2024 : 11 : 22
Mahmood Dehqan

Mahmood Dehqan

Academic rank: Assistant Professor
ORCID:
Education: PhD.
ScopusId:
HIndex: 0/00
Faculty: Department of literature
Address:
Phone: 01135305014

Research

Title
Investigating the Effectiveness of Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL) in English Language Education
Type
Thesis
Keywords
English as a foreign language, feedback, peer-assisted learning, perceptions, challenges
Year
2024
Researchers KARRAR SAADOON ALKINANI(Student)، Mahmood Dehqan(Advisor)، Shirin Abadikhah(PrimaryAdvisor)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate Iraqi students' perspectives on the significance of Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL), their levels of involvement when receiving feedback from peers compared to teachers, and the influence of PAL on language proficiency, communication, and social aptitude. The survey further aims to assess the prevalence, efficacy, and perceived advantages and difficulties of PAL among students from Iraq. The study involved 32 university students from Iraq and Iran, with a gender distribution of 23 male and 9 female, aged 18-30+. Participants were mainly postgraduates (56%) and undergraduates (43%).The method of data collection was survey and a questionnaire was used to collect data. The questionnaire included 22 items plus an initial section on demographic information. Sixteen items asked about the main causes of PAL engagement, how important PAL is to students, how engaged they are when getting comments from teachers versus peers, and whether they think their peers have useful knowledge. Seven items in the questionnaire was devoted to the challenges and problems PAL from students’ perspectives. The data indicates that most students frequently engage in work-based groups and actively participate in PAL, with the primary purpose being to combine assignments and co-study. PAL is universally regarded as important, with peer feedback and teacher feedback both seen as crucial for engagement. Peer information is considered highly useful, and there is an overall positive perception of PAL, particularly in enhancing language abilities and developing communication and social skills. Finally, the majority of students do not view PAL as chaotic, indicating that it is often seen as a structured and effective learning method. The findings of this study may assist educators in deciding to create more successful collaborative learning settings by employing PAL, which can meet the individual requirements and difficulties of students.