Exploring the Influence of Team-Based Learning on Self-Directed Learning and Team Dynamics in Large-Class General Education Courses

Traditional lecture-based teaching often struggles to foster student engagement, active participation, and deep learning in large-class general education courses. As class sizes grow, students may become passive learners, limiting their ability to develop essential skills such as self-directed learning and teamwork. Innovative instructional strategies are needed to address these challenges and create a more interactive, student-centered learning environment. Team-Based Learning (TBL) has emerged as a practical pedagogical approach that promotes collaboration, critical thinking, and student accountability. This study investigates the influence of TBL on Self-Directed Learning (SDL) and Team Dynamics (TD) through a quasi-experimental design. One class was classified as the experimental group (TBL), while the other was classified as the control group (traditional lecture-based teaching). Data were analyzed using independent-samples one-way ANCOVA and the Johnson–Neyman method to examine the impacts of TBL on SDL and TD. The results indicate that the experimental group adopting TBL outperformed the control group in both SDL and TD. The ANCOVA results revealed that TBL had a significant positive impact on the self-monitoring factor of SDL after controlling for pre-test scores. Furthermore, the Johnson–Neyman analysis demonstrated that the effect of TBL varied across different pre-test levels, suggesting that the influence of TBL on SDL and TD was more pronounced under certain conditions. Overall, this study supports the effectiveness of TBL as a pedagogical strategy in large-class general education courses, highlighting its potential to enhance students’ SDL and TD. These findings provide valuable insights for future teaching practices and curriculum design, emphasizing the need for more interactive, student-centered learning approaches in higher education.