Comparing the Effectiveness of Traditional and Active Learning Methods in Business Statistics: Convergence to the Mean

This research shows that active learning is not universally effective and, in fact, may inhibit learning for certain types of students. The results of this study show that as increased levels of active learning are utilized, student test scores decrease for those with a high grade point average. In contrast, test scores increase as active learning is introduced for students in the lower level grade point average group. Every student involved in the experiment is taught three topics, each one by a different teaching method. Students take a test following each learning session to assess comprehension. The experiment involves more than 300 business statistics students in seven class sections. Method topic combinations are randomly assigned to class sections so that each student in every class section is exposed to all three experimental teaching methods. The effect of method on student score is not consistent across grade point average. Performance of students at three different grade point average levels tended to Journal of Statistics Education, Volume 18, Number 1 (2010) 2 converge around the overall mean when learning was obtained in an active learning environment. The effects of the teaching method on score do not depend on other student characteristics analyzed (i.e. gender, learning style, or ethnicity). A linear mixed model is used in the analysis of results.