The effect of clickers on student assessment scores in a high school biology classroom

Abstract

Lectures are a great way to communicate a lot of material to a high school biology class, but that does not mean that the students actually participate and understand the material. In order to engage students and hopefully improve test scores, Qwizdom student response clickers were used during the first semester of the 2012-2013 school year in a high school biology classroom. The results from the chapter tests as well as the mid-term exam were compared to the results from the previous year's class, when clickers were not used. The clickers were shown to have a significant positive impact on assessment scores as well as student participation. Students and teachers felt that the clickers not only improved participation in class but also made the students focus more on the material.