Peer Assisted Learning: What Can Students Teach Us and Each Other?

In a university context, peer assisted learning (PAL) refers to students supporting the learning of other students. While PAL is used extensively in health and medical sciences fields to enhance student learning, there are few examples of how it has been incorporated within recreation education contexts. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of a peer learning project across three undergraduate recreation courses in a university in Atlantic Canada and to understand how the organization and implementation of a PAL project impacts student learning. Multiple forms of data (focus group, reflections assignments and online survey) were collected across 2 years of program implementation. Two themes were constructed from the data: Benefits of Peer Learning Within Near Peer Groups, and Factors Impacting Overall Effectiveness of Peer Learning Initiatives. Results are discussed in relation to the benefits and implications of peer-to-peer teaching and learning.