Date of Award

8-2007

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Dr. Eric J. Fox

Second Advisor

Dr. Alyce M. Dickinson

Third Advisor

Dr. Jack Michael

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Interteaching is a relatively new instructional method, based on behavioral approaches to education, that has been offered as an alternative to the traditional lecture format in the college classroom. The present study examined the role of the cooperative learning component of interteaching in an undergraduate statistics class. An alternating treatments design, with conditions counterbalanced across two sections of the course, was used to determine whether or not the effectiveness of interteaching depends on the interteach (cooperative learning) component. Weekly exams were administered to measure student learning and social validity was assessed via a questionnaire that required students to rate their preferences and the extent of learning with lecture and interteaching. The results of the study indicated that when the other components of interteaching are implemented (detailed study objectives, frequent practice, frequent exams), adding the collaborative learning component does not affect exam scores. There was also no apparent difference in study behaviors between conditions, and students generally had a strong preference for lectures over interteaching. The implications of these findings and their relation to previous research on interteaching are discussed.

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