Douglas S. Leathar Award

The authors comment on the contemporary growth in popularity of the princip le and practice of peer education, noting how advocates of this strategy se ldom make reference to theory in their rationale for particular projects. T hey review a selection of commonly cited theories and examine to what exten t they have value and relevance to peer education in the context of health promotion. They begin with an identification of 10 claims made for peer edu cation and examine each theory in relation to the scope of the theory and t he evidence it offers in support of these particular claims and the attainm ent of effective practice. The authors conclude that, while most theories h ave something to offer towards an explanation of why peer education might b e effective, most theories are limited in their explanatory power and frequ ently lack empirical evidence to justify their use. As the title of the art icle asserts, peer education would appear to be not so much a theory-based method but rather a method in search of a theory.