Peace- oriented Peer Tutorial Program as Intervention for Improving Problem- solving Skills in Algebra

This research sought to explore the effectiveness of a peace-oriented peer tutorial program in enhancing the problem-solving skills of the first-year Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) Mathematics students in College and Advanced Algebra at Cotabato State University. The study used a quasi-experimental research approach, particularly a one-group pre-test-post-test design. The participants were forty (40) first-year mathematics students who were mentored by chosen highperforming peers during tutorial sessions. The main research instrument was a problem-solving skills test developed by the researcher and based on Polya's Four-Step Problem-Solving Method. The results indicated that the problem-solving skills of students were poor in the pre-test, which indicated that the students had difficulty in understanding, planning, carrying out and evaluating solutions. Peer tutorial program post-test results indicated significant improvement in all areas of problem solving. The statistical analysis further revealed that there was a significant difference in the pre-test score and post-test score, which indicated that the intervention had a significant positive effect on the performance of the students. The findings revealed that the peace-oriented peer tutorial program is a good educational approach in developing the students’ problem-solving skill in mathematics. The positive and cooperative learning environment assisted the students in enhancing their analytical, reflective and metacognitive thinking skills. Consequently, it is suggested to incorporate peaceoriented peer tutorial programs in the mathematics pedagogy to enhance the learning outcomes, engagement, and overall participation of students in the mathematical problem-solving tasks.