Two, three, or four heads are better than one: Modification of college performance by peer monitoring

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Citation:

Fraser, S. C., Beaman, A. L., Diener, E., & Kelem, R. T. (1977). Two, three, or four heads are better than one: Modification of college performance by peer monitoring. Journal of Education Psychology, 69(2), 101-108.

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Abstract:

Two studies with a total of 621 undergraduates assessed the effects of a peer-monitoring procedure on student performance in a college course. In the 1st study, Ss were assigned a learning partner and informed that their final grade would be determined by the average of their individual performances. A class with traditional grading served as the control group. In the 2nd study, grade averaging was again employed for experimental peer-monitoring groups of 2, 3, or 4 Ss. Here, experimental and control Ss were students in the same course. Both studies indicated the superiority of the peer-monitoring method over the typical individual performance contingency. Peer-monitoring procedures can be implemented in college courses with no added expense and minimal increases in bookkeeping.

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