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The benefits of teaching on comprehension, motivation, and perceived difficulty: Empirical evidence of teaching expectancy and the interactivity of teaching
Author(s) -
Wang Ying,
Lin Lijia,
Chen Ouhao
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of educational psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.557
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 2044-8279
pISSN - 0007-0998
DOI - 10.1111/bjep.12416
Subject(s) - expectancy theory , psychology , generalizability theory , comprehension , empirical evidence , empirical research , teaching method , interactivity , mathematics education , social psychology , developmental psychology , multimedia , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , programming language
Background Research regarding teaching expectancy has been mostly conducted in research laboratories with college students. These studies provide insufficient evidence regarding its effect on learners’ delayed comprehension. Moreover, the relative superiority of teaching a peer face to face compared to teaching an imagined peer lacks empirical support. Aims The purpose of the study was to investigate the interactivity of teaching by comparing peer teaching to imagined teaching, as well as enhancing the generalizability of the teaching expectancy effect by testing it in a secondary school environment. Sample A total of 597 students (282 males) from 12 classes in a secondary school were recruited to participate in the study as part of their psychology course. Methods Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions formed by a 2 (teaching expectancy vs. testing expectancy) × 3 (peer teaching vs. imagined teaching vs. no teaching) between‐subjects design. Their immediate and delayed comprehension tests, motivation, and perceived difficulty were measured as dependent variables. Results Imagined teaching enhanced both immediate and delayed comprehension, but peer teaching only enhanced immediate comprehension. Moreover, the effects of imagined teaching on perceived difficulty and motivation were dependent upon teaching expectancy or testing expectancy. Conclusions Our findings provide empirical evidence to the existing theoretical frameworks, but caution should be taken when applying imagined teaching in practice.