Active learning's performance benefits hold across all STEM disciplines¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i? Heterogeneity analyses found no statistically significant variation in effect sizes among STEM disciplines for either examination scores or failure rates. → Freeman S 2014

Evidence¶

Freeman S 2014¶

Freeman S, Eddy SL, McDonough M, Smith MK, Okoroafor N, Jordt H, Wenderoth MP. (2014). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. PNAS 111(23):8410-8415. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

Moderator analysis of the meta-analytic dataset by STEM discipline, reported for examination scores (Q = 910.537, df = 7, P = 0.160) and failure rates (Q = 11.73, df = 6, P = 0.068). In every discipline with more than 10 experiments, average effect sizes were statistically significant for one or both outcomes.

"Heterogeneity analyses indicated no statistically significant variation among experiments based on the STEM discipline of the course in question, with respect to either examination scores (Fig. 2A; Q = 910.537, df = 7, P = 0.160) or failure rates (Fig. 2 B; Q = 11.73, df = 6, P = 0.068)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Active Learning Improves Exam Performance — related
• Class size, course level, and discipline did not explain significant variation in how achievement gaps changed under active learning — related
• Active learning benefits students in all class sizes, with the greatest effects in classes of 50 or fewer students — related
• The active-learning advantage is robust to publication bias and to variation in methodological rigor of the included studies — related