How Peer-to-Peer Learning Promotes Student Independence in Academia

This essay, focused on English for Academic Purposes, delves into the concept of peer-to-peer learning, defining it as a collaborative approach where students support and learn from each other. The essay explores different types of peer learning, including collaborative, dynamic group, and formal/informal learning groups, highlighting the advantages of each. It emphasizes how peer learning promotes student independence by encouraging self-monitoring, communication development, and collaborative problem-solving. The essay also discusses how students can effectively utilize the experiences of their peers, fostering skills such as communication, project management, and critical appraisal. While acknowledging potential drawbacks like lack of confidentiality and poor applicability, the essay concludes by recommending strategies to enhance peer learning, such as encouraging personal and social development and expanding peer review opportunities. The essay emphasizes the importance of peer-to-peer learning in academic settings, highlighting its role in knowledge acquisition and skill development.

Running head: ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSE
English for academic purpose
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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How can peer-to-peer learning promote student independence, and how can students best utilize
the experience of their fellow students?’
Introduction:
Peer to peer learning can be defined as acquiring skills and knowledge through
supporting and actively assisting among matched students or companions. Peer-to-peer learning
is about sharing knowledge within network of educational environment with students on larger
scale. Goal of this type of learning process are introduced is to create valuable learning
opportunities and building supportive relationship among fellow students for enhancing
knowledge gaining and sharing experience. Dialogue between practice and theories are enhanced
by removing barriers to communication and interaction. Such learning process focuses on higher
education environment and it is promoted as a versatile teaching, valuable and learning strategy.
Journals on peer learning seeks to establish and investigate such learning process (Barkley et al.,
2014). Scope of peer learning has not be realized yet and they are often introduced in ad-hoc way
and they have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Discussion:
Peer learning process enables students to practice, explore and question their own
understanding of the issues or problems by managing their own learning experiences either in a
formal or in formal instruction environment. Several different types of learning techniques are
encompassed in learning process that helps in facilitating student based learning. Strategies
incorporate din peer learning provides teachers to take a step back and enabling students to do

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teaching and interacting for a while. Students are involved interactively with their fellow
students as strategies of such learning process is extremely advantageous.
Different types of peer learnings:
There are different types of peer-to-peer learning and it takes in the form of collaborative
learning, dynamic group learning, and private study groups and senior students helping juniors in
formal and in formal educational environment.
Dynamic learning group- Dynamic learning group enable students to learn regularly
from their fellow students. Dynamic learning environment is created by formation of such group
by incorporating learning active learning into student’s prospectus and transforming the
classroom into exciting learning place (Stentoft Arlbjørn et al., 2013).
Cooperative learning- Cooperative learning is a structuring positive interdependence
that helps in facilitation and guidance of learning process. In this type of learning, students works
in pairs or small groups seeking solutions to any particular problems and discussing the concepts.
There are several advantages of collaborative learning such as gaining knowledge in particular
subjects, leadership skills development, thinking at higher level, promoting relationship between
students, faculties and fellow students and enhance joint problem solving (Bowman-Perrott et al.,
2014).
Formal and informal learning group- Students in formal group received guidance and
instruction from instructor to work on any assignment and complete their task. Such type of

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learning generates heterogeneous group. Instructor has a very crucial role to play in this type of
setting, as he is responsible for evaluating and monitoring the performance of students. In
informal setting, there is formation of small and temporary group and students work together
with fellow students for discussing their concepts and answering to questions while supporting
each other (press.jhu.edu, 2017).
Contribution of peer-to-peer learning in promoting student independence:
Under different circumstances, peer learning are useful in different way. Students are
encouraged to become independent learners by way of per to peer learning.
Students are provided opportunities to self-monitor- There are two processes that forms
the basis of monitoring such as establishment of goals and gaining feedback by students form
their fellow students. Students are encouraged to develop the use of their peer and self-
assessment to monitor the efficacy of the strategies used in achieving learning goals.
Communication development- Various steps are involved in the process of learning and
this particular learning process motivates student to become well acquainted with the steps that
are required in gaining knowledge and learning. Students are able to understand their own style o
learning that they share with fellow students and enhance gaining experience.
Promoting independent learning by using questioning- The process of peer-to-per
learning involves transferring of responsibility from teachers to students step by step that
gradually assist students in handling their task themselves while gaining support from their peers.
Independent learning is promoted by developing effective disclosure in classroom for promoting
thinking by responding to responses of students in a flexible way. It also assist students to
develop capacity of deeper understanding and development of problem solving skills.

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Encouraging collaboration- Peer learning provides students with regular opportunities to
complete their task in small groups and seeks idea development in spite of looking for answers
from their teachers or instructors. Students are encouraged to learn from each other by
collaborating with each other (jesexpertise.be, 2017).
Another benefit of peer-to-peer learning is provided in the way of inculcation of
employability skills in addition to development of other attributes such as enhancement of ability
of students to communicate with their fellow students and critical appraisal. This would assist
them in development and progressing their future career. Development of all such attributes
would be beneficial to students, as they would have the skills of working in collaborative
working environment (Young & McNulty, 2016). All these skills would assist student in their
professional life, as they would not be dependent upon their superiors for decision-making.
Interaction and conversation of students with their fellow students while working in-
group would help in promoting independence as they become open to have review and feedback
and open to questions posed by others. This would enable them to solve problems while seeking
suggestion and feedback from their fellow students. There is an improvement in skills of students
by development of Psychological empowerment factors such as self-determination, impact and
competence. Some of additional benefits of such learning process is enabling students to
encounter with greater diversity perspective. The likelihood of students to work on knowledge
improvement by gaining feedback from two different sources (psy.gla.ac.uk, 2017).
Ways in which student utilize experience of fellow students:
Students assisting their fellow students in classroom and seeking feedback is one of the
powerful classroom technique. Collaboration of students with their fellow students helps in

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taking responsibilities and become motivated. Furthermore, students are able to develop a range
of attributes through collaboration such as social and communication skill development,
development of competencies, management of project and problem solving skills. One of the
characteristic of cooperative learning is positive independence that is developed by peer learning
process. It is perceived by students as well as teachers that their performance increases when
working in group rather than working individually. Another attributes of such learning process is
that when students engage with their fellow student in informal setting, they are provided with
social support that facilitates better performance and motivation (Burke & Sass, 2013). As per
the discussion, it can be said that when students work together in-group with other students, they
are able to improve their learning process.
Negative sides of peer-to-peer learning:
Lack of confidentiality- Peer learning leads to creation of maximum transparency
between students, instructors and fellow students. Creation of transparency is not entertained as
it has some drawbacks.
Student’s experience- Students engaged in practicing peer learning are involved
consistently on working front and discussion of concepts. However, in such scenario, there is a
lack of social conversation and they are not involved socially. Sometimes, it is healthy for
students to engage socially as it enable them open to feedbacks and seeking problems solutions.
For healthy conversation, it is sometimes required to get engage socially and there is not any
possibility of social development (effectiveinstitutions.org 2017). This is one of negative side of
peer-to-peer learning.

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Poor applicability- In some of the case while working in education environment, there is
a possibility that such learning process is not properly and efficiently applied. If the learning
process is not effectively applied, then collaboration between students and instructor will be
ineffective.
It has been ascertained from reviewing previous academic research on peer-to-peer
learning that the process of peer learning provides students with ample of benefits. Positioning
feedback is one of the operative tool of peer learning. Development of diversifies skills would
assist students in their future carrier progression. Workplace would be enhanced by capacity of
deep learning and understanding (Bene & Bergus, 2014).
Conclusion:
It is concluded from the above analysis of several journals on peer-to-peer learning that
students participating in learning process would development several attributes that will help
them in in increasing their experience and knowledge along with future career progression.
Learners are assisted in learning subject better and deeper along with learning transferrable skills
in cooperation, helping, communication and listening. A sense of cohesive community is
contributed by peer learning process. However, issues faced in such learning process are not
likely to be addressed instantly.
Recommendations:
 Negativity of peer learning process needs to be addressed by encouraging personal and
social development.

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 It is required by students to reshape their perception about peer learning and a connection
is sought to be establish between gaining knowledge practically and working in
classroom.
 The benefits of students learning can be expanded by engaging them in further
opportunities of peer review.

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References list:
Barkley, E. F., Cross, K. P., & Major, C. H. (2014). Collaborative learning techniques: A
handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.
Bene, K. L., & Bergus, G. (2014). When learners become teachers: a review of peer teaching in
medical student education. Family medicine, 46(10), 783-787.
Bowman-Perrott, L., Davis, H., Vannest, K., Williams, L., Greenwood, C., & Parker, R. (2013).
Academic benefits of peer tutoring: A meta-analytic review of single-case
research. School Psychology Review, 42(1), 39..
Effectiveinstitutions.org. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
https://www.effectiveinstitutions.org/media/The_EIP_P_to_P_Learning_Guide.pdf
Iier.org.au. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from http://www.iier.org.au/iier23/moore.pdf
Jesexpertise.be. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
http://www.jesexpertise.be/bibb/bijlagen/trends.pdf
Psy.gla.ac.uk. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
http://www.psy.gla.ac.uk/~steve/courses/ceredocs/oldwikis/9.peerInt.pdf

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Pwb01mw.press.jhu.edu. (2017). Retrieved 11 October 2017, from
https://pwb01mw.press.jhu.edu/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/
portal_pre_print/articles/okelly.pdf
Stentoft Arlbjørn, J., & Vagn Freytag, P. (2013). Evidence of lean: a review of international
peer-reviewed journal articles. European Business Review, 25(2), 174-205.
Young, V. L., & McNulty, C. A. (2016). In Practice. Perspectives in Public Health, 136(4), 192.