Peer-Led Reading Discussions

Summary of Heller, M. & Soter, A. (2024)

Background & Existing Knowledge
Classroom talk significantly impacts reading comprehension. Peer-led discussions offer potential for deeper reasoning and collaborative interpretation, especially with literary texts.

New Insights from This Study
✔ Students in peer-led discussions engaged in higher-order thinking more frequently than in teacher-led ones.
✔ Peer formats encouraged interpretive risk-taking and equitable participation.
✔ Teacher-led discussions focused more on comprehension checks and facts.

Practical Applications: How Educators Can Use This Research

Designing Peer Discussions
📌 Train students to lead discussions using open-ended prompts.
📌 Use roles (e.g., summarizer, connector) to guide contributions.
📌 Rotate leadership to build confidence and inclusivity.

Supporting Interpretation
📌 Choose texts that invite multiple interpretations.
📌 Provide language stems to support accountable talk.
📌 Debrief discussions with group reflections.

Scaffolding & Evaluation
📌 Provide mini-lessons on discussion techniques.
📌 Record and analyze discussion transcripts for growth.
📌 Use peer assessment to reflect on participation quality.

Conclusion
Peer-led reading groups nurture deeper comprehension, interpretive freedom, and student voice in literature classrooms.

Key Words
reading comprehension, peer discussion, student-led learning, literary analysis, dialogic teaching

Reference
Heller, M., & Soter, A. (2024). When Students Lead: Peer-Led versus Teacher-Led Discussions in Middle School Reading. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 67(3), 311–325.

Suggested Citation
Ross, E. M., & Malar, D. B. J. (2025). Peer-Led Reading Discussions. Excellent Educator, 2(13), 3.