Purpose - Peer instruction has been widely adopted as an instructional method in higher education. However, due to students' different preconceptions, the authors argued that peer instruction is not a panacea in international business education when students' prior knowledge extensively varies. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - In this experimental study, the authors focused on three conditions of an introductory statistics course: individual problem solving, peer instruction, and peer instruction with hints. Findings - The authors have found students in peer instruction with hints class did not only outperform in the final exam, but also achieved the highest frequency of successful conceptual changes in comparison with their counterparts in the other two classes. Practical implications - Providing instructional hints to improve the effectiveness of peer instruction may shed light on classroom instruction in higher education. Originality/value - As for international business education, this was a unique exploration to capture students' conceptual changes using clickers. The authors believed this research paper will help the education practitioners to know their business students better.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a form of structured peer guidance attached to a specific course, provided by an experienced and trained student to a group of students. Previous studies show a positive effect of SI on learning outcomes, some found effects on well-being, and sense of belonging. However, literature on SI lacks randomized controlled trials and does not fully address the risk of self-selection bias. The current study tested whether SI has an effect on grades, mental well-being, and sense of belonging with a pre-registered randomized field experiment and a sample of 493 Dutch first-year students. Students who were offered SI obtained significantly higher grades (d = 0.26) but did not score significantly different on mental well-being or belonging.
Supplemental instruction, also known as Peer Assisted Study Sessions (SI-PASS), is a well-established form of peer learning that has been implemented in higher education institutions across the globe and that coincides with learning gains for participants. While the effects on learning gains have been extensively studied with quasi-experiments, the underlying mechanisms that make SI-PASS effective are less well understood. This study explored what benefits students thought SI-PASS offered and through which mechanisms. We studied this by interviewing 14 students who participated in SI-PASS during a field experiment that reliably found a significant impact of SI-PASS on performance. The students were asked to expand on if and why they thought SI-PASS was effective. Thematic analysis and independent coding indicated an interplay of three main drivers. SI-PASS was experienced as effective because it stimulated the use of effective study techniques and social learning. These drivers were facilitated and enhanced by a pedagogical climate that lowered the threshold to engage in collaborative learning and effective study techniques. These findings could help pinpoint what elements should be highlighted during the preparation of SI-leaders and what aspects should be monitored and tested when implementing or studying SI-PASS.
