Abstract
BackgroundActive learning used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses has been shown to improve student outcomes. Nevertheless, traditional lecture-orientated approaches endure in these courses. The implementation of teaching practices is a result of many interrelated factors including disciplinary norms, classroom context, and beliefs about learning. Although factors influencing uptake of active learning are known, no study to date has had the statistical power to empirically test the relative association of these factors with active learning when considered collectively. Prior studies have been limited to a single or small number of evaluated factors; in addition, such studies did not capture the nested nature of institutional contexts. We present the results of a multi-institution, large-scale (N = 2382 instructors; N = 1405 departments; N = 749 institutions) survey-based study in the United States to evaluate 17 malleable factors (i.e., influenceable and changeable) that are associated with the amount of time an instructor spends lecturing, a proxy for implementation of active learning strategies, in introductory postsecondary chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses.ResultsRegression analyses, using multilevel modeling to account for the nested nature of the data, indicate several evaluated contextual factors, personal factors, and teacher thinking factors were significantly associated with percent of class time lecturing when controlling for other factors used in this study. Quantitative results corroborate prior research in indicating that large class sizes are associated with increased percent time lecturing. Other contextual factors (e.g., classroom setup for small group work) and personal contexts (e.g., participation in scholarship of teaching and learning activities) are associated with a decrease in percent time lecturing.ConclusionsGiven the malleable nature of the factors, we offer tangible implications for instructors and administrators to influence the adoption of more active learning strategies in introductory STEM courses.
Highlights
It is established that using active learning instructional approaches are associated with higher conceptual understanding and persistence inYik et al International Journal of STEM Education (2022) 9:15 et al, 2006; Theobald et al, 2020)
This study aims to quantify the extent that malleable factors have on the uptake of active learning and the Teacher-Centered Systemic Reform (TCSR) framework is best suited, since its focus is on the instructor and their personal and teaching contexts which are the most malleable along with nested contexts in which teaching reform occurs
Survey development The survey instrument from which specific items are used in this study was developed and informed by previous large-scale studies in postsecondary chemistry (Gibbons et al, 2018; Lund & Stains, 2015; Stains et al, 2018), mathematics (Apkarian et al, 2019; Johnson et al, 2018), and physics (Henderson & Dancy, 2009; Walter, Henderson, et al, 2016; Walter et al, 2021)
Summary
It is established that using active learning instructional approaches (i.e., less time spent lecturing) are associated with higher conceptual understanding and persistence inYik et al International Journal of STEM Education (2022) 9:15 et al, 2006; Theobald et al, 2020). Despite evidence of the benefit of active learning strategies (Ballen et al, 2017; Freeman et al, 2014; Haak et al, 2011; Harris et al, 2020; Styers et al, 2018; Theobald et al, 2020), observation-based studies have confirmed that lecture-oriented pedagogical approaches remain as significant components in most STEM courses (Stains et al, 2018), which may be due in part to the lack of departmental norms for using research-based instructional methods (Henderson & Dancy, 2007; Shadle et al, 2017), faculty reward structures (Brownell & Tanner, 2012; Michael, 2007; Shadle et al, 2017), and student resistance (Henderson & Dancy, 2007; Michael, 2007; Shadle et al, 2017). We present the results of a multi-institution, large-scale (N = 2382 instructors; N = 1405 departments; N = 749 institutions) survey-based study in the United States to evaluate 17 malleable factors (i.e., influenceable and changeable) that are associated with the amount of time an instructor spends lecturing, a proxy for implementation of active learning strategies, in introductory postsecondary chemistry, mathematics, and physics courses
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