The Differential Effects of Interactive versus Didactic Pedagogy Using Computer-Assisted Instruction

This article reports on the results of a representative sample meta-analysis that explored the effects of interactive versus didactic pedagogy using computer-assisted instruction on measures of academic achievement. A systematic literature search revealed 40 studies, from which 55 effect sizes were extracted. The random effects model of analysis of these effect sizes revealed that the overall positive mean effect size of 0.175 was significantly different from zero; indicating that, on average, students receiving computer-assisted instruction within interactive learning settings outperformed students receiving computer-assisted instruction within didactic learning settings on measures of academic achievement. The mixed effect analysis of moderator variables revealed statistical significance for the “education level” (i.e., elementary, secondary, higher education), “nature of technology” (i.e., interactive, presentation), and “technology saturation” (i.e., 100%, 50–99%, less than 50%) variables. The theoretical and practical implications of these results, as well as future research recommendations are discussed.