Kahoot and the Classroom: Exploring Faculty Beliefs, Practices, and Active Learning

This study analyzed survey data from 48 higher education faculty members at a public university in the south-central United States to examine the relationship between Kahoot usage, active learning beliefs, and teaching practices. Grounded in Technology Acceptance Model and the scholarship of teaching and learning, the study used a modified version of the 2023 Teaching Practices Survey and items adapted from prior Kahoot research to explore differences in pedagogical beliefs, course structure, and student engagement strategies between Kahoot users and non-users. Independent samples t-tests and Pearson correlations assessed group differences and associations across 3 domains: teaching practices, course structure, and instructional beliefs. Kahoot users were significantly more likely to endorse active learning as effective (g .79), structure courses around group work (g .89), and discuss well-being topics in class (g= .68). Composite analyses revealed a significant difference in instructional beliefs between users and non-users (d = .71), but not in overall teaching practices or course structure. A moderate positive correlation was found between belief in active learning and Kahoot adoption (r = .42, p < .05). These findings suggest that technology adoption is more closely aligned with underlying pedagogical beliefs than with broad structural changes in course design, contributing to research on instructional technology and evidence-based teaching.