Active learning narrows the passing-rate gap between minoritized-group and non-minoritized students in undergraduate STEM by 45% on average¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4
Currency · newest study 2020 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i? Students from MGS pass at lower rates than non-MGS students by 7.1% under traditional lecturing, reduced to −3.9% under active learning, a 45% reduction in the gap. → Theobald Elli J. et al 2020

Evidence¶

Theobald Elli J. et al 2020¶

Theobald Elli J. et al. (2020). Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1916903117

q4 · i? · quant-synthesis · r3

IPD meta-analysis of failure/passing-rate data from 26 studies (44,606 students, 174 course sections) in six STEM disciplines, modeled with hierarchical Bayesian regression including author effects. The passing gap fell from "7.1%" to "−3.9%", a 45% reduction. The article reports no standardized effect-size statistic for this finding.

"students from MGS pass at lower rates than students from non-MGS by 7.1% (95% CI: −8.4% to −6.6%) with traditional lecturing. The difference in passing is reduced to only −3.9% (95% CI: −5.2% to −2.5%) with active learning"

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 — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Effects of active learning on achievement gaps vary widely across studies, with a minority of studies showing larger benefits for non-minoritized students — related
• Active learning reduces the examination-score achievement gap between minoritized-group and non-minoritized students in undergraduate STEM by 33% on average — 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
• Students in traditional lecture STEM courses are 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in active-learning courses — related
• Active learning in an entry-level biology course closed performance gaps between underrepresented and non-underrepresented minority students and increased all students' self-efficacy — a narrower finding that bears on this claim