Active learning benefits students in all class sizes, with the greatest effects in classes of 50 or fewer students¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesisr3·q4
Currency · newest study 2014 · checked against its sources 2026-10-17 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q4 i? Effect sizes varied significantly by course size, with active learning having the highest impact in classes of 50 or fewer students, though effects were significant in medium and large classes as well. → 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 examination-score effect sizes by binned class size (small, medium, large). Variation was significant (Q = 6.726, df = 2, P = 0.035), and the article reports effects were statistically significant in all three size categories.
"Heterogeneity analyses indicated significant variation in terms of course size, with active learning having the highest impact on courses with 50 or fewer students (Fig. 3 B and Table S1 C; Q = 6.726, df = 2, P = 0.035; Fig. S4 )."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- 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
- Active learning's performance benefits hold across all STEM disciplines — related
- Effect sizes are highest in medium-sized classes (50–99 students), with class-size differences only marginally significant — reports the opposite
- Active Learning Improves Exam Performance — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)
- Class size, course level, and discipline did not explain significant variation in how achievement gaps changed under active learning — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
active-learning-strongest-small-classes |
title |
Active learning benefits students in all class sizes, with the greatest effects in classes of 50 or fewer students |
description |
Active learning benefits students in all class sizes, with the greatest effects in classes of 50 or fewer students |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2014 |
source_checked |
2026-10-17 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-13 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — freeman-s-2014 |
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