Active learning in an entry-level biology course closed performance gaps between underrepresented and non-underrepresented minority students and increased all students' self-efficacy¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In a reviewed study of undergraduates in an entry-level biology course, active learning closed academic performance gaps between groups and all students reported self-efficacy increases. → Renninger 2026

Evidence¶

Renninger 2026¶

Renninger, K. A., Barton, L. K., Bautista, G., Garcia-Barrios, M., Ogunyinka, I., & Riley, K. R. (2026). Interest, Self-efficacy, and Belonging in Classroom Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10102-7

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports, citing Ballen et al. (2017), a study of underrepresented and non-underrepresented minority undergraduates in an entry-level biology course in which "the use of active learning closed gaps in academic performance between the two groups." The review narrates the study without printing its statistics.

"The researchers reported that the use of active learning closed gaps in academic performance between the two groups and that all students reported increases in self-efficacy."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Race and Ethnicity — moderator: an instructional effect differs by group

Related Claims¶

• Active learning narrows achievement gaps for disadvantaged and underrepresented students — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
• Active learning reduces the examination-score achievement gap between minoritized-group and non-minoritized students in undergraduate STEM by 33% on average — a broader claim this one bears on
• Active learning narrows the passing-rate gap between minoritized-group and non-minoritized students in undergraduate STEM by 45% on average — a broader claim this one bears on
• Effects of active learning on achievement gaps vary widely across studies, with a minority of studies showing larger benefits for non-minoritized students — related
• High-intensity active learning narrows achievement gaps far more than low-intensity active learning; intensity of in-class active engagement is positively correlated with narrower gaps — related
• Active Learning Improves Exam Performance — related