Peer tutoring as a strategy for inclusive education in primary education: a case study

This paper studied the degree of inclusion in three primary school groups in Spain, where five students with mild special educational needs (SEN), but without disabilities, were enrolled. The study was based on a multiple-case design, combining observational and self-report techniques before, during and after implementing a peer tutoring programme. Three components of inclusive education were analysed: presence, participation and learning achievement. Within this last component, four specific variables of classroom participation were evaluated: (1) social acceptance rating of peers; (2) social relationships and friendship choices; (3) self-perception of personal, social and school adjustment; and (4) social interactions in learning activities. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed. The results show worse inclusion rates for students with SEN than for the rest of their peers in all dimensions. During the peer tutoring programme, an improvement was observed in the presence and achievement of SEN students. However, these improvements were only found in some variables of social participation, in the short term. The implementation of a fixed tutoring programme is a positive but not sufficient measure to generate changes in the degree of inclusion of students with learning disabilities. Finally, the implications for the planning of inclusive collaborative learning practices are discussed.