Ending on a High Note: A Simple Technique for Encouraging Students to Practice Retrieval

Garrett Michael O'Day, Purdue University

Abstract

Extensive evidence supports the effectiveness of retrieval practice as a powerful method for promoting long-term learning. For students to obtain the maximum benefit from retrieval practice they need to incorporate the strategy into their study routines as a learning tool that is used early and often. Unfortunately, many students avoid retrieval practice and instead rely primarily on less effective learning strategies such as rereading, and existing interventions that encourage students to practice retrieval are rare. Given this troubling gap in the literature, this dissertation sought to create and experimentally evaluate a novel intervention that attempted to improve students’ evaluations of and increase their willingness to use retrieval practice.In two experiments, the Pilot Study and Experiment 1, students studied a list of LithuanianEnglish translations and completed two retrieval practice activities. The control retrieval practice activity prompted students to retrieve only difficult translations, whereas the high note retrieval practice activity prompted students to retrieve the same number of difficult translations but ended with additional trials that were normatively less difficult. Students preferred the high note retrieval practice activity over the shorter retrieval practice activity that had a more difficult ending, which suggests that existing retrieval practice activities can be improved by crafting endings that afford more opportunities for successful retrieval. Experiment 2 demonstrated that ending a retrieval practice activity on a high note could encourage students to choose retrieval practice over restudying for a subsequent learning activity. Experiment 3 replicated the findings from Experiment 2 and extended the results to a new type of material that is common in educational settings—general knowledge questions (i.e., fact learning). Finally, Experiment 4 investigated whether the preference for the high note retrieval practice activity found in the previous experiments was driven by the placement of the moderately difficult items at the end of the activity.Overall, this dissertation provides yet another demonstration that most students choose to avoid retrieval practice during learning. However, creating retrieval practice activities that had less difficult endings successfully improved students’ evaluations of and increased their willingness to use retrieval practice. These results have important implications for understanding and overcoming the barriers that prevent students from practicing retrieval.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Karpicke, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Cognitive psychology|Higher education|Instructional Design|Psychology|Translation studies

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