Peer-Led Team Learning and Improved Performance in an Allied Health Chemistry Course

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) has been reported to be effective in improving grades and retention as well as critical thinking, problem-solving, communication and team skills. However, it can be argued that factors other than PLTL such as differences in instructors, teaching assistants, absence of a true control group and self-selection of students into the PLTL and control groups could have influenced the reported outcomes. In this study, PLTL was implemented for three consecutive years under a unique setting in which the only variable in the treatments received by the test and control groups was PLTL. The results obtained agree with published information on PLTL, suggesting that the reported improvements in student performance can truly be associated with PLTL.