Silent Students' Participation in a Large Active Learning Science Classroom.

Obenland, Carrie A.; Munson, Ashlyn H.; Hutchinson, John S.

Active learning in large science classrooms furthers opportunities for students to engage in the content and in meaningful learning, yet students can still remain anonymously silent. This study aims to understand the impact of active learning on these silent students in a large General Chemistry course taught via Socratic questioning and discussion "clicker" questions. A mixed-methods study including a survey and student interviews revealed that silent students are also active learners. Silent students report that, despite their silence, the active environment enhances their engagement in the class and understanding of the content. The data also suggest that some students choose to remain silent because of their own learning style, rather than being led by other motivations such as anxiety of perception by peers or professors. This active learning environment encourages participation and benefits both vocal and silent students even within a large class.

UNITED States; ACTIVE learning; STUDENT participation in curriculum planning; SCIENCE education (Higher); HIGHER education research

Journal of College Science Teaching, 2012, Vol 42, Issue 2, p90

0047-231X

Academic Journal