The benefits of teaching on comprehension, motivation, and perceived difficulty: Empirical evidence of teaching expectancy and the interactivity of teaching

BACKGROUND: Research regarding teaching expectancy has been mostly conducted in research laboratories with college students. These studies provide insufficient evidence regarding its effect on learners' delayed comprehension. Moreover, the relative superiority of teaching a peer face to face compared to teaching an imagined peer lacks empirical support. AIMS: The purpose of the study was to investigate the interactivity of teaching by comparing peer teaching to imagined teaching, as well as enhancing the generalizability of the teaching expectancy effect by testing it in a secondary school environment. SAMPLE: A total of 597 students (282 males) from 12 classes in a secondary school were recruited to participate in the study as part of their psychology course. METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to one of six conditions formed by a 2 (teaching expectancy vs. testing expectancy) × 3 (peer teaching vs. imagined teaching vs. no teaching) between-subjects design. Their immediate and delayed comprehension tests, motivation, and perceived difficulty were measured as dependent variables. RESULTS: Imagined teaching enhanced both immediate and delayed comprehension, but peer teaching only enhanced immediate comprehension. Moreover, the effects of imagined teaching on perceived difficulty and motivation were dependent upon teaching expectancy or testing expectancy. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide empirical evidence to the existing theoretical frameworks, but caution should be taken when applying imagined teaching in practice.