Using peer tutoring and assessment to develop generic and specific competencies

Abstract

This paper is framed within the European Credit Transfer System scheme which is currently being piloted at the University of Jaén in Spain. lt reports on a study which is currently in progress and involves nearly 150 pre-service English teachers studying English Philology and English Philology + Tourism. lts aim is to determine whether the use of peer tutoring and assessment can help develop a set of generic and specifi­c competencias in the students participating in the pi­loting of the European Credit Transfer System. The paper will begi­n by framing the study within the broader context of the European Higher Education Area and of the project. lt will then go on to report on the investigation, offering a detailed descri­ption of the sample of subjects who have i­ntegrated the study, its chief objecti­ves, the variables and instruments employed, the procedure followed, and the methodology used. The acquisition of the competencies on which the study focuses will be determined by quantitatively measuring the groups' performance on the specific aspects in which the afore-menti­oned competencias have been operati­onalized. The quantitative data will be complemented with qualitative surveys which provide interesting insights into the students' perceptions of the implementation of the experience and of their self-awareness of the development of the targeted competencies. The results and implications will be discussed in a final section, which will highlight the benefits of using peer tutoring to develop competencies and foster life-long learning, to enhance coordination among clusters of teachers and subjects, and, all in all, to promote pedagogical innovation at University.