title: Understanding the experience of being taught by peers: the value of social and cognitive congruence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medical schools use supplemental peer-teaching programs even though there is little research on students' actual experiences with this form of instruction.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To understand the student experience of being taught by peers instead of by faculty.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted focus groups with first- and second-year medical students participating in a supplemental peer-teaching program at one institution. From the learner focus group themes, we developed a questionnaire and surveyed all first-year students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Focus groups revealed four learner themes: learning from near-peers, exposure to second-year students, need for review and synthesis, teaching modalities and for the peer-teachers, the theme of benefits for the teacher. Factor analysis of the survey responses resulted in three factors: second-year students as teachers, the benefit of peer-teachers instead of faculty, and the peer-teaching process. Scores on these factors correlated with attendance in the peer-teaching program (P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Students valued learning from near-peers because of their recent experience with the materials and their ability to understand the students' struggles in medical school. Students with the highest participation in the program valued the unique aspects of this kind of teaching most. Areas for improvement for this program were identified.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Office of Medical Education, University of California, 521 Parnassus Ave, Box 0410, San Francisco, CA 94143-0410, USA. tai.lockspeiser@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Tai M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lockspeiser
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Arianne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teherani
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult