A COMPARISON OF ACTIVE AND PASSIVE LEARNING: IS THERE A RIGHT METHOD?

An assessment of active and passive learning for science subjects at the 8th grade level has established a difference in the success of these methods. This study revealed that active learning methods of instruction served as a more effective platform for the retention of concepts, ideas, and facts than the passive learning methods. Students from an 8th grade Earth Science classroom performed pre- and post-test evaluations which provided gain scores. Using the same content, students instructed in the active learning environment (group work, reading, writing, problem solving, student focused) showed a noticeable difference in understanding in comparison to students learning in a passive environment (standard lecture, teacher focused). The results of this study suggest that, with the application of active learning methods, the classroom can transform into a successful alternative to traditional teaching methods.