Publications | August 2025
Abstract: The acquisition of language skills is an important developmental task in early childhood. Research suggests that the language skills of young students are related to the language skills of their peers in the classroom. However, this relation has not been explored in the context of targeted small-group (i.e., Tier 2) instruction in early childhood. This study estimated the association of peer language skills with the language development of pre-kindergarten (n = 522) and kindergarten (n = 652) students participating in targeted, small-group, language interventions (345 total small groups). The results indicate that peer language skills are related to the development of students’ language skills in the context of targeted, small-group instruction. However, these relations appear to be complex and vary depending on the language skill, conceptualization of peer language skills, grade level, and pretest score.
Published: August 7, 2025
Publication: Early Childhood Research Quarterly
CLI Authors: Michael P. Mesa, PhD
Funding: This work was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, under Grants R305F100027 and R324B200018.
Citation: Mesa, M. P., Hernandez, J. A., Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2025). Peer effects in small-group language instruction. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 73, 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.07.007