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Bell in 1795 and has been a popular choice for mixed-ability classrooms ever since.

(Sands, 2017). Like any other classroom instructional strategy, peer teaching offers

plenty of benefits and possess a handful of potential issues. It can enhance learning by

enabling learners to take responsibility for reviewing, organizing and consolidating

existing knowledge, filling in the gaps, finding additional meanings, and reformulating

knowledge into new conceptual frameworks (Dueck, 1993). Help from peers increases

learning both for the students being helped as well as for those giving the help. For the

students being helped, the assistance from their peers enables them to move away from

dependence on teachers and gain more opportunities to enhance their learning. For the

students giving the help, the cooperative learning groups serve as opportunities to

increase their own performance. They have the chance to experience and learn that

“teaching is the best teacher”. (Farivar and Webb, 1994).

However, peer tutoring can have disadvantages (Greenwood et al. 1990).

Establishing it does consume organizational time in designing and effecting appropriate

peer selection and matching, and it may also necessitate some adaptation to curriculum

materials. (Dueck, 1993). Certainly the requirements for training students in teaching and

learning skills are greater, although it can be argued that peer tutoring merely serves to

bring to the surface needs that traditional teaching tends to overlook. All these may

involve increased costs in the short term, with a view to reduce costs and greater

effectiveness in the medium and long term (Schmidt, 1994). The quality of tutoring from

a peer tutor may be a good deal inferior to that from a professional teacher (although this

should not be assumed), and the need for monitoring and quality control cannot be
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overstated (Greenwood et al. 1990). This also significantly consumes time and resources

(Schmidt, 1994). Likewise, the tutor's mastery of the content of tutoring is likely to be

less than that of a professional teacher, so curriculum content coverage in peer tutoring

may be much more variable (Dueck, 1993).

In light of the mentioned advantages that peer teaching has on the development of

the students, this study will focus on employing this type of teaching strategy to students

of Grade 11 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) classes of

Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School for the school year 2017-2018.

Statement of the Problem

This study will be conducted to find out the effects of using peer teaching strategy

in the teaching of Biology I on the academic performance of the students in Grade 11

STEM classes of Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High School during the school

year 2017-2018.

Specifically, this aims to:

a) determine the grades of students under conventional teaching method;

b) determine the grades of the students in the experimental group;

c) compare the grades of the students under the conventional teaching method and

those who are under the peer teaching method;

d) determine the relationship between the students’ age and their academic

performance; and

e) determine the relationship between the students’ gender and their academic

performance.
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Significance of the Study

Many educators are constantly striving to improve their students’ academic

performance, and students are likewise struggling to meet the standards of their teachers

in order to pass. However, the student population is apparently increasing in rate and this

leaves the learning facilitators even more challenged, which often leads to inadequacy of

effective learning instructions that would cater the students’ learning process. Amidst this

difficulty, the students’ earnest desire to learn fuels them to find an avenue that will help

them improve their academic performance.

This study intends to determine the effects of peer teaching in Biology I subject

on the academic performance of the students in Grade 11 Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) of Eastern Samar National Comprehensive High

School. This study will benefit the following:

Students. Peer instructional procedures have been viewed as highly effective for

students since it does not only help them gain more knowledge but also strengthens

interpersonal relations among them (Topping, 2005). There are also social and behvioral

benefits derive from peer tutoring as it encourages the development of both personal and

social aspects of the students (Topping, 2005). Working with, tutoring, or being tutored

by another peer requires students to cooperate effectively with one another (Fitz, 2005).

Moreover, communication skills can also be enhanced due to peer tutoring experiences

(Topping, 2005). It requires both the helper and the students being helped to explain

concepts to one another, thus “embodying and crystallizing thought into language” (Fitz,

2005). The valuable communication skills used in this teaching method includes
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questioning, listening, summarizing, speculating, and hypothesizing. Not only the tutee is

benefitted in this mode of teaching as it also requires reinforcement of the tutor’s own

knowledge and skills, building self-confidence and self-esteem, and development of a

sense of responsibility (Topping, 2005).

Teachers. Time constraints in delivering instruction during the school day make

it challenging for educator to account for significant gain for students learning. Thus,

peer tutoring has become beneficial not only for the student but also for the teachers. It

gives them the opportunity to teach more effectively since the student are already familiar

and well-informed of the lessons discussed as well as those that are yet to be discussed.

Aside from this, teachers find it easier to manage a class of cooperative and friendly

student since the classroom atmosphere is conducive to learning (Topping, 2005)

School Administration. The school administration will likewise be benefitted as

the students’ good academic performance and the teachers’ effective classroom

management will reflect the type of supervision that it employs.

Parents. Since the students perform effectively in school, the parents will feel

satisfied for their children are serious in their studies.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The scope of the study is focused on determining the effects of employing peer

teaching strategy in Biology I on the academic performance of students in Grade 11

STEM classes of ESNCHS for the school year 2017-2018. Additionally, the relationship

between the students’ demographic profile, such as their age and gender, and their

academic performance will also be included in the study.

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Students from STEM A, B and C will serve as the respondents in this study. Peer

teaching strategy will be used in the experimental group while the conventional teaching

method will be used in the control group.

The research work will be limited to discussing Cell Structure and Function for a

two-week period. Then, an achievement test will be given to the respondents and analysis

will be made based on the result of the assessment.

Definition of Terms

The key terms are defined operationally as used in the study.

Peer. A person who belongs to the same age group or social group (Merriam

Webster).

Peer teaching method. A method by which one student instructs another student

in material on which the first is an expert and the second is a novice (Mazur, 1990).

Tutor. A person charged with the instruction and guidance of another; one who

teaches (Merriam Webster).

Tutee. One who is being tutored (Merriam Webster).

Conventional Teaching Method. A method involving professional teachers or

instructors and the students; also called traditional teaching method (Mazur, 1990).

Experimental Group. It is a group in an experiment that receives the variable

being tested (Mazur, 1990).

Academic Performance. Evaluation of students’ expected performance on

academic activities in the classroom (Mazur, 1990)