Where it is used
Each entry identifies the volume, edition, chapter or appendix in which the work appears.
The evidence behind the series
Follow the research.
Explore every source.
Browse the scientific research and professional literature used across all seven volumes of The Science of Learning for Educators.
7book volumes
8author ranges
1searchable library
Search the collection
Find a paper, author or idea.
Choose an author range, search a title or concept, or narrow the collection by source type. Open any result to see where it appears in the books, read its evidence summary and follow available source links.
1 reference
-
- Vol 2 RE: App C, D
- Vol 7 PE: App D
active learningstudent performanceconcept inventoriesundergraduate stemstudent participationproblem solvinginstructional discussionfailure ratesJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Freeman and colleagues meta-analyse 225 studies comparing traditional lecturing with active learning in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses. Across diverse disciplines and class sizes, active-learning conditions produced higher examination and concept-inventory performance, with an average improvement of about 0.47 standard deviations.
Key ideas
Students in lecture-dominant classes were substantially more likely to fail; the reported odds of failure were roughly 1.5 times those under active learning. The authors define active learning broadly as instructional activities that engage students in thinking and participation, so the analysis does not identify one universally superior technique. Included studies varied in design quality, implementation, outcome measures, and intensity, and publication or instructor effects remain possible. Nevertheless, converging results challenge continued reliance on uninterrupted exposition as the default comparison.
Why it matters
The educational implication is to build lessons around purposeful student reasoning, retrieval, discussion, problem solving, and feedback, while monitoring whether particular implementations serve the content, learners, and equity goals involved.
A transparent research trail
More than a bibliography.
What it contributes
Evidence summaries explain the central idea and why the source matters to educators.
How to access it
Entries link to lawful full text where available, or to a publisher, library or purchase page.
Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
Citation checks
References are checked against publisher records, scholarly indexes, DOI or ISBN metadata, repositories and author records where available. An entry marked [Citation not verified] preserves the wording found in the relevant volume without attributing findings to an unconfirmed work.
From sources to a coherent pathway