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Cited by 2,682Innovative Teaching MethodsScience Education and PedagogyEducational Methods and Outcomes

Peer Instruction: Ten years of experience and results

Crouch, Catherine H., Mazur, Eric·2001·American Journal of Physics
DOI 10.1119/1.1374249
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Abstract

We report data from ten years of teaching with Peer Instruction (PI) in the calculus- and algebra-based introductory physics courses for nonmajors; our results indicate increased student mastery of both conceptual reasoning and quantitative problem solving upon implementing PI. We also discuss ways we have improved our implementation of PI since introducing it in 1991. Most notably, we have replaced in-class reading quizzes with pre-class written responses to the reading, introduced a research-based mechanics textbook for portions of the course, and incorporated cooperative learning into the discussion sections as well as the lectures. These improvements are intended to help students learn more from pre-class reading and to increase student engagement in the discussion sections, and are accompanied by further increases in student understanding.

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Crossref · 10.1119/1.1374249

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  • Active learning pedagogies have demonstrated significant improvements over passive lectures.

    “Active learning pedagogies,4 such as peer instruction, small-group activities, or a flipped classroom structure, have demonstrated significant improvements over passive lectures9–14.”

    From AI tutoring outperforms in-class active learning: an RCT introducing a novel research-based design in an authentic educational setting (2025) · cites this paper as [10]

  • Research-based educational strategies that promote engagement and collaboration among peers substantially enhance both learning outcomes and student attitudes.

    “It is now widely recognized that research-based educational strategies that promote engagement and collaboration among peers substantially enhance both learning outcomes and student attitudes (Crouch & Mazur, 2001;Deslauriers et al., 2011Deslauriers et al., , 2019;;Freeman et al., 2014;Smith et al., 2009;Theobald et al., 2020).”

    From Active learning through flexible collaborative exams: Improving assessments across disciplines (2026) · cites this paper as Crouch & Mazur, 2001

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Authors
Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
ORCID
Crouch, Catherine H.
Venue
American Journal of Physics
Publisher
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)
Published
2001-09-01
Volume
69
Issue
9
Pages
970-977
ISSN
  • 0002-9505 (ISSN-L)
  • 1943-2909
DOI
10.1119/1.1374249
OpenAlex
W2158534319
Cited by
2,682
References
3
Citations by year
2026: 70 · 2025: 94 · 2024: 110 · 2023: 127 · 2022: 128 · 2021: 175 · 2020: 241 · 2019: 235 · 2018: 183 · 2017: 162 · 2016: 160 · 2015: 175 · 2014: 153 · 2013: 150 · 2012: 102
FWCI
98.58
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
American Journal of Physics (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Innovative Teaching Methods
  • Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Education › Educational Methods and Outcomes
Keywords
peer instruction, introductory physics education, non-majors, conceptual reasoning, quantitative problem solving, pre-class reading, written responses, cooperative learning, discussion section, student engagement, student mastery

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