RESEARCH RUNDOWN—ACTIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Executive Summary
This research rundown includes an annotated bibliography of twenty-seven quantitative studies having
to do with integrating active learning strategies in the classroom. Strategies demonstrated included
peer-to-peer teaching/service learning, class discussions/forums, role play, interactive lecture
demonstrations, debate, interactive social media technologies, group work, clickers, and other
miscellaneous strategies. In studies involving graded tests, results were mixed. Some studies showed
little difference in test items between the control and experimental (active learning) groups while others
showed that the test items connected to active learning assignments scored better. In student
perceptions of how well they learned and how interested they were, the active learning groups scored
higher on most studies. Critical thinking skills also appeared to be better in the experimental groups, as
well as interest and enjoyment (though in at least one study, students balked at what they saw a heavier
work load). Unfortunately, in the studies that showed a significant difference in scores or perception,
quite often there were multiple strategies used, so researchers have no way of knowing which strategies
were the most successful.
Reference
Population
Benware, C. A., & Deci, E. L.
(1984). Quality of learning
with an active versus
passive motivational
set. American Educational
Research Journal, 21(4),
755-765.
Forty-three
first year
students from
the University
of Rochester's
introductory
Psychology
course,
randomly
assigned to
two groups:
19 in the
experimental
group and 21
in the control
group.
Purpose/Question
s
Will students who
learn with an
active orientation
be more
intrinsically
motivated to learn
and learn more
than students
who learn with a
passive
orientation? The
active orientation
was created by
having subjects
learn material
with the
expectation of
teaching it to
another student;
the passive
orientation was
created by having
Findings
Though little difference
was found in rote learning
tests, students in the
experimental “learn in
order to teach” group saw
themselves as actively
participating in learning
more and rated their
interest level higher (7.13
in comparison to 4.43 in
the learn in order to take
exam control group). They
also reported greater
enjoyment and
participation (7.0 and
2.11, respectively) as
compared to the control
exam group who scored
4.67 and .76 respectively.
Braxton, J. M., Jones, W. A.,
Hirschy, A. S., & Hartley
III, H. V. (2008). The role
of active learning in
college student
persistence. New
Directions for Teaching
and Learning, 2008(115),
71-83.
subjects learn the
same material
with the
expectation of
being tested on it.
408 first-time, HYPOTHESIS 1.
full-time, first
The more
year students
frequently
in eight
students perceive
residential and that faculty
religiously
members use
affiliated
active learning
colleges and
practices in their
universities.
courses, the more
59.8% were
that students
female and
perceive that their
12.8%
college or
minorities.
university is
committed to the
welfare of its
students.
HYPOTHESIS 2.
The more
frequently
students perceive
that faculty
members use
active learning
practices in their
courses, the
greater is their
degree of social
integration.
HYPOTHESIS 3.
The greater a
student’s degree
of social
integration, the
greater is that
student’s level of
subsequent
commitment to
the college or
university.
HYPOTHESIS 4.
The greater a
student’s level of
subsequent
After controlling for a
student’s demographic
information and initial
institutional commitment,
student perceptions of
faculty
use of active learning
practices have a positive
and statistically significant
(β = .136, p = .001) impact
on how students perceive
their institution’s
commitment to the
welfare of students.
The relationship between
active learning and a
student’s degree of
overall social integration,
however, failed to provide
a statistically reliable
coefficient.
However, student
perceptions of the extent
to which their college or
university displays a
commitment to the
welfare of its students
exert a positive direct
influence on social
integration.
Social integration is
positively and significantly
related to a student’s
subsequent institutional
commitment.
It was also indicated that a
student’s level of
subsequent institutional
commitment is positively
related to a student’s
perception of the
institution’s commitment
to students, a student’s
commitment to
the college or
university, the
greater is his or
her likelihood of
persistence in that
college or
university.
Braxton, J. M., Milem, J. F., &
Sullivan, A. S. (2000). The
influence of active
learning on the college
student departure
process: Toward a
revision of Tinto's
theory. Journal of higher
education, 569-590.
718 first-time,
full-time firstyear students
at a highly
selective,
private
research I
university—
51% female
and 84%
Caucasian.
To estimate the
influence of such
forms of active
learning as class
discussions,
knowledge level
examination
questions, group
work, and higher
order thinking
activities on social
integration,
subsequent
institutional
commitment, and
student departure
decisions.
Burbach, M. E., Matkin, G. S., &
Fritz, S. M. (2004).
Teaching Critical Thinking
in an Introductory
Leadership Course
Utilizing Active Learning
Strategies: A Confirmatory
Study. College Student
Journal, 38(3), 482.
80 students,
19 years of
age or older,
enrolled in six
sections of an
introductory
leadership
course taught
by three
instructors at
a Midwestern
university
The purpose of
this study was to
confirm that an
introductory
leadership course
that integrates a
number of active
learning
techniques
increases critical
thinking. Used the
Watson-Glaser
Critical Thinking
high school grades, and a
student’s initial level of
institutional commitment.
A student’s level of
subsequent institutional
commitment was found to
be positively related to
retention.
Other findings included
that a one-unit increase in
a student’s subsequent
institutional commitment
raises the odds of that
student’s remaining
enrolled in the institution
the following semester by
3.08 times.
Two of the four indicators
of active learning wield
statistically significant
influences on social
integration (and less
departure/drop-out).
Class discussions (beta =
0.21, p < 0.0001) and
higher order thinking
activities (beta = 0.05, p <
0.0001) positively
influence social
integration. However,
group work and
knowledge-level exam
questions fail to exert a
statistically reliable effect
on social integration.
A paired-samples t test
was conducted to
evaluate whether
students' critical thinking
skills increased by the end
of the semester. Two
subtest scores (Deduction
and Interpretation) and
the Total Critical Thinking
test score were
significantly higher (p (.05)
at the end of the course.
Appraisal as a preand post-test.
Chrispeels, H. E., Klosterman, M.
L., Martin, J. B., Lundy, S.
R., Watkins, J. M., Gibson,
C. L., & Muday, G. K.
(2014). Undergraduates
Achieve Learning Gains in
Plant Genetics through
Peer Teaching of
Secondary Students. CBELife Sciences
Education, 13(4), 641-652.
Biology 101
for nonmajors course
at a private
liberal arts
college. 64
participated
the first year,
54 the second
year. The
majority of
participants
were
freshman
across the two
years.
DeNeve, K. M., & Heppner, M. J.
(1997). Role play
simulations: The
assessment of an active
learning technique and
comparisons with
traditional
lectures. Innovative
29
undergraduat
e students (n =
21 female)
enrolled in a
three-credit
hour industrial
psychology
While acknowledging the
study limitation regarding
the inability to control
external variables, this
course, which utilized
active learning strategies
did improve critical
thinking skills. Although it
was not possible to
determine which of the
active learning strategies
had the greatest impact
on improving students'
critical thinking skills, the
course did contain several
key strategies that
research has linked to
critical thinking skill
improvement (journal
writing, service learning,
small groups, scenarios,
case study, and
questioning).
Researchers
Student tests showed
believed that SLP
that, across the board
(service learning
(both the tutors for high
programs) as an
school and those for
active learning
middle school), students
tool will positively learned the materials that
affect students’
they knew they would be
understanding of
teaching at a higher level
genetics and other than the materials that
concepts. SLP, in
they were not teaching.
this case, involved The level of students that
students learning
the tutors were serving
materials in order (high school vs middle
to act as tutors for school) did not appear to
high school or
have an effect on test
middle school
scores.
science students.
Researchers
For the first prediction (a),
predicted that: (a) students rated the rolestudents would
play scenarios as a 4.4 out
react positively to of 5 point scale on
the technique
interesting/exciting and 7
during class and at on a 9 point scale on
the 8-month
recommending it to be
follow-up
used in other courses.
Higher Education, 21(3),
231-246.
course at a
large
Midwestern
university.
Eighty-three
percent of the
students were
seniors at the
time of
enrollment.
interview, (b)
students would
report that the
role play
simulations were
more applicable
than traditional
lectures for jobs
students held at
the time of the
follow-up
interview, (c)
students would
report that the
traditional
lectures were
more applicable
than the role play
simulations for
other college
course work, and
(d) at the 8-month
follow-up
interview students
would recall more
information from
a specific role play
simulation than
from a specific
lecture that
focused on one
general topic
covered by both
teaching methods.
Dori, Y. J., & Belcher, J. (2005).
How does technologyenabled active learning
affect undergraduate
students' understanding
of electromagnetism
concepts?.The Journal of
the Learning
Sciences, 14(2), 243-279.
Fall 2001
(experimental)
, Spring 2002
(control), and
Spring 2003
(experimental)
semesters.
176 students
in 2001. 121
students in
Following the
social
constructivist
guidelines and
employing
educational
technology, the
objectives of the
Project are to: 1.
Transform the
For the second prediction
(b), 91% gave positive
comments. As expected,
the difference between
the mean number of
positive and negative
comments was
statistically significant,
t(23) = 3.83, p < .001,
indicating that students
reported more positive
comments (M = 2.13
positive comments) than
negative comments (M =
.60 negative comments).
Prediction c was
supported, t(20) = 2.29, p
< .05, with the mean
response being 4.9 for the
role play simulations and
5.6 for the lecture
material.
The mean recall of
information from the role
play simulation was .74 (1
= recall some information
correctly) and the mean
recall for the lecture was
.24 (0 = recall no
information correctly).
This predicted difference
in mean recall of material
was marginally significant,
t(23) = 1.93, p = .07,
indicating students tended
to recall more information
from the role play
simulation.
Through observations,
researchers found that the
social activities involved in
the workshop design
really had an impact on
students as they were
more actively involved
and affective.
Analyzing the
conversations,
2002 (control).
514 students
in 2003.
way physics is
taught at large
enrollment
physics classes at
MIT. 2. Decrease
failure rates in
these courses. 3.
Create an
engaging and
technologically
enabled active
learning
environment. 4.
Move away from
a passive
lecture/recitation
format. 5.
Increase students'
conceptual and
analytical
understanding of
the nature and
dynamics of
electromagnetic
fields and
phenomena. 6.
Foster students'
visualization skills.
he research goals
are: 1. In the
social domain, to
characterize
student
interactions while
studying in small
groups in the TEAL
project; 2. In the
cognitive domain,
to assess
students'
conceptual
change as a result
of studying
electromagnetism
in the TEAL
project; and 3. In
the affective
domain, to
researchers found that
students' discourse could
be categorized into four
types: technical, sensory,
affective, and cognitive.
In addition, the failure
rates in the two
experimental groups were
less than 5% in the smalland large-scale
experimental groups,
respectively, compared
with 13% in the traditional
control group.
All three levels of students
in (low scoring, average,
and high scoring) scored
better on post-tests in the
workshop groups. Low
achieving students
showed the highest gains.
The TEAL project was well
received in the small-scale
implementation and with
reservations in the 2003
large-scale
implementation. In the
small-scale about 70%
said they would
recommend the TEAL
course to their peers,
although in the large-scale
the corresponding
percentage was 54%.
Ebert-May, D., Brewer, C., &
Allred, S. (1997).
Innovation in large
lectures: Teaching for
active learning.
Bioscience, 601-607.
1st Case: 559
students
in four lecture
sections of
approximately
140 students
each.
2nd Case: 450
students in an
introduction
to biology
lecture course.
analyze students'
attitudes towards
the TEAL learning
environment, and
to study their
preferences
regarding the
combination of
various teaching
methods.
Which approach is
more effective
with students for
self-efficacy and
scores, traditional
or an activelearning model
based on the
learning cycle of
instruction? Does
personalization
make a
difference?
A comparison of mean
scores from the selfefficacy instrument
indicated that student
confidence in doing
science, in analyzing data,
and in explaining biology
to other students was
higher in the experimental
lectures (N = 283, DF = 3,
274, P< 0.05). Moreover,
students in the
experimental lectures
scored higher on the
process questions from
the NABT exam (N = 341,
DF= 1, 336, P < 0.005).
Interestingly, student
scores on the content
portion of the NABT exam
in the experimental
lectures were not
significantly different from
scores of students in the
traditional lectures, which
suggests that allocating
time to cooperative
learning activities at the
expense of delivering
more content did not
harm student learning or
reduce knowledge
acquisition.
When asked to describe
the learning environment
in their lectures, students
in the experimental
lectures usually
characterized the
classroom environment as
friendly, nonthreatening,
fun, and dynamic.
In addition, they reported
a sense of belonging and
camaraderie because they
regularly interacted with
peers and learned from
each other. Qualitative
observations indicated
that attendance was
higher in the experimental
classrooms at NAU and
UM than in lectures
taught in the traditional
format. Student desire to
participate was also high.
Instead of fewer than ten
students raising hands to
answer a question, scores
of students regularly
volunteered to provide
answers.
Fayombo, G. A. (2014). Enhancing
Learning Outcomes in
Psychology through Active
Learning Strategies in
Classroom and Online
Learning
Environments.Internation
al Journal of Learning and
Development, 4(4), Pages114.
158 out of 189
Psychology
undergraduat
e students
who offered
Learning
Theory and
Practice
Course at The
University of
the West
Indies, Cave
Hill Campus,
Barbados.
Their age
ranged
between 1860 years
(Mean age
39.0years, SD
= 1.73). There
were 59 males
1) Are the learning
outcomes
satisfactorily
achieved in this
course? 2) Did the
students
participate in the
lectures and
online activities?
3) What is the
profile of
students’ ratings
on active learning
strategies utilized
in the classroom
and online? 4) Are
there significant
relationships
among the active
learning strategies
utilized in the
classroom (video
and role play),
1) The SLOs were achieved
among this sample in both
classroom and online
environments with the
mean score of 30.44 (40
possible).
2) Percentage breakdown
as follows: 85%
participation in role-play,
98% watched videos, 89%
participated in online
discussions, 83% took part
in glossary activities, 99%
participated in group
presentations. Students
did participate actively in
the classroom and online
activities.
3) The majority of the
students agreed that all
the strategies enhanced
their learning thus: video
100%; role play 93%;
Georgiou, H., & Sharma, M. D.
(2015). Does using active
learning in
thermodynamics lectures
improve students’
conceptual understanding
and 99
females.
those utilized
online (discussion
forum and
glossary activities)
and the student
learning outcomes
(SLOs)? 5) Will
active learning
strategies predict
SLOs? 6) What are
the relative
contributions of
the active learning
strategies to
SLOs? 7) What are
the relative
contributions of
the active learning
strategies utilized
in the classroom
and online to
SLOs?
Appx. 500
students
enrolled in a
regular physics
course at an
Australian
1. Is the
conceptual
understanding of
students who
engage in ILDs
(Interactive
discussion forum 90% and
glossary activity 83%.
4) There were statistically
significant positive
correlations among the
active learning strategies
utilized in the classroom
(video and role play),
those utilized online
(discussion forum and
glossary activities) and the
student learning
outcomes.
5) Active learning
strategies (classroom and
online) significantly
accounted for 11% (Rsquare =0.112); (F (4,153)
= 4.84, p < .05) of the
variance in student
learning outcomes.
Therefore, the active
learning strategies
significantly predicted
student learning
outcomes among some
UWI psychology
undergraduate students in
Barbados.
6) Surprisingly, only video
clips had significant
relative contribution, (β=
0.243, p< 0.05), while role
play, discussion forum and
glossary activity did not.
7) Overall, the classroom
strategies contributed
more (β= 0.288, p< 0.05)
to the variance in SLOs
than online strategies (β=
0.047, p> 0.05) and this
result was significant.
The thermal concepts
survey (TCS) was given to
prove the first question.
First there is an overall
improvement exhibited by
gains in the range of 0.27–
and learning
experiences?. European
Journal of Physics, 36(1),
015020.
university—
these students
were expected
to have
completed a
physics course
in high school.
Lecture
Demonstrations)
as measured by a
conceptual survey
higher than those
who do not
engage with ILDs?
2. What do
lectures with ILDs
look like in
comparison to
those that do not
have ILDs? 3.
What are student
experiences of
ILDs?
0.40, and an average of
0.31 which is considered
medium to high when
considering existing data.
Second, the streams with
ILDs exhibit higher gains
as indicated by the
normalized gain measure
and the effect size, d, as
calculated from the
comparisons between
highest and lowest means
which is 0.40 and
indicates a noteworthy
effect. The effect size of
0.40 falls in the medium
range which is amongst
the best for educational
studies in authentic
settings.
Upon comparing the ILD
and non-ILD lectures, the
least interactive ILD
lecture still had 60% more
interactive activities and
time than did the most
interactive non-ILD
lecture.
On a Likert scale survey,
two thirds of the students
were in overall agreement
that the ILDs did help
them understand specific
ideas better. More than
70% of the students are in
overall agreement that
ILDs support lectures and
help in understanding
concepts. Some 65% of
the students are in overall
agreement that ILDs
provide opportunities for
scientific reasoning while
81% indicated that ILDs
were challenging for
learning. Of particular
note is that 73% of
students were in overall
Leite, F. N., Júnior, H. A., Hoji, E.
S., & Vianna, W. B. (2014).
Using problem-based
learning (PBL) in technical
education. Proceedings of
ALE 2014
16 students in
a technical
course in a
Brazilian high
school.
Will instituting a
more active
approach to this
technical course
via PBL help
students
attitudes? Will
grades increase
and failures and
dropouts
decrease?
Haidet, P., Morgan, R. O.,
O'Malley, K., Moran, B. J.,
& Richards, B. F. (2004).
A controlled trial of active
versus passive learning
strategies in a large group
setting. Advances in
Health Sciences
Education, 9(1), 15-27.
Family and
Community
Medicine,
Internal
Medicine, and
Pediatrics
residents at
two academic
medical
institutions
To compare the
effects of active
and didactic
teaching
strategies on
learning and
process-oriented
outcomes.
Keeler, C. M., & Steinhorst, R. K.
(1995). Using small
groups to promote active
3 courses of
statistics,
using the
Investigate
whether a
cooperatively
agreement that the
predictions helped realize
their misconceptions.
Student feedback was
slightly mixed (some
thought that the teacher
just didn’t want to work)
but over 60% voiced that
the PBL approach helped
them be more actively
engaged with the content.
In comparing grades and
failure/dropouts from the
year previous (before the
PBL designs were
implemented), the class
grade average went from
4.9 in 2012 to 7.5 in 2013.
Dropouts were cut in half
from 4 in 2012 to 2 in
2013. Failures went down
from 3 in 2012 to 1 in
2013.
Both teaching methods
led to improvements in
residents’ scores on both
knowledge and attitude
assessments. The amount
of improvement was not
statistically different
between groups.
Residents in the active
learning session perceived
themselves, and were
observed to be, more
engaged with the session
content and each other
than residents in the
didactic session. Residents
in the didactic session
perceived greater
educational value from
the session compared to
residents in the active
session
In the traditional course,
there were 5 As, 11 Bs, 22
Cs, 26 Ds, 3 earned Fs, 9 Fs
learning in the introductory
statistics course: A report
from the field. Journal of
Statistics Education, 3(2),
1-8.
same text and
materials, 1
traditional and
two were
collaborative.
structured course
where students
work in groups
would produce
higher grades and
result in greater
retention of
students in the
course than the
traditionally
structured
instructional
method.
Kvam, P. H. (2000). The effect of
active learning methods
on student retention in
engineering statistics. The
American
Statistician, 54(2), 136140.
Two classes of
students
participated in
the study-one
class was
taught using
traditional
lecture-based
learning, and
the other class
stressed group
projects and
cooperative
learning-based
method. 23
from the
traditional
course
participated in
the study
while 15 of
the
cooperative
class
participated.
Researchers
compared the
effects of
cooperative
learning methods
to the effects of
traditional
learning methods
in teaching a
calculus-based,
undergraduate
engineering
statistics course,
with particular
attention paid to
the long-term
ability to retain
the material
learned in class.
due to not attending, 3
incompletes, and 21
withdrawals.
In the first collaborative
course, there were 11 As,
30 Bs, 43 Cs, 2 Ds, 2
earned Fs, 5 Fs due to not
attending, 2 incompletes,
and 5 withdrawals. In the
second collaborative
course, there were 20 As,
30 Bs, 28 Cs, 8 Ds, 2
earned Fs, 5 Fs due to not
attending, no
incompletes, and 7
withdrawals. Not only did
a larger percentage of
students successfully
complete the course
under cooperative
learning, but those who
completed the course
earned higher marks.
Students who scored well
on the first test exhibited
equal abilities in
remembering the course
material for the second
exam, no matter what
method of teaching was
applied. Students who
fared worse on the first
exam appear to retain
concepts better if they
were taught using activelearning methods. The
researcher admitted,
however, that the effects
were so small that it made
the findings inconclusive
and a larger population
was needed.
Martyn, M. (2007). Clickers in the
classroom: An active
learning
approach.Educause
quarterly, 30(2), 71.
2 classes that
used clickers
(n=45) and 2
classes that
used class
discussion
(n=47) of an
introductory
computer
information
systems
course at a
small midwestern
liberal arts
college.
McCarthy, J. P., & Anderson, L.
Introductory
(2000). Active learning
course
techniques versus
covering
traditional teaching styles: United States
two experiments from
history up to
history and political
1865--large
science.Innovative Higher course that
Education, 24(4), 279-294. divided into
eight
discussion
sections—and
two honors
level
"Introduction
to American
Government"
classes—one
formed the
experimental
group, the
other, the
control group.
Miller, C. J., & Metz, M. J. (2014).
A comparison of
professional-level faculty
and student perceptions
of active learning: its
9 faculty
members of
the
Department of
Physiology
Are students’
grades and
perceptions
improved by using
an active learning
clicker approach
to teaching?
For the post-test scores,
no significant difference
was found between the
two groups.
For the perception survey,
although no significant
difference was found, the
clicker group consistently
scored their classes
higher.
Do traditional
methods, such as
lectures or
teacher-centered
discussion
sections, achieve
this better than
more stimulating,
student-centered
classroom
activities?
Conversely, can
active learning
techniques help
students acquire a
level of
knowledge
equivalent to or
greater than that
acquired through
the traditional
formats while
they stimulate
student interest
and help them
develop critical
thinking skills?
Are there
differences in the
way faculty and
students view
active learning?
The difference in the
mean performance of the
experimental group in
political science was +0.8,
while that in history was
+1.0. These results
suggest that the groups
exposed to the active
learning activities
outperformed those
taught by traditional
methods. In the case of
the political science
classes, a one-unit
increase in the
independent variable
(moving from control to
experimental group)
increased the test score
by .85 of a point on
average. For the history
students, the impact was
close to a whole point on
a ten-point scale
For faculty members who
had actually used active
learning strategies, its
effectiveness was scored
at 4.57 (out of 5)
current use, effectiveness,
and barriers. Advances in
physiology
education, 38(3), 246-252.
and Biophysics
at the
University of
Louisville
116 students
from the same
department
Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2000).
Engaging students in
active learning: The case
for personalized
multimedia messages.
Journal of Educational
Psychology, 92(4), 724.
Experiment 1:
34 college
students
recruited from
the
psychology
subject pool at
the University
of California,
To what extent
can the selfreferencing of
instructional
materials help
students' learning,
in retention and
problem-solving
transfer?
compared to 3.88 by
those who had only
observed it being used.
Even though active
learning strategies were
seen to be better, across
the board, professors still
used the traditional
lecture format primarily.
A high percentage of both
faculty members (44% of
respondents) and
students (91%) indicated
that faculty members
were accustomed to
lecture-based methods.
Both groups reported that
there could be major
issues with the amount of
class time available to use
active learning (faculty
members: 89% and
students: 41%), the time
needed to develop the
materials (faculty
members: 33% and
students: 29%), and a lack
of training (faculty
members: 22% and
students: 53%). Students
also felt that major
barriers to the adoption of
active learning could
include a lack of faculty
awareness (35%) or that
faculty members did not
see the strategy as a
productive use of class
time (45%).
Experiment 1: Students in
the P group generated
significantly more
conceptual creative
solutions on the transfer
test than did students in
the N group, 5.87
compared to 4.31 (on a 10
point test). Students in the
Santa Barbara.
. There were
17 participants
in the
personalizedspeech group
and 17
participants in
the neutralspeech group.
Experiment 2:
44 college
students
recruited from
the
psychology
subject pool at
the University
of California,
Santa Barbara.
There were 22
participants in
the
personalizedtext (P) group
and 22
participants in
the neutraltext (N) group.
Experiment 3:
39 college
students from
the
psychology
subject pool at
the University
of California,
Santa Barbara.
Eighteen
participants
served in the
personalized
(P) group, and
21 participants
served in the
nonpersonalized
(N) group.
Researchers
believe that their
approach predicts
that students who
learn a computerbased lesson by
means of a
personalized
message will
remember more
of the factual
information and
solve problems
better than
students who
learn by means of
neutral messages.
P group did not recall
significantly more
conceptual idea units on
the retention test than did
students in the N group,
5.62 compared to 5.44 (on
an 8 point test) . The
effect sizes were 1.00 for
transfer and 0.15 for
retention. Although both
groups remembered
equivalent amounts of the
verbal explanation for
lightning, participants in
the P group were better
able than those in the N
group to use the
information to solve novel
problems.
Experiment 2: Students in
the P group generated
significantly more
conceptual creative
solutions on the transfer
test than did students in
the N group, 5.09
compared to 2.36.
Students in the P group
did not recall significantly
more conceptual idea
units on the retention test
than did students in the N
group, 5.73 compared to
5.41.
Experiment 3: On transfer,
P students scored higher
(41.89) than N students
(28.62) on a 60 point test;
retention--8.17 compared
to 6.67 on a 9 point test;
and slightly higher on
program rating--32.67
compared to 31.10 on a
50 point survey.
Experiment 4:
Personalized scored
higher than nonpersonalized 46.05
Experiment 4:
42 college
students from
the
psychology
subject pool at
the University
of California,
Santa Barbara.
Twenty-one
participants
served in the
personalized
text (P) group,
and 21
participants
served in the
nonpersonalized
text (N) group.
Experiment 5:
43 college
students from
the
psychology
subject pool at
the University
of California,
Santa Barbara.
Twenty-two
participants
served in the
personalized
narration (P)
group, and 21
participants
served in the
nonpersonalized
narration (N)
group.
Rao, S. P., & DiCarlo, S. E. (2001).
252 students
Active learning of
that were
respiratory physiology
taught using
improves performance on active-learning
respiratory physiology
strategies with
examinations. Advances in a class of 84
students that
compared to 38.48 on a
60 point transfer test;
slightly higher on
retention 8.19 compared
to 7.43 on a 9 point scale;
and slightly better on
program rating--32.81
compared to 28.81.
Experiment 5: P group
scored higher on transfer-40.55 compared to 31.86
on a 60 point test; slightly
higher on retention--8.05
compared to 7.19 on a 9
point test and 31.46
compared to 29.41 on a
50 point program
evaluation.
Will active
learning strategies
(peer instruction,
role play,
interactive games,
debate, etc)
The mean percentage of
correct answers of the
traditional group (n=84)
on the traditional
(graduate) respiratory
physiology examination
and the traditional
Physiology
Education, 25(2), 55-61.
Reinhardt, C. H., & Rosen, E. N.
(2012). How much
structuring is beneficial
with regard to
examination scores? A
prospective study of three
forms of active
learning. Advances in
physiology
education, 36(3), 207-212.
were taught
using the
traditional
lecture format
in a
respiratory
physiology
course.
improve students’
scores on exams?
Seventy-five
students of
three
physiology
courses (mean
age: 20.1 1.3
yr) at further
education in
college (Bonn,
Germany),
grouped via
low, mid, and
Comparison of the
relative
effectiveness of
three different
active learning
forms
(collaborative
learning,
cooperative
learning, and
active lecture) on
achievement in
volunteer group (n=38) on
the respiratory physiology
examination developed
for the active-learning
group was 60 +/- 1.5 and
61 +/- 2.2, respectively.
There was no significant
difference on the
performance of the
traditional group on the
traditional (graduate)
respiratory physiology
examination and the
traditional volunteer
group on the active
(medical) respiratory
physiology examination.
These results suggest that
the traditional (graduate)
and active (medical)
respiratory physiology
examinations were similar
in content and difficulty.
However, the mean
percentage of correct
answers for the active
learning group (n= 252) on
the active (medical)
respiratory physiology
examination was 86 +/1.0. The active-learning
students performed
significantly better (P <
0.05) than the traditional
group students on the
same examination.
The main findings
regarding the primary
outcome parameter were
a persistent significant
difference with regard to
exam scores between the
active lecture group
compared with the
collaborative group in part
1 (P = 0.009) and part 2 (P
= 0.05), respectively.
Cooperative learning
high entry test
scores, then
randomly
assigned to
three
groups—
active lecture,
cooperative
learning, and
collaborative
learning.
Ruckert, E., McDonald, P.,
Birkmeier, M., Walker, B.,
Cotton, L., Lyons, L., ... &
Plack, M. (2014). Using
Technology to Promote
Active and Social Learning
Experiences in Health
Professions
Education. Online
Learning: Official Journal
Physical
Therapy
Management
of the Aging
Adult course
in the Doctor
of Physical
Therapy
Program (PT)
at George
Washington
physiology at a
further education
college. The
primary outcome
parameter was
cognitive
achievement with
regard to a
written class test.
The second
outcome
parameter, which
applied only to
the collaborative
and cooperative
groups, was the
quality of their
poster
presentations.
The researchers’
hypothesis was
that if we respect
the standards of
collaborative and
cooperative
learning as
described in the
literature and
provide sufficient
learning time,
cooperative and
especially
collaborative
learners should
produce the
highest exam
scores.
Researchers
wanted to see if
the following
exemplars made a
positive impact on
students’ selfefficacy about
what they
learned.
Exemplar #1:
Using Technology
groups scored higher than
collaborative groups: in
part 1, cooperative
learning groups obtained
significantly better results
(P = 0.05); in part 2,
cooperative learning
groups attained much
better results but did not
differ significantly (P =
0.056).
Concerning high
taxonomy tasks (synthesis
and evaluation), the
cooperative and
collaborative groups
tended to have better
results; however, the
differences did not reach
significance.
Exemplar #1: 94% agreed
with “Priming activities
helped me learn the
course material.” 74%
agreed with “The use of
technology helped
increase my level of
engagement with this
course.” 71% agreed with
“The quality of this course
of the Online Learning
Consortium, 18(4).
University was
used for
Exemplar #1
(34 students).
Clinical Skills 2
course in the
Physician
Assistant (PA)
Program at
GW was used
for Exemplar
#2 (66
students).
Health,
Justice, and
Society (HSJ)
course within
the PA
Program at
GW was used
for Exemplar
#3 (67
students).
Clinical
Conference IV
course within
the PT
Program at
GW was used
for Exemplar
#4 (34
students)
to Create “Priming
Activities” to
Prepare Learners
for In-class
Engagement
Exemplar #2:
Using Videos to
Facilitate Clinical
Decision Making
and Reflection
Exemplar #3:
Using
VoiceThread® to
Promote Critical
Thinking,
Collaboration, and
Higher Levels of
Learning
Exemplar #4:
Using Twitter® to
Enhance
Reflection
was improved by the use
of technology.”
Exemplar #2: 74% agreed
with “Video recording and
evaluating my oral case
presentation was a
positive learning
experience.” 69% agreed
with “[The OCP] activity
promoted the
development of my oral
presentation skills.”
Exemplar #3: 9% agreed
with “VoiceThread®
assignments helped me
learn the course content.”
21% agreed with “OL
discussions encouraged
me to examine my
thoughts, beliefs, or
feelings regarding course
topics.” 52% agreed with
“FTF discussions
encouraged me to
examine my thoughts,
beliefs, and or feelings
regarding course topics.”
26% agreed with “OL
journal entries
encouraged me to
examine my thoughts,
beliefs, or feelings
regarding course topics.”
(Note: the majority of the
percentage of votes for
the Exemplar #3
technology fell mid-range)
Exemplar #4: 70%
responded in agreement
that the objectives of the
assignment were met,
specific to reflection,
professional engagement
and discussion with peers,
and development of
professional use of social
media.
Sand-Jecklin, K. (2007). The
impact of
active/cooperative
instruction on beginning
nursing student learning
strategy
preference. Nurse
education today,27(5),
474-480.
87 beginning
level
baccalaureate
nursing
students who
were enrolled
in the initial
nursing
fundamentals
course at a
Large
Mid-Atlantic
University,
randomly
divided into
two classes—
one with a
traditional
approach and
one with an
active learning
approach.
1. What is the
impact of
incorporation of
active and
cooperative
instruction
strategies on
student
preference for
instructional
methodology?
2. What is the
impact of
incorporation of
active and
cooperative
instruction
strategies on
student use of
learning strategies
in the classroom
and in out-of-class
studying.
Sivan, A., Leung, R. W., Woon, C.
C., & Kember, D. (2000).
An implementation of
active learning and its
effect on the quality of
student
learning. Innovations in
Education and Teaching
International, 37(4), 381389.
Three courses
of the
Department of
Hotel and
Tourism
Management
at the Hong
Kong
Polytechnic
University:
Hotel Human
Environment;
Human
Resources
Management;
Was is the
effectiveness of
the active learning
strategies being
integrated into
the HKPU’s
courses?
Although both the
traditional instruction and
active instruction student
groups reported an overall
preference for passive
instructional methods,
instructor
demonstration/applicatio
n, and
interaction/discussion
were ranked above
lecture in terms of
importance to learning by
both groups. The
traditional
instruction group had a
notably lower preference
for active teaching
strategies [t (df
44) = 3.32, p = .002] and a
higher preference for
passive teaching
strategies [t (df 44) =
_2.49,
p = .017] at semester end.
The active instruction
group had a higher
preference for active
strategies [t (df
91) = _2.92, p = .004]
Both groups preferred
traditional strategies in
out-of-class studying.
Overwhelmingly, students
preferred the active
seminar sessions over
lectures for
independence,
application, carrier,
effectiveness (only the
Economics for Tourism
group ranked lecture
higher), and interest. For
understanding and
remembering, votes were
split between the lecture
and seminar types.
and
Economics.
Udovic, D., Morris, D., Dickman,
A., Postlethwait, J., &
Wetherwax, P. (2002).
Workshop biology:
demonstrating the
effectiveness of active
learning in an
introductory biology
course. Bioscience, 52(3),
272-281.
Three years of
biology survey
courses at The
University of
Oregon.
In the first
year, only two
sections were
used for the
workshop
approach but
this evolved
over the next
few years to
include more
and more
sections.
Wilke, R. R. (2003). The effect of
active learning on student
characteristics in a human
physiology course for
141 students
taking a
human
physiology
The more
supportive
environment of
the workshop
course and the
focus on issues
would improve
students’
attitudes towards
science and
science courses
more than
comparison
versions of the
course.
For conceptual
learning,
workshop
students would do
as well as
students in the
comparison
group, despite
coverage of more
content in the
traditional course.
Researchers
wanted to find out
if there would be
a significant
For seminar activities,
students ranked the hotel
simulation as the most
valuable, followed by
discussion/debate, case
study/problem solving,
presentation, role play
and games, etc. Video was
ranked the lowest out of
the given activities.
Study Process
Questionnaire changes
from pre- to post-testing
shows, across the board, a
rising of “deep approach”
meaning that students
found their learning
deeply meaningful.
Researchers found that
inquiry-based instruction
helped students
understand fundamentals
better as well as enabled
better problem-solving
using new concepts.
However, student views
about the process were
complex. While workshop
students tended to value
their experiences more
highly, they were also
more critical. (Some
students balked at the
steeper work load for the
same amount of credit.)
The first year, students in
the workshop course
scored consistently higher
on the post-test than that
of the comparison course.
Students in the treatment
group generally reported
a greater appreciation of
the course and thought
nonmajors. Advances in
physiology
education,27(4), 207-223.
course,
divided into 71
for the control
group and 70
for the
treatment
group.
Wolf, A., Liachovitzky, C., &
Abdullahi, A. (2014).
Active Learning Improves
Student Performance in a
Respiratory Physiology
Lab. Journal of Curriculum
and Teaching, 4(1), p19.
The study was
conducted at
Bronx
Community
College, a
campus of the
City University
of New York,
over the
course of six
semesters
between 2009
and 2012,
comprising 8
sections of a
secondsemester
Anatomy &
Physiology
course. Four
“control”
sections (n=76
students)
were taught
using the
standard,
previously
developed
curriculum.
Four “test”
sections (n=73
difference in test
results between
classes taught
using traditional
lecture methods
and those taught
using active
learning methods.
The same text and
tests were used
across the
courses.
They also wanted
to see how
students felt
about their own
abilities.
The study had
three goals: First,
researchers
compared the
performance of
students in the
modified labs with
students in
previous sections.
Second, within
sections using the
modified lab
researchers
compared
performance on
concepts from the
modified lab with
concepts from the
rest of the
semester. Finally,
after the
completion of the
lab researchers
asked students
about their
perceptions of
learning in the
modified labs.
that the subject matter
was more approachable
than those who were in
the traditional lecture
course.
The 2x2 factorial analysis
determined that the
treatment groups
performed significantly
better on the
comprehensive physiology
content exam than the
control groups (F 5.07, P
0.026)
On the midterm exam
overall, there was a slight,
though statistically
insignificant, difference
between the test and
control sections
(74.6±13.7% Test vs.
71.8±13.5% Control,
p>0.05). This result is
unsurprising because of
the cumulative nature of
the exam (80% of what
was covered on the exam
had not been part of the
modified content). On
questions relating to the
relationship between
pressure, volume and
airflow, the test sections
(74.3±12.5%) performed
better than the control
sections (66.3±9.6%),
though the difference was
not significant (p=0.09).
However, on questions
relating to the
measurement and
identification of
respiratory volumes (Test:
77.9±9.2%, Control:
69.5±9.7%, p<0.05) and on
students)
were taught
using a
modified
curriculum
(mainly
around the
respiratory
physiology
lab), designed
to incorporate
principles of
active
learning, using
studentgenerated
data.
the hallmarks of
restrictive and obstructive
diseases (Test:
77.5±12.7%, Control:
57.2±12.2%, p<0.005), the
test sections performed
significantly better than
the control sections.
When data of all four
semesters are combined,
students performed
better on the spirometry
concepts than on other
concepts assessed on the
midterm. (76.5±4.3% vs.
70.9±1.5%, p<0.05)
When asked about
whether the lab
modifications improved
understanding of
respiratory physiology
concepts (Table 4), more
than 75% responded
favorably (either Strongly
Agree or Agree) for all of
the concept groups,
except for obstructive vs.
restrictive diseases
(69.2%) and the effect of
obstructive diseases on
pulmonary function
(69.1%). Likewise,
responses were generally
favorable (more than 75%
responding Strongly Agree
or Agree) for questions
regarding the laboratory
experience (e.g., working
in groups, interacting with
the data acquisition
system and computer,
etc.). 60.3% responded
that the exercises
increased their interest in
respiratory physiology.
Finally, on a summative
evaluation, whether
students preferred labs
Yoder, J. D., & Hochevar, C. M.
(2005). Encouraging active
learning can improve
students' performance on
examinations. Teaching of
Psychology,32(2), 91-95.
Participants
were 45
students in
2001, 37 in
2002, and 38
in 2003
enrolled in a
400-level
undergraduat
e psychology
of women
class at a
large, public
university
Researchers
wanted to see if
active learning
activities in the
classroom would
translate to higher
scores on exams.
that use the technology
versus those that do not,
76.5% responded
favorably.
Over three years of the
same class using the same
text and tests and taught
by the same teacher, the
percentage of materials
using active learning
techniques was gradually
increased—13% for the
first year, 20% for the
second and 27% for the
third.
Both within a class and
between classes, classes
scored higher and less
variably on items testing
materials presented via
active learning compared
to lecture, autonomous
readings, or video without
discussion coverage.