With this study I examined the effects of a peer tutoring intervention on the English reading achievement of 1st-grade learners in a Chinese township middle school. Many studies show the relationship between self-esteem and peer tutoring interventions. We examined the moderation of self-esteem on the impact of a 12-week intervention. Eighty-five 1st grade learners in a township middle school participated in this quasi-experimental study. The control group consisted of 42 learners, and the experimental group consisted of 43 learners. The Cambridge Young Learners English tests for Flyers (YLE Flyers) was used to assess learners’ English reading achievement. The modified Coopersmith self-esteem inventory – school form (CSEI-SF) was used to measure learners’ self-esteem. The results do not show a statistically significant impact of the peer tutoring intervention between the control and experimental groups. Neither learners’ initial English reading achievement nor their initial self-esteem moderated the impact of the peer tutoring intervention on their reading. However, an increase in learners’ English reading in the peer tutoring group was clear although it was not statistically significant. The findings shed light on the future implementation and research of peer tutoring in China and South Africa. Future peer tutoring studies could focus on the duration of interventions, participants’ gender, teacher education and experience, as well as the urban/rural location.

https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v46n2a2519

ORCiD iD of author:
Binbin Wu - https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3249-994X