Effects of Teaching Strategies 1

Running head: The Effects of Teaching Strategies on Student Participation

Effects of Teaching Strategies on

Student Participation

Nina Turner

Eckerd College
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 2

Abstract

This project examines different teaching strategies, and their impact on student

participation in the classroom. The study included 120 Eckerd College students, including all

different class levels. Students in six different Eckerd College classrooms were observed. The

students’ participation behaviors in response to the different teaching methods were recorded.

The study found that on average, students participated more in classes in which instructors

employed multiple teaching methods in the classroom. The study suggests that students may

comprehend more information, and may be more inclined to participate, when multiple rather

than traditional teaching approaches are employed in the classroom. More thorough research

should be conducted to determine if this finding is consistent among other college students.
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 3

The Effects of Teaching Strategies on Student Participation

For many years, teachers have struggled to find methods, or exact “recipes” to captivate

students and optimize their success. Research in the area of increasing student engagement does

not appear to have truly launched until the 1980s. Even though lecture is one of the most

commonly used teaching strategies, research suggests that students have a preference for more

interactive techniques in the classroom. That is to say, students prefer “active learning” to

traditional lectures, in which the student is relatively inactive for most of the class's duration, and

the teacher primarily speaks and provides information (Bonwell, & Eison, 1991). According to

related studies, students who take on an active rather than passive role in their education are

more likely to retain the material. In fact, according to a crucial analysis by Chickering and

Gamson (1987), higher-order thinking tasks give course material more meaning to students

(Bonwell, & Eison, 1991). Essentially, different teaching approaches are necessary for students

to truly comprehend course material on a deeper level.

Research studies in this field indicate the need for active learning in the classroom.

Employing teaching methods outside the realm of traditional lecture has been shown to

encourage engagement in the classroom and to help in further development of writing and

critical thinking abilities (Bonwell, & Eison, 1991). Overall, cognitive research suggests that the

use of different teaching, or pedagogical strategies, may be necessary for students with special

needs or individuals with different learning styles to gain further insight into class material

(Bonwell, 1991).

In Bonwell's and Eison's (1991) analysis, certain studies are highlighted, to discuss the

methods teachers have used to increase not only student comprehension, but student engagement

and participation. For instance, McKeachie et al. (1986) found that class discussion allowed for
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 4

students to retain more information and to apply the information they discuss in new situations.

Bonwell (1991) also discusses the use of visual-based instruction and its nature of providing a

focal point for interactive instruction. The research of Lowman (1984) further goes on to indicate

that the use of pedagogical strategies help create an environment in which students may feel free

to take risks, participate, and express themselves in the classroom (Bonwell, & Eison, 1991).

One such visual-based teaching method that is widely used in both elementary,

secondary, and college level education is Microsoft Power Point. With Power Point, instructors

are able to create an interactive slide show for students. In a study conducted by Susskind (2008),

two Introduction to Developmental Psychology classes were observed. For the first part of the

semester, students were primarily instructed with the use of computer presentations or overhead

projector slides. In the second part of the semester, teachers switched over to Microsoft Power

Point presentations. The results of Susskind's study (2008) indicate a positive correlation

between the use of Power Point in the classrooms and the amount of student participation in class

discussions. However, there did not appear to be a significant increase between the use of lecture

in the first part of the semester and the use of Power Point later in the semester (Susskind, 2008).

In a similar study, Babb and Ross (2009) looked at the use of Power Point in two courses:

Research Methods and Cognitive Development over the course of two semesters. In the first

semester, Power Point slides were not available to students. The researchers wanted to look at

how many students participated in class when Power Point slides were available for students

before the class. Babb and Ross (2009) found that class participation increased when the Power

Point slides were available before class. In sum, when making a comparison to the students in the

first semester, students in the second semester responded to questions asked in class more often

and even asked more questions themselves when they were able to use the Power Point slides.
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 5

In another study conducted by Dallimore, Hertenstein, and Platt (2004), participation

was assessed as a function of classroom discussion in the context of graduate business classes.

The study found that participation increased with the use of class discussion. Furthermore, the

researchers found that when students were able to generate discussion and take the class in the

direction they wanted to, the quality of participation and the discussion itself increased as well

(Dallimore, Hertenstein, & Platt, 2004).

In an article written by Steinert and Snell (1999), the authors reviewed research about the

effectiveness of interactive lecturing strategies in teaching. Similar to the analysis of Bonwell

and Eison (1991), Steinert and Snell found that students who are actively involved in the learning

process are more likely to learn more than those who are observe passively. More importantly,

they discuss how implementing a variety of techniques in the classroom will not only allow for

the instructor to maintain the attention of students, but it will also help him or her arouse student

involvement.

The researchers mention several interactive strategies that have been found to promote

student participation. For one, breaking the class up into small groups has been found to increase

the overall class discussion of important ideas and concepts as well as students' problem solving

abilities (Steinert, & Snell, 1999). The use of written materials in class, such as handouts, are not

only well received by students, but they have been found to allow students more time to think

about or gain a better understanding of the material, and therefore, encourage their participation

in class (Steinert, & Snell, 1999). Film clips, videotapes, and visual aids like overhead projectors

have also been found to stimulate thinking and increase the participation in class discussion

(Steinert, & Snell, 1999). Collectively, the research of Steinert and Snell (1999) suggests the
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 6

more frequently interactive pedagogical strategies are used, the more likely it will be that

students take an active role in participation.

Most studies looking at the effect of teaching strategies on classroom participation only

discuss the impact of one teaching method. From the studies we have reviewed, there does not

appear to be one which examines more than one teaching method in the classroom. In addition,

which strategies elicit more participation than others in certain classes. Knowing which strategy,

or combination of strategies, that students respond to more often can help teachers captivate,

connect, and stimulate their audiences.

The purpose of our study was to look at the relationship between certain pedagogical, or

teaching, strategies and the level of student participation.

The research was observational. We observed Eckerd College students in the Continuing

Education Center, the Seibert Humanities Building, and in Lindsey Hall. Observations of

participation were recorded among six different classes. We hypothesized that when a teacher

employs one or more pedagogical strategies outside of traditional lecture, student participation

will increase.

Method

Participants

The participants of the observational study were 120 Eckerd College students in six

different classrooms. The age range of the students will be from 18 to 23 years old. About 45-50

of the students were male; and the other 65-70 were female. Over sixty percent of the students

observed were be Psychology majors.

 Effects of Teaching Strategies 7

Materials

The main material used was a behavior checklist. The teachers observed at Eckerd

College during Fall 2009 employed the use of different teaching materials. The materials they

used included film clips (from both digital and VHS devices), Microsoft Power Point, overhead

projectors, black boards, chalk, white boards, dry erase markers, and paper for handout

information materials.

Procedure

Each of the three observers sat in on two classes each. Spanish from 8:30 to 9:20 AM on

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Intro to Human Development from 1:30 to 2:50 PM on

Mondays and Thursdays; Abnormal Psychology from 1:30 PM to 2:50 PM on Tuesdays and

Fridays; Statistics and Research Design I from 11:30 AM to 12:50 PM on Tuesdays and

Thursdays; Social Psychology from 6:30 to 9:30 PM on Mondays; Personality Theory and

Research from 1:30 PM to 2:50 PM on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Our observations took place each time we attended the aforementioned classes. As soon

as each class started, we began to use our behavioral checklist to measure participation. Since we

are looked at how many students participate when certain teaching strategies are used, we

included two different teaching strategies in our study, multiple strategies or a traditional

strategy. We chose to operationally define a multiple teaching method as any time an instructor

used film clips, from DVD, VHS, or digital equipment; use of breaking students up into multiple

groups to engage in group discussion; and lastly, the use of an application handout activity.

Conversely, we chose to operationally define a traditional strategy as the use of one or more

Microsoft Power Point slide shows; lecture; and finally, the use of transparencies on an overhead

projector. An application handout activity will be any material from the professor, printed on one
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 8

or more sheets of paper, which allows the student to apply his or her own knowledge from

previously covered course material. The application handout activity can be simply handed out to

the students or the professor can work on the activity in class.

We counted participation in four different ways, by way of our behavior checklist. The

first way we defined participation was one student spontaneously question-asking, directly to the

professor, about the course material. The second way we counted participation was one student,

answering a specific prompt from the professor, directly following the prompt. The student may

have responded “yes or no,” or with an answer that pertains to the content of the question, after

specifically being called upon by a professor. Third, spontaneous comment making, by one

student, also counted as a participation behavior. Finally, we also defined participation as any act

of telling a personal anecdote or personal instance related to course material, spontaneously or

after the professor's prompt.

We defined question-asking as any inquiry, made by one student, directed toward the

professor, regarding course material. Therefore, a question had to be about course material

covered in class and not about other things. For example, we did not say that a student is

participating if he or she asks a question about something irrelevant to the course, i.e. how the

professor is feeling or any other personal questions directed at the professor. We did not count

question-asking about the exam as participation. Question-answering or question-asking had to

pertain to the content of the professor's original question or the content of the course in order for

it to count as participation.

Results

The obtained data was entered and analyzed by SPSS. An Independent Samples t-test

showed more participation (M=27.00) occurred, on average, when multiple teaching strategies
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 9

were used in the classroom (Refer to Table 1 and Appendix B, Figure 1). The traditional method,

on the other hand, showed that less participation (M=10.00), occurred, on average, t (10.3) =

3.48, p < 0.05; p = 0.006 (Refer to Table 1 and Appendix B, Figure 1).

Discussion

The results of the present study seem to be consistent with previous studies. In past

studies, it has appeared that the use of non-traditional teaching strategies were more likely to

increase the amount of student participation. Our study’s results showed that an average of

twenty-seven students participated in class when an instructor used more than one teaching

approach during a given class period. Though our study found that the use of a traditional

teaching strategy did not elicit as much participation as did the use of more than one teaching

approach, there does not appear to have been any previous research done which solely examines

the use of what we operationally defined as a traditional teaching approach. Instead, previous

research appears to have placed a focus on the implications for using multiple teaching strategies

in the classroom.

The results support our hypothesis. It was specifically found that when multiple teaching

strategies were used in class, the amount of student participation was higher than if a traditional

approach was used. It also appears as though the use of multiple teaching strategies in the

classroom elicited significantly higher amounts of participation, on average, than did the use of

traditional approaches in the classroom. This finding may suggest that students have a preference

for non-traditional teaching methods. The results may also indicate that multiple teaching

methods contribute to a greater understanding of a course's material and may make them more

inclined to participate in class.

 Effects of Teaching Strategies 10

The present findings suggest that students are more likely to participate in class when

multiple teaching strategies are employed. With more research, this finding could be used to

determine the exact reasons why students might participate more when an instructor uses several

methods to convey course material. Perhaps moving away from the sole use of traditional

approaches can be used to encourage student participation and overall discussion within a

classroom. Multiple approaches may help students gain more insight about course material. If

students feel they understand the course material better after having it presented to them in

different ways, they may be more inclined to participate and voice their own opinions or

thoughts.

There were some limitations to our present study. For instance, it only examined students

at Eckerd College. One major limitation to our study was the amount of traditional classrooms

observed versus the amount of classrooms which employed multiple teaching strategies. Only

two traditional classes were observed while the other eleven observed were considered to have

employed multiple teaching strategies during the class period. Overall, our study has low internal

validity—we can not be certain that the way a teacher presents material has a direct impact on

student participation. We could not account for other extraneous variables, such as weather,

lighting, time of day, etc. which would have impacted the number of students which participated

in class. Also, there were other variables which weaken the external validity of the study. Eckerd

College students, as an example, are generally placed into smaller classrooms. The amount of

students in a classroom could have an impact on how much one is inclined to participate. Also,

the skewed ratio of men to women in the Eckerd College classrooms we observed could also

affect participation; this could make women more inclined to participate in the classroom. In

addition, women may be more susceptible to the use of visual or auditory aids, which increases
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 11

understanding and comprehension, and therefore might explain the high amounts of participation

when multiple approaches are used. Also, at the time of the study, students had just returned

from Fall Break, which may have weakened their responses to traditional teaching styles.

Finally, some classrooms in our studies used more and different teaching approaches than others.

Therefore, our study’s results do not clearly tell us whether it is the type of strategies used or the

use of multiple teaching strategies that seems to be related to the average amount of student

participation.

It is evident that despite the amount of research conducted on the use of non-traditional or

multiple teaching strategies in the classroom, more observations of this phenomenon at other

colleges and universities are still needed to draw more inferences. The reason why students tend

to participate more when instructors convey course material by way of multiple teaching

strategies is not fully understood. We cannot determine whether or not the amount of students in

a classroom or the use of multiple teaching strategies in a classroom has an impact on student

participation. Also, the types of teaching strategies which impact the participation of Eckerd

College students could differ from students attending different schools. Furthermore, the specific

types of teaching strategies that elicit high amounts of participation among students would be an

interesting topic for future research.

 Effects of Teaching Strategies 12

References

Babb, K.A., & Ross, C. (2009). The Timing of online lecture slide availability and its effect on

attendance, participation and exam performance. Computers & Education, 52, 868-881.

Bonwell, C. C, & Eison, J.A. . (1991). Active learning: creating excitement in the classroom.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education.

Dallimore, E.J., Hertenstein, J.H., & Platt, M.B. (2004). Classroom participation and discussion

effectiveness: student-generated strategies. Communication Education, 53(1), 103-115.

Steinert, Y., & Snell, L.S. (1999). Interactive lecturing: strategies for increasing participation in

large group presentations. Medical Teacher, 21(1), 37-42.

Susskind, J.E. (2008). Limits of powerpoint's power: enhancing students' self-efficacy and

attitudes but not their behavior. Computers & Education, 50, 1228-1239.
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 13

Appendix A

Data Collection Table

Observation # Strategies # Q's asked # Q's answered # Comments # Anecdotes

Strategies:

1 = Traditional lecture

2 = Video clips from digital, DVD, and VHS

3 = Group discussion

4 = Application activity
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 14

Appendix B

Figure 1

Average Amount of Participation as a Function

of Multiple of Traditional Teaching Strategies

30

25

20

15

10

0
Multiple Traditional
 Effects of Teaching Strategies 15

Table 1

Average Amount of Participation for Each Teaching Strategy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Strategy Average Amount of Participation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Traditional 10.00

Multiple 27.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-