Effects of a Cross-Age Peer Learning Program on the Vocabulary and Comprehension of English Learners and Non-English Learners in Elementary School
Silverman, Rebecca D.; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Peercy, Megan M.; Hartranft, Anna M.; McNeish, Daniel M.; Artzi, Lauren; Nunn, Stephanie (2017). Elementary School Journal, v117 n3 p485-512. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1138132
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examining442Students, gradesK-4
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: September 2022
- Single Study Review (findings for Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program)
- Quasi-Experimental Design
- Meets WWC standards with reservations because it uses a cluster quasi-experimental design that provides evidence of effects on individuals by satisfying the baseline equivalence requirement for the individuals in the analytic intervention and comparison groups.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Comprehension test - kindergarten (COMP-K) (researcher-designed) |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: K; English learners;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Comprehension test - grade four (COMP-4) (researcher designed) |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: 4; native English speakers;
|
N/A |
N/A |
Yes |
|
||
|
Comprehension test - kindergarten (COMP-K) (researcher-designed) |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: K; native English speakers;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
|
Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT): Comprehension subtest |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: 4; native English speakers;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT, 4th edition) |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: K; English learners;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
|
Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT): Vocabulary subtest |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: 4; English learners;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
| Show Supplemental Findings | |||||||||
|
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT, 4th edition) |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: K; native English speakers;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
|
Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT): Vocabulary subtest |
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Grade: 4; native English speakers;
|
N/A |
N/A |
No |
-- | ||
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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33% English language learners -
Other or unknown: 100% -
Suburban
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Race Black 25% Other or unknown 71% White 4% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 63% Other or unknown 37% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) 83% No FRPL 17%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in four Title 1 elementary schools in a suburban public school district in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Study sample
A total of 203 kindergartners and 239 grade four students were included in the study. The 442 students in elementary schools were taught by 22 classroom teachers in 24 classrooms in four schools. Approximately 83% were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and 70% were Limited English Proficient. Twenty-five percent were Black, 4% were White, and 71% did not report race. Sixty-three percent were Hispanic or Latino, and 27% did not report ethnicity.
Intervention Group
Martha’s True Stories Buddies Program is a paired, cross-age tutoring program that aims to increase students’ vocabulary and comprehension. It was adapted from the Martha Speaks Reading Buddies Program but includes extra supports for English learners and a focus on comprehension in addition to vocabulary. Each week for 14 weeks, students participated in a 30-minute lesson, during which the classroom teacher provided instruction on specific vocabulary words and learning strategies for vocabulary and comprehension. On the day following the lesson each week, each kindergarten student met with a paired student in grade four (called a "buddy") for 45 minutes. During the session, the grade four student led their kindergarten buddy through a series of activities that included watching a video or reading text, reviewing vocabulary, and doing a writing or drawing activity that aimed at helping them learn vocabulary and comprehension.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received business-as-usual instruction in vocabulary and comprehension and did not engage in cross-age peer learning. Teachers used the same curricula for vocabulary and comprehension as teachers in intervention group classrooms.
Support for implementation
The research team led a day-long training session for teachers to prepare them to implement the intervention. Teachers were provided with an intervention guide and other learning materials and attended ongoing planning sessions during the intervention. Six specialists, who were also trained in the intervention, supported teachers in the intervention classrooms during cross-age sessions.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
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Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).