ENHANCING PEER MEDIATION AMONG LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE LEARNERS DURING PEER LED SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONS IN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSROOMS

Abstract

Findings from qualitative studies reveal an array of discursive supports that peers employ to mediate language and literacy for one another during collaborative and cooperative learning. Quantitative studies posit that enhanced literacy outcomes can result from students participating in these peer mediated tasks. Studies also suggest that the quality of talk employed by learners during these peer mediated tasks can be measured, and that higher quality talk can lead to enhanced learning. However, no study to date investigates both the discursive supports offered during peer mediated learning and robustly describes how they can lead to higher quality talk among elementary students who are learning in a second language. Moreover, little is known about how student uptake of these supports differs for elementary learners according to their English learner (EL) status. As a result, teachers do not have the pedagogical knowledge necessary to leverage all the benefits that peer interaction confers upon elementary ELs specifically. To address this gap in the research, my study explored and analyzed the impact of discursive supports on 52 third and fourth grade learners from two linguistically diverse classrooms during peer mediated small group discussions within science and social studies lessons. My embedded case study qualitatively explored how peers provided and responded to discursive supports from those in both an instructional and a peer role during small group discussions on informational texts. My study also probed the relationship between peer mediation and discussions that were more exploratory in nature. I coded and evaluated the types of discursive supports offered by students identified as ELs and non-ELs during small group discussions. I measured the frequency of the discursive supports provided during peer mediation and investigated student uptake of the supports. Using classroom observation data, field notes, instructional artifacts, and interview data, I examined the relations among the frequencies of different discursive supports for ELs and non-ELs, focusing on those that occurred in talk characterized as exploratory. My analyses reveal that ELs provided similar discursive supports as non-ELs, including support that is more likely to lead to exploratory talk. The findings also suggest a relationship between student uptake of discursive supports during peer mediated learning and exploratory talk, and that student uptake of supports might be an important mechanism to explore further in order to better understand how peer mediation enhances learning for ELs. I offer recommendations for future research and for classroom teachers who wish to implement peer led small group discussions on informational texts in elementary classrooms.