I came across this study through Larry Ferlazzo’s blog, and it’s too interesting not to share. Jakob Schwerter and colleagues, writing in Learning and Individual Differences, examined what happens when university students are allowed to take practice tests in a real course. This was done rather than a laboratory setting. The title says it all: “Differential use and effectiveness of practice testing: Who benefits and who engages?”

The power of retrieval practice

We’ve known for a while that strategies like spaced repetition and retrieval practice are among the most effective ways to learn. Actively recalling what you’ve learned helps you retain it far better than rereading or highlighting. Yet, time and again, it turns out that the students who would benefit most from these strategies are the ones who use them the least.

What the researchers found

That’s precisely what this study confirms. Schwerter and his team followed more than three hundred students in an introductory university math course. Students could voluntarily complete online practice quizzes (with feedback). The researchers compared their quiz behaviour with their final exam results.

The findings are both familiar and sobering: students with higher prior knowledge and motivation were more likely to use the practice quizzes. They also performed better on the exam. Those who started out weaker were less likely to use them. They needed many more attempts to see similar benefits. Interestingly, it wasn’t just the quiz scores that mattered. It was especially how often students actually practised. Each additional attempt was linked to a higher likelihood of passing the exam.

Correlation, not causation, part 431

It’s important to note that these are correlations, not causal effects. Students who practised more also performed better. However, that could simply mean that better-prepared or more motivated students tended to use the quizzes more often. Still, the pattern is revealing. It shows how strongly motivation, prior knowledge, and learning strategies interact in authentic educational settings.

The authors therefore suggest combining practice testing with motivational supports, such as feedback, choice autonomy, or small rewards. You can clearly see the influence of self-determination theory here. This involves helping students not only know which strategies work, but also use them in practice.

It’s a good reminder that effective learning strategies only work if students are actually supported to use them.