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Comparative Study
. 2006 Spring;39(1):49-61.
doi: 10.1901/jaba.2006.42-05.

A comparison of interteaching and lecture in the college classroom

Bryan K Saville  1 , Tracy E Zinn, Nancy A Neef, Renee Van Norman, Summer J Ferreri
Affiliations
Comparative Study

A comparison of interteaching and lecture in the college classroom

Bryan K Saville et al. J Appl Behav Anal. 2006 Spring.

Abstract

Interteaching is a new method of classroom instruction that is based on behavioral principles but offers more flexibility than other behaviorally based methods. We examined the effectiveness of interteaching relative to a traditional form of classroom instruction-the lecture. In Study 1, participants in a graduate course in special education took short quizzes after alternating conditions of interteaching and lecture. Quiz scores following interteaching were higher than quiz scores following lecture, although both methods improved performance relative to pretest measures. In Study 2, we also alternated interteaching and lecture but counterbalanced the conditions across two sections of an undergraduate research methods class. After each unit of information, participants from both sections took the same test. Again, test scores following interteaching were higher than test scores following lecture. In addition, students correctly answered more interteaching-based questions than lecture-based questions on a cumulative final test. In both studies, the majority of students reported a preference for interteaching relative to traditional lecture. In sum, the results suggest that interteaching may be an effective alternative to traditional lecture-based methods of instruction.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The mean number of questions answered correctly by students on each quiz in Study 1.
Students took pretests at the beginning of the semester and posttests later in the semester after covering the corresponding course material. Filled squares represent pretests, filled circles represent quizzes taken after interteaching, and open triangles represent quizzes taken after lectures.
Figure 2
Figure 2. The mean percentage of questions answered correctly on each unit test in Study 2.
Circles represent tests taken after interteaching, and triangles represent exams taken after lectures. Open symbols represent mean scores for SEC 1, and filled symbols represent mean scores for SEC 2.
Figure 3
Figure 3. The mean percentage of interteaching-based and lecture-based questions answered correctly on the final exam.
Filled bars represent the means for SEC 1, and open bars represent the means for SEC 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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