Studying the Effects of Interactive Engagement on Student Perfromance in Introductory Physics

This study is a multi-year study using looking for correlations between the type of teaching style and student performance in introductory physics classes. The students information on their SAT/ACT, overall grade in a first-year physics course, a given pre-test and post-test, and the gain calculated between the two were taken. A measure of whether or not the first-year physics course was taken in an Interactive or non-interactive fashion was also taken. Through this study, we chose to study the effects of SAT/ACT math scores on overall grades when selecting for either/both class type and gender. We also measured the differences in the Pre-Test and Post-Test scores based on gender, as well the differences in the gain score between both the students gender and class type. The SAT scores were a significant predictor of male performance in a course in both the Interactive and Non-Interactive courses though more so for the Interactive. ACT scores were a significant predictor of overall grade for females in the Interactive environment only. Pre-test scores were comparable for both genders in both class types. In the Non-Interactive courses, post-test scores were significantly higher for males when compared to females. In the Interactive courses, the scores between both genders were not significantly different. Overall, those in the Interactive courses had significantly higher post test scores than those in the non-Interactive courses.