ERIC Number: EJ1115035
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2200-2359
EISSN: N/A
Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS): Does Gender Matter?
Geerlings, Peter M.; Cole, Helen; Batt, Sharryn; Martin-Lynch, Pamela
Journal of Peer Learning, v9 Article 3 p10-25 2016
Peer-learning is an effective way to assist students to acquire study skills and content knowledge, especially in university courses that students find difficult, and it is an effective adjunct to improve student retention. In 2014, Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, commenced Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) in two first-year undergraduate subjects: a mathematics (statistics) unit and a business unit. The key finding in this evaluation was that while female mathematics students improved their final marks in response to attending a greater number of sessions per semester, male students achieved lower final marks on average. Although several studies have shown that in PASS-like programs gender tends to not be a significant factor relating to achievement, our results suggest otherwise. In this article we posit the observed differences in achievement attributed to gender arise from complex gender-related issues, including gender stereotypes, student gender ratios in class, the gender of the teacher relative to the gender of the student, and gender-related motivation, engagement, and subject choice. An approach to remediate gender-associated differences in achievement for PASS attendees is proposed.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Freshmen, Peer Teaching, Gender Differences, Mathematics Education, Business Administration Education, Academic Achievement, Scores, Grades (Scholastic), Grade Point Average, Sex Stereotypes, Gender Issues, Outcomes of Education, Statistical Analysis, Correlation
University of Wollongong. Available from: Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources. Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. Tel: +61-2-4221-3140; Fax: +61-2-4225-8312; e-mail: jutlp@uow.edu.au; Web site: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ajpl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A