1. Does Peer Assisted Learning Promote Transitions Amongst Students?
Ms Lucy Singh, Year 4 MBChB student
Ms Anna Rose, Year 4 MBChB student
Dr Asha Venkatesh, Lecturer (Scholarship)
Good morning/afternoon. My name is Lucy Singh, and I am a current 4th year medical student at the University of Aberdeen. I have been working on a project looking at the effect of peer-assisted learning on the transitions of students into independent, mature learners, and I look forward to sharing the progress of this study with you today.
Enhancement Themes conference, Thursday 9 June John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh

2. Peer Assisted Learning
Peer-assisted learning is a historical concept, used in many realms of education.
But what actually is peer-assisted learning? There are various different concepts that come under the umbrella of peer-assisted learning. These include peer tutoring, peer counselling, peer education, and peer assessment. Peer-assisted learning can be “peer”, where individuals of the same age/stage are teaching each other, or “near peer”, where a more senior individual is teaching a less senior individual. In both peer and near peer, the key idea being that tutors and tutees are close in age.

3. The Peer Assisted Learning Scheme at the University of Aberdeen
Set up in 2013.
Evaluation of the pilot showed that senior students were more in favour of PALS than the junior students.
Free text comments suggested that this was due to their adopting adult learning principles.
Were PALS tutors promoting transitions into independent learners?
The Peer Assisted Learning Scheme, which I will refer to as PALS, has been active in Aberdeen Medical School since The scheme in Aberdeen uses near-age peer tutoring, where more senior medical students act as tutors for less senior medical students to teach anatomy content.
Tutors receive training prior to acting as PALS tutors [how much?]
Tutors have to be senior by two years or more in order to be “near peer” PALS tutors.
The tutors are then part of the anatomy class, tutoring alongside “normal” qualified anatomy staff tutors. Anatomy teaching in Aberdeen involves stations with specimens are set up and students have a workbook to fill in. It is up to students to spend as much time with the specimens during class time as they deem necessary. The role of the PALS tutors is very similar to that of the qualified anatomy staff. This involves being available during the class to discuss concepts with students as students wish, answer questions, and help students with their understanding of anatomy.

4. Aims Literature Review:
“Students also identified personal growth, such as increased confidence, and becoming more active and responsible for their own learning”
Aims
To investigate if PALS promotes transitions of tutees into independent learners
It is interesting to consider the effect of PALS on the transitions of students into mature, adult learners who take responsibility for their own learning.
There is currently nothing in the literature specifically addressing this question. However, pevious analysis done with PALS suggested students taking ownership of their own learning. For example, Loke and Chow in 2007 performed a qualitative study examining the effectiveness of peer-tutoring amongst nursing students. They state an outcome of interviews with students who had been tutored by peers as the students describing “increased confidence, and becoming more active and responsible for their own learning.” This clearly highlights this idea of transitions into independent learners.
Loke A and Chow F Learning partnership – the experience of peer tutoring among nursing students: A qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Studies. [Online] 44 (2), pp

5. Sample PALS tutors were Year 4 and 5 MBChB students
Tutees were Year 1 MBChB students in their (intracurricular) Practical Anatomy sessions.
This study is a mixed-methods study with both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
The first part of this study required implementation of PALS in anatomy classes. Tutors were recruited by ing an invitation to participate as PALS tutors to those in relevant years across the medical school. Those who volunteered to participate then underwent training as has been given to all PALS tutors in the University of Aberdeen scheme. Tutors were then present in Year 1 anatomy classes.
Students in Year 1 anatomy classes were administered a paper-based 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire, which included 5 open answer questions. Results of the 5-point Likert Scale aspect were analysed using SPSS software.
This is part of a larger study; this presentation will discuss the quantitative aspect

6. Methods Mixed-methods approach
5-point Likert Scale Questionnaire (administered to 151 Year 1 MBChB students)
117 filled in Questionnaires obtained (response rate = 77.5%)
Analysis using SPSS
This study is a mixed-methods study with both quantitative and qualitative aspects.
The first part of this study required implementation of PALS in anatomy classes. Tutors were recruited by ing an invitation to participate as PALS tutors to those in relevant years across the medical school. Those who volunteered to participate then underwent training as has been given to all PALS tutors in the University of Aberdeen scheme. Tutors were then present in Year 1 anatomy classes.
Students in Year 1 anatomy classes were administered a paper-based 5-point Likert Scale questionnaire, which included 5 open answer questions. Results of the 5-point Likert Scale aspect were analysed using SPSS software.
This is part of a larger study; this presentation will discuss the quantitative aspect

7. Results
Here the quantitative results of the Year 1 questionnaire analysis are shown. For Year 1 students, all 117 questionnaires out of 151 administered were returned and analysed.
The preliminary results from this analysis are as follows:
90.6% of students agree or strongly agree that PALS tutors improved engagement with anatomy
72.6% students agreed that PALS were good role models
88.9% of students agreed that they liked being taught by PALS tutors
28.2% of tutees acknowledged that PALS tutors may provide incorrect information and 28.2% were ambivalent.

8. Discussion and Conclusions
PALS promotes Transitions of tutees In, Through and Out of University IN
THROUGH
OUT
Helps tutees transition into Higher Education by improving engagement in Anatomy
Tutees are in favour of PALS even though they realise that PALS tutors are fellow students who may sometimes impart incorrect information . This shows they are taking ownership of their studies. (transitioning into adult learners )
These results demonstrate strongly that students enjoy being taught by peer tutors despite acknowledging that PALS tutors may provide incorrect information. This suggests that students are willing to take ownership of their learning and perhaps seek out the correct answers themselves if they are questioning the accuracy of some information provided by PALS tutors.
We see also that tutees regard PALS as good role models, perhaps helping them to make the transition into higher education as they can see how their peers managed it and identify with their experiences.
Why?
Cognitive congruence = tutors and tutees share similar knowledge base so can explain at appropriate level
Social congruence = tutors and tutees share similar social roles
What is the effect of this?
In transitions = students adjust to higher education. How did this study show this?
Through transitions = transition into adult learner. How did this study show this?
Out transitions not investigated as this refers to tutors not tutees

9. With Thanks To all our PALS tutors
All tutees who filled in the Questionnaires
Centre for Academic Development’s Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme (LTEP) who funded this project.
I would like to thank Asha Venkatesh (supervisor of this project) and University of Aberdeen’s Learning and Teaching Enhancement Programme, who have funded this project.
Thank-you very much for listening.
Enhancement Themes conference, Thursday 9 June John McIntyre Conference Centre, Edinburgh