Effect of think-pair-share in a large CS1 class

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is a classroom-based active learning strategy, in which students work on a problem posed by the instructor, first individually, then in pairs, and finally as a class-wide discussion. TPS has been recommended for its benefits of allowing students to express their reasoning, reflect on their thinking, and obtain immediate feedback on their understanding. While TPS is intended to promote student engagement, there is a need for research based evidence on the nature of this engagement. In this study, we investigate the quantity and quality of student engagement in a large CS1 class during the implementation of TPS activities. We did classroom observations of students over a period of ten weeks and thirteen TPS activities. We determined patterns of student engagement in the three phases using a real-time classroom observation protocol that we developed and validated. We found that 83% of students on average were fully or mostly engaged. Predominant behaviors displayed were writing the solution to the problem (Think), discussing with neighbor or writing (Pair), and following class discussion (Share). We triangulated results with survey data of student perceptions. We find that students report being highly engaged for 62% during Think phase and 70% during Pair phase.