The Effects of Active and Passive Learning Methods
Jimin Lee
Affiliation: Branksome Hall Asia
IJSCAR Vol. 3, Issue 3 (2026) · pp. 36–40
DOI: 10.67149/yhjs2024.5/76v9axa9
Abstract
While active learning is widely recognized as the more instructional approach for improving student engagement and knowledge retention traditional passive learning methods remain prevalent in modern educational settings. The study examined the effects of active and passive training methods on immediate comprehension and application of new knowledge evaluating whether study duration influenced learning outcomes. Using a 2-by-2 factorial design participants were assigned to either active or passive training conditions and to a 10- or 20-minute time constraint prior to completing a post-test. The analysis of the post-test outcomes showed that those in active training conditions achieved significantly higher scores than those in passive training conditions with a statistically significant effect of the training method (p=0.007). In contrast study duration showed no significant effect on performance. These findings suggest the importance of learners’ active engagement with learning materials for immediate comprehension and application of new material supporting how active training methods play a critical role in educational environments.
Keywords: Active vs. Passive Training, Educational Research, Comprehension and Application, Study Duration