Early mornings and apprehension: active learning in lectures

It is often recommended that active learning strategies be adopted for use within formal lecture sessions. One of the simplest ways to promote active learning is through the use of question and answer practices, ie, encouraging students to ask, and respond to questions. However, this approach is often hindered by students’ unwillingness to become involved. This study surveyed students in order to examine the impact of class size and time of day on their willingness to participate in questioning process. Results indicated that class size and time of day did appear to negatively influence students’ readiness to interact in this manner.