Interteaching: the effects of quality points on exam scores.
Interteaching works for undergrad learning, but tacking on quality points is wasted effort.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The researchers ran an alternating-treatments design in an undergraduate course.
Some prep sheets earned extra-credit “quality points,” others did not.
They then tracked exam scores to see if the points lifted performance.
What they found
Adding quality points did not change test scores.
Students scored the same whether or not their prep work earned bonus credit.
How this fits with other research
Shaw et al. (2024) later moved interteaching online and still saw quiz gains, showing the method works even when quality points are absent.
Rehfeldt et al. (2010) used a point contingency for homework return and also found zero exam boost, matching the null result here.
The pattern is clear: college points can shape behavior like turning work in, but they rarely touch actual test performance.
Why it matters
Stop spending time grading and tracking extra-credit quality points.
Keep the interteaching discussions; drop the bonus tally.
You free up minutes for better feedback without hurting scores.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although previous studies have found interteaching to be an effective alternative to traditional methods of instruction, few studies have examined which of its components contribute to its effectiveness. In the current study, we examined whether manipulating quality points had an effect on our students' exam scores. In two sections of an undergraduate general psychology course, we used interteaching but alternated between quality points and no quality points several times throughout the semester; we also counterbalanced the order of presentation across sections. We found that quality points did not have an effect on exam scores.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2009 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2009.42-369