Peer tutoring reading interventions for students with reading difficulties in a French immersion classroom

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of implementing a peer-tutoring program in a primary class to improve the reading abilities of all French immersion students on a Tier 1 level. I was particularly interested to see what the effects would be on the struggling students in these classes. I used action research to answer the following question: How can I implement a peer tutoring program to support reading development of struggling Grade 1 and 2 French immersion students? The population of the study consisted of 20 Grade 1 and 2 students as well as 18 intermediate students who participated as peer tutors. The study was conducted over the course of five weeks during which both classes came together four times a week for approximately 20 minutes per day. During this time, students followed structured steps to perform one-minute repeated readings of the same text over the course of a week. Students then graphed the total number of words read and the number of errors every day to measure progress. The second intervention consisted of reading French levelled texts while referring to a strategies cue card to help with decoding and comprehension strategies. A variety of data collection instruments were used such as pre and post surveys for primary students, pre and post reading level assessments for primary students, researcher journal and observations, graphs from the repeated reading sessions and an intermediate focus group. Findings include observed increases in engagement, confidence, and willingness to read. All of the primary students improved in their French reading skills.