Most active learning college science conditions contain a substantial lecture component despite the active-learning-versus-lecture dichotomy¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2021 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Evidence quality · No study behind this claim is a peer-reviewed article with a DOI: it rests on a source with no registered publication record (a web page, book or unpublished report). It is kept because 4 design pages cite it; treat it as a lead to check, not an established finding.

Subclaims¶

q2 i? 79.5% of the 88 active learning conditions contained a lecture component in class, at home, or both, and 72.4% of conditions with a main class session devoted at least 20% of class time to lecture. → Martella 2021

Evidence¶

Martella 2021¶

Martella, A. M., Lovett, M. C., & Ramsay, L. (2021). Implementing active learning: A critical examination of sources of variation in active learning college science courses. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 32(1), 67-96. https://jlect.com/

q2 · i? · review · r2

Systematic review of 57 comparison studies (88 active learning conditions) from three DBER journals, 2014-2018. The review reports that "79.5% of active learning conditions contained a lecture component" and that 72.4% devoted at least 20% of main class time to lecture; percentages are descriptive, no effect size.

"We also found that despite the “active learning versus lecture” dichotomy, 79.5% of active learning conditions contained a lecture component (in the class, at home, or both)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Active Learning Improves Exam Performance — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• 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 — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Time-on-task is frequently unequal across compared conditions, with active learning conditions typically requiring more home time — related
• Active learning conditions more often include quizzes, homework, and learning/exam preparation than lecture conditions — related
• Post-2014 comparison studies still most commonly contrast one active learning condition with one lecture condition — related
• Group tasks are the most frequent active learning activity in college science active learning conditions, followed by activity sheets — related
• Most active learning studies did not report group equivalence measures directly related to the dependent variable — related