Enhancing Students’ Academic Performance in Basic Calculus Through Reciprocal Peer Tutoring
Keywords:
Academic performance, Basic calculus, Reciprocal peer tutoring, Senior high school students, STEMAbstract
This study addressed the need for effective instructional strategies to improve students’ performance in basic calculus, particularly in topics such as limits and derivatives. It aimed to examine the effectiveness of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring (RPT) among Grade 11 STEM students. A quasi-experimental pretest posttest control group design was employed involving seventy-eight (78) students, with 38 assigned to the experimental group and 40 to the control group. A researcher-developed, validated, and reliable 40-item multiple-choice test was used to measure students’ performance before and after the intervention. Descriptive results indicated that the experimental group (M = 14.95, SD = 4.08) and control group (M = 14.15, SD = 4.21) had comparable pretest scores. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to examine differences in posttest performance while controlling for pretest scores. Results showed that pretest scores were significantly associated with posttest performance, F(1, 75) = 100.84, p < .001, partial η² = .57. After adjustment, a statistically significant difference in posttest scores was found between the experimental and control groups, F(1, 75) = 152.92, p < .001, partial η² = .67, with the experimental group obtaining higher mean scores. These findings suggest that reciprocal peer tutoring may support improved academic performance in basic calculus. The study concludes that structured peer-assisted learning can serve as a useful complementary instructional approach within similar classroom contexts.
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