Testing-effect also positively affects deeper learning (research)

I found this new research paper via one of the authors @P_A_kirschner. Testing is something that has become a bit of an item because of standardized tests, still people do learn from being tested. Even more, while re-reading is preferred by many students, this effect is known as the testing effect. Retrieval by means of testing increases long-term (generally 1 week) retention more as compared to restudying, constructing a concept map, or rereading notes.

Check also this report from last year on study methods.

This new study examines the testing-effect on more specific deep learning and while the study does have its limitations, there are some clear insights:

The results of the present study suggest that teachers should rely more on tests to support learning, instead of only using tests to assess learning. The advantage of real-classroom practice is that there is more time to integrate testing into the curriculum (as compared to the limited learning-time available in this experiment). Teachers could, for example, use daily tests at the end of the course hour (i.e., quizzing), use it in online courses, or support students to use self-tests during learning. This could heavily enhance learning. Research (for facts, definitions, and concepts), has namely shown that frequent testing, more variation in test questions/problems, and more time for schema construction bolsters the testing effect—even without taking too much time away from classroom instruction.

Thus, although most teachers and students perceive testing as an assessment tool and restudy as the primary learning strategy, this study shows that testing is a much more effective study strategy, not only for the retention of facts, but also for application of principles and procedures.

Abstract of the study:

The authors explored whether a testing effect occurs not only for retention of facts but also for application of principles and procedures. For that purpose, 38 high school students either repeatedly studied a text on probability calculations or studied the text, took a test on the content, restudied the text, and finally took the test a second time. Results show that testing not only leads to better retention of facts than restudying, but also to better application of acquired knowledge (i.e., principles and procedures) in high school statistics. In other words, testing seems not only to benefit fact retention, but also positively affects deeper learning.

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