Engagement or Regurgitation? Teaching American Government without a Textbook

Abstract

A great deal of debate exists regarding the pedagogical utility of using a standard textbook in the introductory American government course. We used a quasi-experimental research design to test empirically the assertion that teaching American politics without using a textbook will foster superior learning by students and greater satisfaction with the course. Two sections of the course were taught using a standard textbook, and two sections were taught using a series of short, critical books on American politics. Student performance was evaluated through the use of a pretest and posttest, midterm and final examinations, and a questionnaire. Contrary to our expectations, we found evidence that students learn more and perform better on exams when a standard textbook is used Based on these findings, we suggest that instructors carefully consider the decision toforego using a textbook in the introductory American government course.