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Learning Objective #1: understand the relationship of peer tutoring on classroom performance for the baccalaureate nursing student.

Learning Objective #2: understand the effect peer tutor has on learning strategies in baccalaureate nursing student.

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The shortage of nurses is creating a serious problem with diminished access to nursing care. The schools of nursing have begun to study factors that can increase recruitment and retention of students.  To date, the extent of literature suggests that students withdraw from nursing for a variety of reasons, including poor academic performance and lack of support from their peers.  Based on this information it was the goal of the Maryville University Nursing Program that a strong peer tutor program be established and maintained.  During the Fall and Spring of 2004 a descriptive research study was conducted utilizing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire developed by McKeachie, Pintrich, Smith, and Garcia to examine fundamental nursing students strategies for learning, their motivation, and cognition.  The study revealed that students who did not receive peer tutoring felt they would receive an excellent grade for the class, whereas those who went to peer tutoring felt less confident in their success in the class.  The students who were not tutored felt if they didn’t understand the course material it was because they didn’t try hard enough.  Whereas, the tutored students felt they tried very hard even if they didn’t understand the material. The most important difference between the non-tutored group and the tutored group was noted in the area of test anxiety.  The students who attended peer tutoring had a higher amount of test anxiety than those who did not attend peer tutoring.  Thus, based on this study the Maryville University Nursing Program in collaboration with the Academic Success Center at the University provides an educational session to the university’s peer tutors in test taking strategies, signs and symptoms of test anxiety, and guidance on interventions to relieve test anxiety.