Reading Through Service Learning and Peer Mentoring: Groundwork for a School-Based Leadership Program

This study aimed to explore the potential of a peer-mentoring model through service learning to enhance reading proficiency among elementary learners and recognizing reading proficiency as foundational to academic success. It investigates how integrating service-learning principles within a learner government framework can support students in developing literacy skills. Through qualitative interviews with tutors and tutees, the research examined participants’ experiences, challenges, and perceived benefits of peer-to-peer reading support. Findings suggest that peer mentoring and service learning are great successes in enhancing the reading proficiency of the participants. Additionally, this study concludes that there is an increase in reading proficiency among the tutees and the tutors. These results highlight that peer mentoring as a service-learning program both enhances the reading proficiency and the leadership skills of the learners through a service-learning framework.