Children’s mediational teaching style as a function of intervention for cross-age peer-mediation

The main objective of this study was to investigate the
effects of a programme providing cross-age peer-mediation on mediation
teaching style of mediators and learners in a learning situation.
A second objective was to investigate the effects of the mediators' and
learners' cognitive level on different criteria of mediation.
The sample was composed of 89 third graders (mediators) and 89
first graders (learners) coming from three third grade classes and
three first grade classes in a primary school. The third graders were
assigned to experimental (n = 43) and control (n = 46) groups. Each
pair of mediator and learner was matched in a counterbalanced design
(2 × 2) according to their cognitive level (high versus low), based on
their score on the Raven's Matrices. The experimental third graders
received the Peer-Mediation for Young Children (PMYC), which is a
training programme based on the theoretical approaches of Vygotsky
and Feuerstein. The control children received a general preparation
for peer assisted learning. Following the PMYC, all children participated
in a peer-mediation condition, which was videotaped for 25
minutes and subsequently analysed by the Observation of Mediation
Instrument.

The findings showed that the experimental children received signi.cantly higher mediation scores than the control children. Mediators‘ cognitive level was not related to the level of mediation. However, the learners‘ cognitive level was found to effect mediation for meaning of the mediator: requestfor meaning from learners and givingof meaning from mediator were higher in interactions of mediators with learners of low cognitive level. The .ndings are discussed with reference to Feuerstein‘s and Vygotsky‘s theories.