Introduction to Literature Review English language learners have had a history of not regularly attending school and this has led researchers to ask the question, why is school attendance among this demographic so low and what is at the root of the problem? Several researchers in various fields have attempted to answer this very question. They have approached the topic in different ways and have generated various reasons for the occurrence. There are three main issues that the researchers addressed in their articles. The first stressed the importance of peer influence for English language learners, the second, addressed the need for professional development so teachers will be properly prepared to teach this growing demographic, and the third,
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English language learners often feel as if they are not part of the school community, but if they have a peer group they may gain a feeling of belonging. Furthermore, the peer group may help them learn the language and achieve in school. Numerous researchers studied this idea. The first is an article, Effects of Peer Tutoring on Young Children 's Social Interactions. Several researchers collaborated to write this article, those researchers include, Xu Yaoying, Jeffrey Gelfer, Nancy Sileo, John Filler, and Peggy Perkins. They argued that students benefit from peer tutoring. If they can receive assistance with the curriculum from a peer rather than a teacher, they are more likely to show improvement (Yaoying, Gelfer, Sileo, Filler, & Perkins, 2008). To do this study the researchers used class wide peer tutoring as the independent variable. The subjects were from two primary- grade classrooms, participants ' ages ranged from six to eight years old, one group was English language learners and the other group was fluent English speaking students. Students received extra help through peer tutoring for several weeks. Results showed that peer tutoring was effective for English language learners and English speaking students alike. However, the data also indicated that peer tutoring was more effective for English language learners. Therefore, from this article, it is clear that English language learners are more likely to succeed if they receive extra help through peer tutoring. Once they are succeeding in school they are more likely to attend school (Yaoying et al.,
English language learners often feel as if they are not part of the school community, but if they have a peer group they may gain a feeling of belonging. Furthermore, the peer group may help them learn the language and achieve in school. Numerous researchers studied this idea. The first is an article, Effects of Peer Tutoring on Young Children 's Social Interactions. Several researchers collaborated to write this article, those researchers include, Xu Yaoying, Jeffrey Gelfer, Nancy Sileo, John Filler, and Peggy Perkins. They argued that students benefit from peer tutoring. If they can receive assistance with the curriculum from a peer rather than a teacher, they are more likely to show improvement (Yaoying, Gelfer, Sileo, Filler, & Perkins, 2008). To do this study the researchers used class wide peer tutoring as the independent variable. The subjects were from two primary- grade classrooms, participants ' ages ranged from six to eight years old, one group was English language learners and the other group was fluent English speaking students. Students received extra help through peer tutoring for several weeks. Results showed that peer tutoring was effective for English language learners and English speaking students alike. However, the data also indicated that peer tutoring was more effective for English language learners. Therefore, from this article, it is clear that English language learners are more likely to succeed if they receive extra help through peer tutoring. Once they are succeeding in school they are more likely to attend school (Yaoying et al.,