Effect of in-class student–student interaction on the learning of physics in a college physics course

Abstract

The effectiveness of in-class student–student interaction on the learning of physics in an algebra-based college physics course is investigated. The student–student interaction leads to an improvement of attitudes of the students toward the course, improves the academic environment of the class, and makes students feel better about the material they are learning. However, it is also found that these qualitative improvements in the class do not lead to a significant change in the test scores on either the classroom tests or the Halloun–Hestenes’s mechanics diagnostics test. The correlation between the performances of students on the classroom tests with the performance on the Halloun–Hestenes test used as a pretest is also investigated and it is found that this correlation is less for students with cooperative learning than for students without cooperative learning.