A Systematic Review of the Literature on How Students Respond to Active Learning

Regents Of The University Of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project addresses one of the primary barriers to undergraduate STEM instructors' widespread use of active learning: fear of negative student reactions. It has been estimated that there are between 400 to 500 published studies providing empirical evidence of student affective reactions to active (evidence-based) learning in physics, engineering, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics and geosciences. Many of these studies provide estimates of the impact of faculty shifts to evidence-based instruction. This project will synthesize these affective responses across a variety of educational settings, class sizes, and instructional interventions to increase our understanding of the extent of both student resistance and acceptance. A goal is to present compelling strategies for overcoming student resistance to evidence-based learning. This project will conduct a systematic literature review that addresses the following research questions: 1) What evidence is used to measure student affective responses to active (evidence-based) learning? What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of each type of evidence? 2) Are there patterns of student affective responses in the published literature? Specifically, is student response influenced significantly by instructor strategies, course content, class size, assessment methods, and the type of evidence-based instruction? 3) Overall, are student reactions to active learning instruction generally positive or negative?