When Does Learning by Non-interactive Teaching Work? A Large-Scale Analysis of Learner Characteristics in a Classroom Setting

Non-interactive teaching, in which students explain previously learned content to a non-present peer, is a generative learning activity that has gained increasing attention in recent years. While meta-analyses indicate small-to-moderate benefits, findings have been inconsistent, suggesting that its effectiveness depends on contextual factors. Drawing on the aptitude-treatment interaction framework, this study examines how learner characteristics—specifically (meta-)cognitive, motivational, personality, and demographic prerequisites—moderate the effects of non-interactive teaching on immediate and lasting learning outcomes. By adopting a one-stage individual participant meta-analytic approach, we synthesized data from three analogous classroom experiments ( N = 1074) in secondary physics education. Results showed that non-interactive teaching resulted in higher immediate scientific knowledge and stronger under-confidence compared to restudy but did not enhance long-term retention. However, the effectiveness of non-interactive teaching varied by learner characteristics: Immediate monitoring accuracy depended on language proficiency. Long-term retention was moderated by students’ interest in physics, as low- and medium-interest students, but not high-interest students, demonstrated superior performance 8 weeks after the intervention. This effect was explained by increased mental effort allocation. These findings highlight the importance of demographic and motivational prerequisites in shaping the effectiveness of non-interactive teaching and contribute to refining aptitude-treatment interaction models in instructional research.