Look who's talking: A comparison of lecture and group discussion teaching strategies in developing critical thinking skills

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Abstract
This study compares the effectiveness of traditional lecture methods of instruction to group discussion methods of instruction in developing critical thinking skills. The participants in this study were 118 students enrolled in introductory interpersonal communication classes. No significant difference was found between the two instructional methods in developing critical thinking skills. However, significant gains were found from the pretest to the posttest for both instructional strategies. Specifically, the lecture method of instruction produced significant learning with regard to total score, low‐level thinking items, and high‐level thinking items. Group discussion, however, produced significantly more learning with regard to higher‐level items. These findings indicate that face‐to‐face instructional methods make a significant difference in student learning.