Exploratory Learning Improves Conceptual Knowledge and Can Eliminate Underrepresented Student Achievement Gaps in Physics

Exploratory learning introduces students to a novel problem before they receive instruction about the procedures and concepts. Active learning has sometimes been found to support underrepresented (UR) students in STEM. As a form of active learning, exploratory learning may also have this benefit for UR students. In this study, we looked at how exploratory learning can improve conceptual understanding and reduce the achievement gap between UR students and non-UR students in an undergraduate physics course. We randomly assigned students (N=185) into two groups: instruct first (n=89) or explore-first (n=96). In instruct-first, students listened to a lecture before completing a learning activity. In explore-first, students completed the learning activity prior to listening to the lecture. After this, the rest of the format was the same across conditions, and students completed an activity review, survey, and posttest. Students in the explore-first condition had higher conceptual knowledge scores than students in the instruct-first condition. Additionally, an achievement gap that was present in the instruct-first condition between underrepresented students and non-underrepresented students disappeared in the explore-first condition. This shows that all students, and especially UR students, learned the concepts better in the exploratory learning condition. By using exploratory learning as opposed to traditional formats, we were able to eliminate the achievement gap between UR and non-UR students. Future research can be conducted on the role professor’s biases and teaching styles play in this.