Bryan K. Saville

Interteaching versus Traditional Methods of Instruction: A Preliminary Analysis.

Interteaching is a new pedagogical method based on behavior-analytic principles; it includes elements of Kellers (1968) Personalized System of Instruction, reciprocal peer tutoring, and cooperative learning. We examined the effectiveness of interteaching relative to more traditional methods of instruction in a controlled laboratory setting. We randomly assigned participants to 1 of 4 conditions: interteaching, lecture, reading, or control. Participants in the interteaching group performed significantly better on a short multiple-choice quiz than participants in the other groups. Our results suggest that interteaching may be an effective alternative to other methods of classroom instruction.

Student use of introductory texts: Comparative survey findings from two universities.

We surveyed introductory psychology students at 2 universities regarding their purchase and use of introductory level college texts. Most students who purchased texts used them infrequently, perceived that studying class notes and attending lectures were more important than reading the text for receiving a good grade, and spent less than 3 hr per week reading their texts. We recommend that college instructors establish specific, predictable contingencies to increase the likelihood that students will purchase and read the assigned texts in their introductory classes.

Internet AddIctIon And delAy dIscountIng In college students

To examine the relation between Internet addiction and delay discounting, we gave 276 college students a survey designed to measure Internet addiction and a paper-based delay-discounting task. In edour larger sample, we identified 14 students who met the criteria for Internet addiction; we also identified 14 matched controls who were similar to the Internet-addicted students in terms of gender, age, and grade point average. We then compared the extent to which these groups discounted delayed rewards. We found that Internet addicts discounted delayed rewards faster than non-Internet addicts. These results suggest that Internet addicts may be more impulsive than non-Internet addicts and that Internet addiction may share behavioral characteristics with other types of addiction.

Interteaching: Bringing Behavioral Education into the 21st Century.

In recent years, educators have lamented the current state of the American education system, citing a number of possible reasons for its purported downfall. One potential contributor to this negative state of affairs is the continued use of ineffective teaching methods. Interteaching, a new teaching method that has its roots in behavior analysis, offers an effective and user-friendly alternative to traditional approaches to classroom instruction. In this article, we describe interteaching. We also discuss a number of studies that have examined the efficacy of interteaching relative to more common teaching methods. Finally, we provide recommendations for researchers wishing to study this promising behavior-analytic teaching method.

Interteaching and the Testing Effect: A Systematic Replication

A growing body of research has shown that taking tests can result in enhanced learning, a phenomenon known as the testing effect. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the addition of postdiscussion quizzes to interteaching, a new behavior-analytic teaching method, produced a similar effect. Students in two sections of an undergraduate psychology of learning course participated in interteaching sessions and took postdiscussion quizzes prior to some of their exams. The authors found that students who took the quizzes had exam scores that were not significantly different from the exam scores of students who did not take the quizzes. These results provide additional evidence that including postdiscussion quizzes in interteaching may not produce a testing effect. This may be because interteaching already contains components that enhance student learning.

Syllabus Detail and Students' Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness

Although syllabi provide students with important course information, they can also affect perceptions of teaching effectiveness. To test this idea, we distributed 2 versions of a hypothetical course syllabus, a brief version and a detailed version, and asked students to rate the teacher of the course on qualities associated with master teaching. Students in the detailed syllabus group rated the teacher as possessing more of these qualities; they were also more likely to report that they would recommend the course to others and take another course from the teacher. Thus, in addition to serving a communicative function, a detailed syllabus might signal to students that their teacher is competent and wants them to do well.

Interteaching and the Testing Effect: A Preliminary Analysis

In a number of studies, interteaching has produced better student-learning outcomes than traditional teaching methods. Little research, however, has examined ways to make interteaching more effective. Research on the testing effect suggests that frequent testing may improve performance. Thus, including postdiscussion quizzes as a part of interteaching might enhance its efficacy. In this study, college students completed an interteaching session in a simulated classroom setting. Some students completed a postdiscussion quiz, whereas others completed anagrams. All students returned 1 week later to take another quiz over the material they had discussed the previous week. Students who completed postdiscussion quizzes had significantly lower quiz scores than students who completed anagrams. Thus, postdiscussion quizzes may not enhance the efficacy of interteaching.

Interteaching and Lecture: A Comparison of Long-Term Recognition Memory.

Although a number of studies suggest that interteaching is an effective alternative to traditional teaching methods, no studies have systematically examined whether interteaching improves long-term memory. In this study, we assigned students to different teaching conditions—interteaching, lecture, or control—and then gave them a multiple-choice quiz immediately after exposure to the material and again after 1 week and 1 month. We found that students in the interteaching condition had significantly higher quiz scores than students in the lecture and control conditions after every session. Although additional research is necessary to determine whether our findings generalize to classroom settings and to different testing formats, these results suggest that interteaching may enhance long-term recognition memory better than lecture-based teaching methods.

Year in College and Sorority Membership in Predicting Self-Esteem of a Sample of College Women:

The empirical base for judging whether fraternity membership may be associated with higher self-esteem of college women as well as men is not strong and does not extend beyond the freshman year. This study was done to examine the relations among year in college, sorority membership, and self-esteem. Senior women reported highest scores on self-esteem. Members of sororities did not have a higher mean self-esteem than those who were not. No significant interaction between year in college and sorority membership was noted.

Reminiscences, Reasons, and Recommendations: An Interview With Charles L. Brewer

Bryan K. Saville is a doctoral student in psychology at Auburn University. He has taught statistics for the social and behavioral sciences, social psychology, introductory psychology, individual and society, and principles of behavior. His primary research interests are in the teaching of psychology, experimental social psychology, and sport psychology. In addition to coauthoring several journal articles, he recently coauthored a book chapter on the elements of master teaching. Charles L. Brewer has taught at The College of Wooster and Elmira College and is now the Kenan Professor of Psychology at Furman University. He teaches general psychology, experimental and statistical methods, learning, and history and systems. After editing Teaching of Psychology for 12 years, he was named Editor Emeritus in 1996. He has coedited several handbooks for teachers of introductory psychology, statistics, and research methods. His numerous articles and book chapters cover a wide range of topics, including the life and work of John B. Watson. His work has received numerous accolades, including the American Psychological Foundations Distinguished Teaching Award in 1989.