Peer Leadership Program

The Peer Leadership is a school educational program that looks upon upperclassmen to help ease the transition to the underclassman's respective freshmen year, usually run in public Universities and high schools. The Peer Program is considered to stress communal interaction and social insight. Before meeting with smaller groups of newcomers the larger Peer Leader is trained to deal and mentor with the educational needs the newcomers may express.

The Five Stages Approach

The methodology most commonly used in training the members of Peer is known as the Five Stages Approach, which teaches Peer Leaders about the five stages of a group. It is important to note that this is the interpretation of the journey, per se, that many peer groups embark upon. The stages are:

Stage One: Forming, which understands that upon first creating groups, the members will be nervous. This stage remains crucial for leaders to emerge.

Stage Two: Norming, following forming, is the stage in which group members begin to adjust to their new, institutionalized atmosphere. The Peer members themselves begin to initiate general conversation and, within time, to manifest state-sponsored curriculum upon their members.

Stage Three: Storming, the stage in which the freshmen begin to fight for roles in the group. Often conflict erupts emotionally as true feelings are expressed and group members learn about how others perceive them.

Stage Four: Performing, the point in which the group members have the capacity to feel comfortable with each other. Unlike the stage preceding it, many of the emotions felt on this level are of trust and kindness, although apathy and disinterest may also peak in certain members during this stage.

Stage Five: Mourning and Reform, the final stage which involves a parting of ways as group members review and reflect on the past. At the same time, they also focused on their future lives and ways that they will impart their differences upon the world. The Peer Leader must stress that it is the responsibility of the individual group members to act responsibly and morally in their future endeavors, taking care to especially stress the value of autonomy and self-direction.

Peer Recognition

Peer leaders often have various ways of recognizing each other as well as expressing the Peer bond and emotional trust between Peer leaders. There are many levels on which Peer recognition functions, starting from the most basic and common form to the most complex form:

Level 1: Fist Peer: This is a soft fist pound in which Peer leaders recognize each other and express their bond through Peer, often repeating such phrases as "Peer" or "Peer love". This is by far the most common form of Peer recognition.

Level 2: Eye Peer: This type of recognition involves Peer leaders making eye contact with each other for several seconds, followed by a slight head nod, which signifies that both leaders recognize each other as fellow Peer members. The Eye Peer works well because it can allow Peer members to bond from long distances.

Level 3: Mental Peer: The Mental Peer allows a Peer leader to recognize the presence of other Peer members without making direct contact, as well as allowing the Peer member to recognize when other members are thinking of Peer.

These 3 levels are the only known levels of Peer recognition, although other, more complex forms are reputed to be in development. Some forms of Peer recognition vary from school to school and program to program and may contain handshakes, shared sayings or certain high five like motions or dance moves. These forms of peer recognition are usually handed down through the years and their exact meanings safeguarded.

Arguments Against Peer Leadership

Some object to the standardization that the program imposes upon its members, especially within the high school level, where a significant majority of the freshmen class may be members. For example, Peer Leaders are given curriculum to follow each week under strict instruction to not deviate. Much of the curriculum that Peer Leaders and members give/receive, respectively, is pre-screened by school officials, in addition to having been directly handed down from the respective state Department of Education (i.e. NJ Dept. of Education, NJ being the first state to implement the Peer Program). Thus, an argument can be made that neither freshmen nor seniors have input on the information and pro-social lessons that they must discuss, and are forced into discussions on topics that are frequently irrelevant, unimportant, or generally uninteresting. High School freshmen have especially been known to express their dissent about issues, rules, and values that are taught to them. Furthermore, not all group members feel comfortable discussing personal problems and giving input to conversation, leading to an estrangement between the more socially-oriented group members and those who are more introverted in nature. For many freshmen, large Peer Groups (as many as 20+ in several instances) are intimidating and may reach a state of uncontrollability on the part of the Peer Leaders, who lack the authority of teachers.

The Peer Leader selection process has been a particular subject of scrutiny. Peer Leaders chosen are typically gregarious and outgoing, and females comprised 65% of the Peer force within the 2008-2009 Somerville High School school year. Through a series of group examinations in which random Peer applicants are given physical leadership puzzles to complete within specified time periods, the most outspoken individuals are looked upon highly. Through group interviews that follow, seniors that are similarly self-confident and socially agreeable are chosen as Peer Leaders. Those judged to have a speaking impediment, perceived shyness of character, or any other noticeable personality flaw(s) are passed up in favor of other students. Seniors who have been given a certain number of detentions, suspensions, or write-ups are officially banned from the program and cannot apply. Through careful selection of Peer Leaders, socially acceptable role models for incoming freshmen students can be chosen and institutional image reinforced.

References

Astin, A. W., (1985). Achieving Educational Excellence. San Francisco: Josses-Bass.

Astin, A. W., (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco: Josses-Bass.

Chickering, A. W., (1969). Education and Identity. San Francisco: Josses-Bass.

Gardner, J. N., (1996). “Power to Peers.” Keystone Newsletter. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Gardner, J. N., (1998, August). Current Trends in the first college year. Lee University Annual Training Seminar for Freshman Seminar Instructors and Peer Leaders, conducted at Johnston Woods, Cleveland, TN.

Hamid, S. L. & VanHook, J., (1999). [Peer Leader Program Questionnaire]. Unpublished raw data. (Available from the Office of First-Year Programs, Lee University, Cleveland, TN, 37320-3450.

Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P.T., (1991). How college affects students. San Francisco: Josses-Bass.