Research has shown that effective instruction improves student outcomes in diverse classrooms (States, Detrich, & Keyworth, 2019). One of the most powerful tactics of an effective instructor is the use of low- and/or high-tech tools that promote active student responding during instruction.

What is Active Student Responding (ASR)?

ASR is an evidence-based strategy that requires students to actively engage with the course content and produce an observable and measurable response to course requirements (Heward & Wood, 2015). In ASR, effective teachers ask questions or provide instructions requiring ALL students to respond by writing, saying, or showing their answers with the use of high- or low-tech tools. Instructor’s questions serve as learning opportunities for students to practice the course material covered in class by making a detectable response in unison. Consequently, student responses provide important feedback to the course instructor about each student’s academic proficiency and the necessary information for how and when to adjust instruction to maximize learning for all students.

One high-tech tool that has been incorporated into classroom instruction is Kahoot! (https://kahoot.com). Kahoot! is an online game-based learning platform that provides a range of fun activities (aka “kahoots”) that an instructor can use as formative assessment and promote ASR. Kahoot! learning games can be accessed via a web browser or via Kahoot! app. A recent systematic literature review of 93 studies examining the effects of Kahoot! use for learning in the classroom showed that Kahoot! positively affects student learning performance, classroom climate, student and teacher attitudes in class, and students’ anxiety (Wang & Tahir, 2020).

Using Kahoot! in an Undergraduate Course at the University of Nicosia

During the Fall 2023, I used the Kahoot! tool in the EDUS 407 course titled “Learning and Behavioral Problems in Schools” with 12 undergraduate students in the Pre-Primary and Primary Programmes of Study of the Department of Education. My goal was to provide formative assessment opportunities to Year 3 and 4 students to master demanding course content, which was part of their program’s specialization requirements of “Special and Intercultural Education.” To this end, at the end of each lecture, I shared with the students a set of multiple-choice questions (e.g., true/false, a-b-c-d) to practice course objectives (see Figure 1).

Students were asked to respond to each question within a specific time frame (e.g., 10s, 15s) using the Kahoot! app on their cell phone. When time ended, the correct response was revealed, and students received their individual scores on a scoreboard (see Figure 2).

Students could see their errors and ask clarification questions instantly before moving to the next question. This was particularly important for students with mild disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and/or with hyperactivity, etc), who usually present cognitive challenges (e.g., attention, short-term memory issues) in our classes. It was critical for them to receive immediate feedback on their learning and ensure they clearly understood the correct response.

Furthermore, student responses provided me with useful feedback about what course terms had challenged their learning and I ensured to incorporate them in my upcoming class for further practice. Interestingly, all students, including those with a documented disability, were actively engaged in class and enjoyed the game-based activities as they would view them as a short informal competition. It is noted that each kahoot! formative assessment exercise would last approximately 10 minutes and take place at the end of each class as a review activity. Kahoot! is an empirically-based instructional tool that promotes lots of ASR and inclusion of all students in our classes.

References

Heward, W. L. & Wood, C. L. (2015). Improving educational outcomes in America: Can a low-tech, generic teaching practice make a difference. The Wing Institute. Retrieved from https://www.winginstitute.org/uploads/docs/2013WingSummitWH.pdf

States, J., Detrich, R. & Keyworth, R. (2019). Active Student Responding (ASR) Overview. The Wing Institute. https://www.winginstitute.org/instructional-delivery-student-respond

Wang, A.I., & Tahir,R. (2020). The effect of using Kahoot! for learning – A literature review, Computers & Education, 149, 103818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103818