Bryan K. Saville, Tracy E. Zinn, Nancy A. Neef, Renee Van Norman, & Summer J. Ferreri. (2006)
A comparison of interteaching and lecture in the college classroom.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
39, 49-61.
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.
DESCRIPTORS: interteaching, college instruction, education