24, have a greater(NIMH 2018) risk of the rising number of reported suicides. Peer support groups help lessen such thoughts in those, otherwise, prone to suicide caused due to the uncontrollable feeling of loneliness.

Source- Center for peer support

So, they’re effective?

Yes! Peer groups influence learning through mutual teaching. However, the success rate depends on the ability (teaching, learning, understanding concepts)of the peers involved. Through these groups, teachers understand how each student learns and retains concepts which is taken into consideration while preparing the curriculum and instructional method. Experiments that involve training to solve logical problems to examine the importance of peer-to-peer teaching and their interaction show that while it improves learning among low-ability students, the negative effects exist and are balanced mostly by Tracking.

Tracking refers to a method used by many secondary schools to group students according to their perceived ability, IQ, or achievement levels. (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 2006) Tracking helps to reduce the frequency of peer-to-peer teaching and suggests that low-ability students suffer from high-ability peers’ absence to teach them. (Bursal, 2016)

The Indian scenario- PALS

SOURCE- Indiaeducation.in

To lower down stress, mental health turmoil and suicides on university campuses and other educational institutions, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) introduced Peer-assisted Learning (PAL) in the country in 2016. The program also aims to provide the students moral support and also to make them mentally strong.

Under this program, students are put into groups, wherein they are suggested to have weekly/ monthly group study sessions together, rectifying each other’s mistakes, addressing their issues and deriving solutions together. According to another senior official of MHRD, the PAL program is already popular in some of the top universities outside India, like the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol.

Does it have an impact on a student’s performance?

The effect of peers on educational outcomes has been studied widely all around the world. Students teach each other inside and outside of the classroom. Peer-to-peer teaching or direct learning from classmates has facilitated the performance of the students. If peer to peer teaching is considered necessary, Ability tracking is also essential.

Ability tracking (Hallinan & Maureen, 2000) is the grouping of students of similar abilities. If peer-to-peer teaching is vital for learning, then the composition of a classroom may determine its effectiveness. The grouping of students of similar abilities in classrooms is a policy that affects classroom composition. When students of similar abilities are put in a single classroom, the composition of the classroom becomes limited. Whereas in a classroom where students with all abilities are present, there will be a greater chance for them to learn from each other. It is like the saying ‘’Similarities create friendship, and differences hold it together’’.

Although ability tracking may facilitate students with average skills, it may also have its effects on low-ability students. Suppose such students benefit from interactions with high-ability peers. In that case, they may be grouped, thereby clearing inequalities between high ability and low ability students. On the other hand, Tracking may encourage learning at all ability levels because students of more similar abilities may be more effective in teaching one another (Schunk,1991).

Bonus: peer support can enhance socialisation!

Peer groups are a known socialisation agent that can help students develop socialisation and communication skills. (Baron & Branscombe, 2012). Because they are already part of a small group, students are aware of how to interact in groups of similar people. It also allows them to build social contacts. Thus, peer support can help increase confidence and enable students to be more effective in social settings. Peer support groups are also a source of information that is essential for the students. Being up to date about things going around them is made possible through these peer support groups.

The implementation of peer support in an academic setting has a preeminent role in building the personality of a student. In such groups, the interactions between the students are very crucial. Students who have been part of a peer support group tend to engage in healthy friendships. They are most likely to choose friends that help them build their academic performance and cater to the betterment of their psychological well-being. (Stainback; Stainback & Wilkinson, 1992).

A look into peer support and online learning

During this pandemic, classroom teaching has changed, and it is through online platforms that instruction takes place. A sudden change in the teaching mode might affect the quality of education and the students’ ability to grasp the curriculum. Students might find online learning extremely challenging and energy draining. To understand concepts more efficiently and make learning stress free, it would be better if schools could form peer support groups: the more peer support groups, the more healthy friendships, and the more happy students.

“Teaching Peers is one of the best ways to develop mastery.”

- Jeff Atwood(co-founder, Stack Overflow)

Let’s talk maintenance!

Now that we’ve gathered all the information about the peer support groups, let’s look into how we maintain the same. Here are a few tips for preserving peer support groups.

(Side by Side Research Consortium, 2017)

1. Find a leader for the group: For any group to work progressively, there has to be someone leading it. So, begin by finding a peer to lead the group. Having someone lead the group is important because one person from the group should be taking responsibility for whatever happens within the group. The leader has to make sure the group is moving harmoniously.
2. Keep an eye on the group: The group must discuss how the members are performing academically and encourage each other to open up about how comfortable they are in the group and how useful they find the group to be. The leader must consider the member’s views and make adjustments or amendments.
3. Sharing and leading: When other members are asked to lead the group, one can find them being committed and invested in the group.
4. Everyone gets a chance to talk: Get your members talking. Ask questions to the quiet ones and make them engaged in the group. When the members are encouraged to express themselves, they’ll find the group more comfortable, and this feeling will have a positive impact on the overall development of the person. Ensuring listening will help in developing a sense of acceptance. The members will feel more involved and accepted in the group.
5. Members should give importance to confidentiality: There is a feeling of safety among the members of a peer support group. To keep that intact, always make sure no one knows about the ingroup discussions.
6. Members must be encouraged to have outside contact among members: This can be implemented by the buddy system. It enables the members to take an interest in each other’s well-being outside the group.
7. Share success and failures: Teachers or leaders must acknowledge members for their contributions of any sort. Make spaces for some mistakes too. Let the members make mistakes and let them learn from their own mistakes. Don’t blame them.
8. Keep in mind that this is a support group: The group may change its focus topics, but the group’s primary purpose is to provide academic support and understanding to its members. (Center for Community Support and Research,1995)

Here’s the takeaway …

Peer support groups are in a way essential in an academic environment and their implementation of such groups must be encouraged and given credit for their positive impact. These groups can play a crucial role in students’ overall performance in the competitive world evolving around them, help in the systematic achievement of one’s full potential and do a lot more than just academically push the students to move a bit farther (Ashwin, 2003)! They can help facilitate positive emotional development and socialization! So, in conclusion, this topic is super vital concerning the emerging trends in the education system.

References:

• Mead, S., Hilton, D., & Curtis, L. (2001). Peer support: A theoretical perspective. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25(2), 134–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0095032
• Chapter 21. Enhancing Support, Incentives, and Resources | Section 2. Creating and Facilitating Peer Support Groups | Main Section | Community Tool Box. (n.d.). Community Tool Box. Retrieved December 26, 2020, from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/implement/enhancing-support/peer-support-groups/main
• Wilson, W. L., & Arendale, D. R. (2011). Peer educators in learning assistance programs: Best practices for new programs. New Directions for Student Services, 2011(133), 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.383
• Peer Support. (n.d.). The CARe Network. Retrieved December 26, 2020, from https://www.thecare-network.com/peer-support
• K. Yamasaki & Y. Toda & Y Watanabe. (2013). Prevention Education in the World/ peer support (1st ed.). Tokyo: Kaneko-shoboh. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236869036_Peer_support
• International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. (2017). Academic Achievement and Perceived Peer Support among Turkish Students: Gender and Preschool Education Impact. Academic Achievement and Perceived Peer Support among Turkish Students: Gender and Preschool Education Impact, 1–14. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1134207.pdf
• Christopher Boyle, Keith Topping, Divya Jindal-Snape and Brahm Norwich. (2012). The importance of peer support for teaching staff when including children with special educational needs. Result and Discussion, 167–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034311415783
• Jeremy Y. Ng. (2012). University campus peer support centres: Benefits for student emotional and mental well-being. THE EFFECT OF PEER SUPPORT SERVICES ON CAMPUS THROUGHOUT STUDENTS’ UNDERGRADUATE CAREERS, 16. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297700199_University_campus_peer_support_centres_Benefits_for_student_emotional_and_mental_well-being
• The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare. (2011). Setting up Peer Support Programmes in Schools — a step-by-step Guide. Mannerheimin Lastensuojeluliitto. https://www.klicksafe.de/fileadmin/media/documents/pdf/Ueber_Klicksafe/Youth_Panel/Setting_up_Peer_Support_Programmes_in_Schools.pdf
• Hallinan, Maureen T., 2000. Ability Group Effects on High School Learning Outcomes.