Teaching Partnerships: The Use of Peer Facilitators in the College Classroom

Abstract

This study sought to qualitatively examine an undergraduate faculty teaching partnership in an agricultural and extension education leadership course. The researchers implemented peer facilitation for the purposes of examining the student and peer facilitator perceptions to the peer facilitation process. Utilizing a social constructivist epistemology, the researchers conducted discourse analysis, content analysis, and interviews to address the research questions. Results revealed three emergent student themes of enhanced educational opportunities, relational benefits of peer facilitation, and student concern for the selection and roles of the peer facilitator. Analysis of the peer facilitator data revealed areas for potential change, areas of recognized student skill development, and perceptions of the unique contributions of the peer facilitation process. Both the students and the peer facilitators recognized areas for improvement and offered suggestions relating to the procedural development and instructor support of the peer facilitation process.