Basic Course on Peer Education

MODULE 3: The Peer Approach in ASRH Education

FACILITATION GUIDE

Peer education seeks to utilize the positive aspects of adolescent peer groups by helping adolescents learn from each other – something they do
naturally. It is sometimes seen as an easy and inexpensive solution to addressing the sexual and reproductive health of a large number of young
people. However, successful peer education programs require intensive training of peer educators and also effective programming, supervision
and resources. This module aims to introduce trainees to the concept of peer education, the theory and practice of peer education, and the role
and tasks they will perform as peer educators in ASRH education. This module will run for 2 hours.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this module, learners are able to:
1. Explain what is peer education and its value in ASRH education in the Philippines
2. Discuss significance of the theoretical foundations of peer education.
3. Enumerate and explain the qualities and tasks of peer educators.

Learning Activities: (2 Hours)

Activity Content/Topic Key Message Materials Duration

No. Title (Minutes)
3.1 Peer education, Peer, peer education, types Peer education is a tried and tested Flipchart papers, meta 30
anyone? of peer education activities, approach in providing ASRH education to cards, markers, tape,
(Big group activity) advantages and young people. Its popularity and success papers, pens
disadvantages of peer rest on the use of adolescents naturally do
education together, that of learning from each other.
It, however, has advantages as well as
disadvantages, and is not the solution to
every problem.
3.2 Why peer education? Theoretical foundations of In peer education, there are theories that Handout on peer 60
(Small group peer education (7 theories) explain or provide basis for behavior education theories,
discussion) change. It is important to be aware of flipchart papers,
these theories because they provide basis markers, tape , papers,
on why peer education is beneficial. pens
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 Activity Content/Topic Key Message Materials Duration
No. Title (Minutes)
3.3 So, what should be the Desirable qualities and tasks For peer education to be effective, peer Flipchart papers, meta 30
qualities and tasks of of peer educators educators should possess good cards, markers, tape,
peer educators? communication skills that will be papers, pens
(Free Listing) enhanced through training.
TOTAL TIME 120

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ACTIVITY GUIDE:

PARTICIPATION REFLECTION GENERALIZATION APPLICATION

ACTIVITY 3.1. Peer Education, anyone?i (30 minutes)

1. Before this activity, take 3 pieces of flipchart
or Manila paper. On one flipchart paper, write
on its top: “What is your understanding of
peer education?” On another paper, write on
its top: “What are the advantages of peer
education?” On the third paper, write on its
top: What are the disadvantages of peer
education?” Post them on the wall of the
room, far apart from each other.
2. Give each participant 3 pieces of meta cards
and a marker. For 3 minutes, ask them to
think and write down on one meta card what
they understand about peer education; on
the second card, what they think are the
advantages of peer education; and on the
third card, what they think as disadvantages
of peer education.
3. Ask each one to post their meta cards on the
appropriate flipchart posted on the wall.
4. Ask for three volunteers. Ask one to read the
content of all meta cards posted on the
flipchart for understanding of peer education.
Then ask the second volunteer to read the
content of all meta cards on the flipchart for
advantages of peer education. Finally, ask the
third volunteer to read what are posted on
the flipchart for disadvantages of peer
education.
5. Discuss peer education, its advantages and
disadvantages. Refer to Resources for
Training Facilitators, pages 8-9, to guide your
discussion.
Process the activity by asking Summarize discussion. Close the activity
the following: by emphasizing the following key point:
How did you come up with the Close the activity by emphasizing that
things you wrote on your meta peer education is not the solution to every
cards? problem, and sometimes it may be better
to use other approaches. The objectives of
Was it easy or hard given your the intervention, the characteristics of the
personal backgrounds and target group, and the specific setting are
experiences? all elements when considering whether
peer education is appropriate.
What are your reflections on
peer education?
What are your reflections on its
advantages and disadvantages?
What do you think is the value
of peer education in addressing
the country’s problem on
increasing number of teen
pregnancies and HIV among
young people?

Adapted from “Peer education − what and why?”

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 PARTICIPATION
Youth Peer Education Toolkit: Training of Trainers’
Manual. UNFPA, 2005; 13, 36-37.
ACTIVITY 3.2. Why peer education? (60 minutes)
1. Before this activity, prepare the handout on
the theoretical base for peer education.
2. Say:
 The aim of peer education is to reinforce
positive behaviors, to develop new
recommended behaviors, or to change
risky behaviors in a target group.”
 In this activity, we will find out why peer
education is an effective approach to
motivating people to change behaviors.
Why and how do people adopt new
behaviors? This is what we will answer in
this activity.
3. Give each one a copy of the handout on “Peer
Education and Behavior Change Theories.”
4. Form 7 small groups. Ask each group to
assign a facilitator, note taker and reporter.
5. Prepare 7 small chits of paper and write on
each paper one the 7 theories found in the
handout. Roll the papers and place them in a
box.
6. Ask a representative from each small group to
pick out a rolled chit of paper from the box.
7. Ask each group to discuss the theory written
on the rolled paper by referring to the
handout and to report to the class what it
understood about the theory.
8. Summarize and discuss each theory. Refer to
Resources for Training Facilitators, pages 10-
12, to guide your discussion.
Adapted from “Why peer education?” Youth Peer
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REFLECTION
Process the activity by asking
the following:
What do you feel about the
activity? Was it easy or hard?
Why was it easy or hard?
What are your reflections on the
7 theoretical foundations of
peer education?
Are you or are you not
convinced that peer education
works?
Do you now feel confident that
peer education is relevant?
GENERALIZATION APPLICATION
Summarize the discussion as follows: Ask for volunteers to
discuss:
A young person’s peer group has a strong
influence on the way he or she behaves. How can the 7 theories be
This is true of both risky and safe applied in your life?
behaviors. Young people get a great deal
of information from their peers on issues
that are especially sensitive or culturally
taboo. Peer education makes use of peer
influence in a positive way.
Peer education counters the often-held
belief that all peer influences are negative.
What it tries to do is to recognize the
influence of peer groups in the world of
the adolescents, and to use that influence
to impact their lives in a positive way.
Peer education though is not intended to
be an isolated intervention; it is intended
to be one important part of a
comprehensive, coordinated effort to help
lead adolescents towards making their
own wise and responsible decisions.
Conclude the activity by saying that it is
important for peer educators to have an
understanding of these theories so you
will be able to explain to authorities in
your locality why you are a peer educator
 PARTICIPATION
Education Toolkit: Training of Trainers’ Manual.
UNFPA, 2005: 14-18.
ACTIVITY 3.3. So, what should be the qualities and tasks of peer educators? (30 minutes)
1. Ask participants to go back to their small
group and recall the discussion in the
previous activity.
2. Based on what the 7 theories say about peer
education, ask each group to do the
following:
 List down desirable qualities of peer
educator
 List down tasks of peer educators
3. Ask each group to briefly report on its output.
4. Discuss the following:
Characteristics considered generally desirable
in a peer educator
 A demonstrated interest in working with
peers and in the community.
 The ability to be respectful, non-
judgmental, and to maintain client
confidentiality.
 Acceptability to the young people who
they will serve.
 The ability to establish good relations with
both individuals and the group as a whole.
 The ability to serve as a role model and to
exercise leadership.
 The ability to deal with relevant
information and program content.
 A commitment to family planning and to
positive reproductive health practices.
In addition, the ideal peer educator is
respected, charismatic and literate. He or she
has good communication skills and an interest
in self-enhancement. Peer educators are
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REFLECTION
Ask the following:
What do you think of those
desirable qualities of a peer
educator? Are they possible?
Why or why?
What about the suggested job
description of a peer educator?
Are they possible? Are they
realistic?
GENERALIZATION APPLICATION
Summarize discussion and emphasize the Ask each participant to get
following key points: a piece of paper and to
write down an answer to
For peer education to be effective, peer the following questions:
educators should possess good
communication skills that will be 1. Of the desired qualities
enhanced through training. They must be of peer educators,
able to see and understand the issues at which among them you
hand through the perspectives of the think you already
members of the group. Peer educators possess?
should be well-placed within the target 2. Which among them you
group, but they need not necessarily think you still need to
already be a group leader. Sometimes develop?
effective peer educators are those who
have a strong commitment about the
work and actively pursue ways to get
involved.
Conclude by saying that the qualities may
or may not yet be present in you. If you do
not yet possess any or most of those
qualities, this training is for you. If already
have any or most of them, consider this
training as refresher and a venue to
further develop those qualities.
 PARTICIPATION REFLECTION GENERALIZATION APPLICATION
often chosen by the members of a target
audience because they are already viewed as
leaders and role models. Peer educators may
work with individuals or groups in a variety of
settings and may use teaching aids such as
videos or drama.

Suggested Job Responsibilities for a Peer

Educator:
Once trained, and depending on the overall
program plan, a peer educator might perform
any of the following activities:
• Conduct workshops on issues related to
Adolescent Reproductive Health;
• Facilitate small group meetings;
• Disseminate information – and act as a
resource of good information for the
group and/or larger target community;
• Organize or set up information displays
that might, for example, include
distributing condoms;
• Provide counseling and advice on a one-
to-one basis;
• Make referrals for professional help for
individuals in special need;
• Help recruit other peer educators; and
• Help continue to modify the program to
better serve the target community

UNFPA and Y-PEER. Youth Peer Education Toolkit:

Standards for Peer Education Programmes.
United Nations Population Fund, 2005.

Synthesis (1 minute)
At the end of this module, Summarize the module by imparting the
trainees are able to: following key messages:

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 PARTICIPATION REFLECTION
2.1. Explain peer education and
its value in ASRH education in
the Philippines
2.2. Discuss significance of the
theoretical foundations of peer
education.
2.4. Enumerate and explain the
qualities and tasks of peer
educators.
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GENERALIZATION APPLICATION
Peer education:
 Is a PROCESS (not just a single activity)
where well-trained and motivated
young people undertake informal or
organized educational activities with
their peers (those similar to themselves
in age, background, or interests). As a
process, activities occur over an
extended period of time (may be a
series of short sessions, or a full 3-day
formal session).
 Is aimed at developing young people’s
knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and skills,
and at enabling them to be responsible
for and to protect their own health. It
is aimed at making young people make
some behavior change to protect their
own health
 Seeks to utilize the positive aspects of
adolescent peer groups by helping
them learn from each other –
something they do naturally anyway.
 There are 7 theoretical models that
explains why it is possible for peer
education to enable young people to
adopt positive values and behavior
change for their own health.
To make the most out of peer education,
there are desired qualities of peer
educators. This training will attempt to
provide you with the competencies – or
the observable and measurable
knowledge, attitude and skills – that you
need to acquire most of those qualities.
RESOURCES FOR TRAINING FACILITATOR

What is peer education?

A peer is a person who belongs to the same social group as another person or group. The social group may be based on age, sex, sexual
orientation, occupation, socio-economic or health status, and other factors.

Education refers to the development of a person’s knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, or behavior as a result of a learning process.

Peer education is the process whereby well-trained and motivated young people undertake informal or organized educational activities with
their peers (those similar to themselves in age, background, or interests). These activities, occurring over an extended period of time, are aimed
at developing young people’s knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and skills and at enabling them to be responsible for and to protect their own health.

Peer education can take place in small groups or through individual contact and in a variety of settings: schools, universities, clubs, churches,
workplaces, street settings, shelters, or wherever young people gather.

Peer education can be used with many populations and age groups for various goals. Recently, peer education has been used extensively in
HIV/AIDS prevention and reproductive health programs around the world.

Advantages of peer education:

 Young people take on programmatic responsibilities
 Educators and target group members often use the same terms or speak the same language
 Peer educators gain skills that are important for their continued personal development
 Peer education can supplement other educational interventions, such as the work of teachers, social workers, and health service
providers
 Peer education is a community-level intervention that can provide a link to other community services
 Peer educators can gain access to groups that are otherwise difficult to reach
 Peer education can be relatively inexpensive when compared to other interventions

Disadvantages of peer education:

 As peer educators age, they grow out of their role; new people always have to be recruited and trained
 Peer education programs pose large management burdens on NGOs, schools, etc., and require skilled supervisors to be on the staff of a
program
 It is difficult to evaluate the impact of peer education, especially when proper monitoring and evaluation budgets have not been set
aside for the program
 If educators are not well trained, peer education can have a harmful effect (misinformation and unprofessional advice)
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  If not properly targeted, activities called peer education may really be outreach or general education interventions

SOURCE: Y-PEER. Youth Peer Education Toolkit: Training of Trainers’ Manual. 2005: 13.

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The theoretical base for peer education

The aim of a peer education program is often to reinforce positive behaviors, to develop new recommended behaviors, or to change risky
behaviors in a target group.

Why and how do people adopt new behaviors? The fields of health psychology, health education, and public health provide relevant behavioral
theories that explain this process. A theory is a set of ideas, commonly regarded as correct, that attempts to explain a phenomenon.

In peer education, there are theories that explain or provide basis for behavior change. It is important to be aware of these theories because
they provide basis on why peer education is beneficial. Moreover, these theories can help guide the planning and design of peer education
interventions.

The following theories, also called models, of behavior change are of particular relevance for peer education.

The theory of reasoned action

This theory states that the intention of a person to adopt a recommended behavior is determined by:
• The person’s attitudes towards this behavior (his or her beliefs about the consequences of the behavior)
• The person’s perception of the social norms towards a certain behavior in a group or culture
• In the context of peer education, this concept is relevant because:
• Young people’s attitudes are highly influenced by their perception of what their peers do and think
• Young people may be highly motivated by the expectations of respected peer educators

The social learning theory

According to this theory, individuals can increase their ability to take control of their lives (called self-efficacy) by acquiring new knowledge and
skills that teach them how to better handle situations. This learning can occur:
• Through direct experience
• Indirectly, by observing and modelling the behavior of others with whom the person identifies
• Through training in skills that lead to confidence in carrying out a behavior

In the context of peer education, this means that the inclusion of interactive experimental learning activities is extremely important and that
peer educators can act as influential teachers and role models.

The diffusion of innovations theory

This theory argues that social influence plays an important role in behavior change. The role of opinion leaders in a community, acting as agents
for behavior change, is a key element of this theory. Their influence on group norms is predominantly seen as a result of person-to-person
exchanges and discussions.
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In the context of peer education, this means that the selected peer educators should be trustworthy and credible opinion leaders within the
target group. Especially in outreach work, where the target audience is not reached through formally planned activities but rather through
everyday social contacts, the role of opinion leaders as educators may be very important.
These three theories assert that people adopt certain behavior not because of scientific evidence but because of the subjective judgement of
close, trusted peers who act as role models for change.

The theory of participatory education

This theory states that empowerment and full participation of the people affected by a given problem is key to behavior change. The relevance
of this theory in the context of peer education is obvious: many advocates of peer education claim that the (horizontal) process of peers talking
amongst themselves and determining a course of action is vital to the success of a peer education program.

The health belief model

The health belief model suggests that if a person has a desire to avoid illness or to get well (value) and the belief that a specific health action will
prevent illness (expectancy), then the person will take a positive action towards that behavior. An important aspect of the health belief model is
the concept of perceived barriers, or one’s opinion of the tangible and psychological costs of the advised action.
Peer educators could reduce perceived barriers through reassurance, correction of misinformation, and assistance. For example, if a young
person does not seek health care in the local clinic because he or she feels that confidentiality is not respected, the peer educator may provide
accurate information on a youth-friendly service, thus helping to overcome the barrier to accessing proper health care.

Social ecological model for health promotion

According to this model, behavior is determined by the following:
• Intrapersonal factors – characteristics of the individual such as knowledge, attitudes, behavior, self-concept, and skills
• Interpersonal processes and primary groups – formal and informal social network and social support systems, including the family, work
group, and friendships
• Institutional factors – social institutions with organizational characteristics and formal and informal rules and regulations for operation
• Community factors – relationships among organizations, institutions, and informal networks within defined boundaries
• Public policy – local, state, and national laws and policies

This theory acknowledges the importance of the interplay between the individual and the environment, and considers multilevel influences on
unhealthy behavior. In this manner, the importance of the individual is de-emphasized in the process of behavioral change.

IMBR model: information, motivation, behavioral skills, and resources

The IMBR model addresses health-related behavior in a way that can be applied to and across different cultures. It focuses largely on the
information (the ‘what’), the motivation (the ‘why’), the behavioral skills (the ‘how’), and the resources (the ‘where’) that can be used to target
at-risk behaviors. For example, if a young man knows that using condoms properly may prevent the spread of HIV, he may be motivated to use

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them and know how to employ them correctly, but he may not be able to purchase or find them. Thus, the concept of resources is important to
this model.

In the context of peer education, this means that a program that does not include all four IMBR concepts probably lacks essential components
for reducing risk behavior and promoting healthier lifestyles. A program might, for example, explain to young people the need for contraception
and describe contraceptive methods but omit demonstrating their proper use. Participants would then be informed about what to do but not
how to do it.

SOURCE: YPEER. Youth Peer Education Toolkit: Training of Trainers’ Manual. 2005: 15-18.

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