Group-based Peer Tutoring among University Undergraduate Nursing Students: Enhanced Teaching-Learning Through Group Discussion

Abstract

Student-led peer tutoring, a system in which both the tutor and the tutee are students, has existed since the time of Aristotle and is becoming more common in nursing educational settings in the United States, particularly as the nursing faculty shortage continues to increase. The typical peer tutoring model utilized is individual tutoring in which a fellow student guides or instructs a single student in a highly individualized lesson. Although the individual tutoring model has significant benefits for both the student tutor and the student tutee, there is often minimal opportunity for discussion, limiting comprehensive understanding of the subject matter. By contrast, the group model of peer-based tutoring allows for students to engage in discussion with each other, using the collective knowledge of the group in order to clarify gaps in individual understanding. The purpose of this paper is to describe the many benefits of group-based student peer tutoring for both the tutors and tutees, and thereby  promote this approach to enhance teaching-learning for undergraduate university nursing students