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Research papers on Active recall vs. re-reading

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  1. Practicing Retrieval Facilitates Learning

    Kathleen B. McDermott · 2020 · Annual Review of Psychology · 112 citations

    How do we go about learning new information? This article reviews the importance of practicing retrieval of newly experienced information if one wants to be able to retrieve it again in the future. Specifically, practicing retrieval shortly after learning can slow the forgetting process. This benefit can be seen across various material types, and it seems prevalent in all ages and learner abilities and on all types of test. It can also be used to enhance student learning in a classroom setting. I review theoretical understanding of this phenomenon (sometimes referred to as the testing effect or as retrieval-based learning) and consider directions for future research.

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  2. Retrieval Practice in Classroom Settings: A Review of Applied Research

    Bruna Fernanda Tolentino Moreira, Tatiana Salazar Silva Pinto, Daniela Siqueira Veloso Starling, et al. · 2019 · Frontiers in Education · 76 citations

    Tests have been vastly used for the assessment of learning in educational contexts. Recently, however, a growing body of research have shown that the practice of remembering previously studied information (i.e., retrieval practice) is more advantageous for long-term retention than restudying that same information; a phenomenon often termed “testing effect”. The question remains, however, whether such practice can be useful to improve learning in actual educational contexts, and whether in these contexts specific types of tests are particularly beneficial. We address these issues by reviewing studies that investigated the use of retrieval practice as a learning strategy in actual educational

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  6. The Optimal Learning Strategy Depends on Learning Goals and Processes: Retrieval Practice Versus Worked Examples

    Darren J. Yeo, Lisa K. Fazio · 2019 · Journal of Educational Psychology · 48 citations

    Testing (having students recall material) and worked examples (having students study a completed problem) are both recommended as effective methods for improving learning. The two strategies rely on different underlying cognitive processes and thus may strengthen different types of learning in different ways. Across three experiments, we examine the efficacy of retrieval practice and worked examples for different learning goals and identify the factors that determine when each strategy is more effective. The optimal learning strategy depends on both the kind of knowledge being learned (stable facts vs. flexible procedures) and the learning processes involved (schema induction vs. memory and

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  8. Comparison of Rewatching Class Recordings versus Retrieval Practice as Post-Lecture Learning Strategies

    Shannon Palmer, Youn Chu, Adam M. Persky · 2019 · American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education · 37 citations

    Objective. To assess the relative effectiveness of two study strategies, rewatching a recorded lecture and retrieval practice, on Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students’ long-term retention of lecture material presented in a pharmacotherapeutics class. Methods. One hundred two first-year pharmacy students were recruited for the study. All students attended two in-class lectures on different topics. The following week, students either re-studied from the recorded lecture on one of the two topics or, on the other topic, retrieved information about class content by responding to the course objectives. Half of the students were quizzed immediately after studying both topics. One week later, all st

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  9. Happy Together? On the Relationship Between Research on Retrieval Practice and Generative Learning Using the Case of Follow-Up Learning Tasks

    Julian Roelle, Tino Endres, Roman Abel, et al. · 2023 · Educational Psychology Review · 33 citations

    Abstract Generative learning activities are assumed to support the construction of coherent mental representations of to-be-learned content, whereas retrieval practice is assumed to support the consolidation of mental representations in memory. Considering such functions that complement each other in learning, research on how generative learning and retrieval practice intersect appears to be very fruitful. Nevertheless, the relationship between these two fields of research is “expandable”—research on generative learning and retrieval practice has been pursued so far largely side by side without taking much note of each other. Against this background, the present article aims to give this rel

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  10. Effect of uniform versus expanding retrieval practice on the recall of physiology information

    John L. Dobson · 2012 · Advances in Physiology Education · 30 citations

    The purpose of this study was to compare the retention of selected physiology concepts throughout 30 days of two different uniform schedules of retrieval and two different expanding schedules of retrieval. Participants ( n = 250) first read and reread 30 immunology and reproductive physiology concepts and were then repeatedly assessed, without feedback, according to one of the following four randomly assigned schedules: 1) immediately after learning and again 9 and 19 days later [uniform ( days 1, 10, and 20)]; 2) 7, 14, and 21 days after learning [uniform ( days 8, 15, and 22)]; 3) immediately after learning and again 5 and 15 days later [expanding ( days 1, 6, and 16)]; and 4) 1, 6, and 16

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  11. The Effectiveness of Spaced Learning, Interleaving, and Retrieval Practice in Radiology Education: A Systematic Review

    Cole P. Thompson, Marion A. Hughes · 2023 · Journal of the American College of Radiology · 26 citations

    PURPOSE: Radiology is a highly complex field that requires mastery over an ever-expanding body of knowledge. Spaced learning, interleaving, and retrieval practice are evidence-based learning strategies that enhance long-term retention of information. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of these interventions in the setting of radiology education. METHODS: The authors searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, ERIC, and forward and backward citations for studies published between database inception and February 19, 2023. Eligibility criteria for included studies were randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials that investigated the impact of spaced, interleaved, or

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  12. The Use of Retrieval Practice in the Health Professions: A State-of-the-Art Review

    Michael J Serra, Althea N. Kaminske, Cynthia L. Nebel, et al. · 2025 · Behavioral Sciences · 10 citations

    Retrieval practice, or the active recall of information from memory, is a highly effective learning strategy that strengthens memory and comprehension. This effect is robust and strongly backed by research in cognitive psychology. The health professions—including medicine, nursing, and dentistry—have widely embraced retrieval practice as a learning and study tool, particularly for course exams and high-stakes licensing exams. This state-of-the-art review examines the historical development, current applications, and future directions for the use of retrieval practice in health professions education. While retrieval-based learning has long been used informally in these fields, its formal reco

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  13. Retrieval-based learning versus discussion; which review practice will better enhance primary school students’ knowledge of scientific content?

    Anna Jakobsson, Jenny Loberg, Maria Kjörk · 2023 · International Journal of Science Education · 7 citations

    ABSTRACT Retrieval-based learning, using tests for content review, frequently proves more effective for knowledge retention compared to alternative methods. Extensive research has explored this with older students, often in contrast to more passive techniques like rereading or note rewriting, typically focusing on vocabulary content, in non-classroom settings and assessing knowledge retention within a week. In this study we conducted a classroom experiment to compare the efficacy of retrieval-based learning to another active method of reviewing content, namely discussion, in promoting long-term knowledge retention among primary school science students. Additionally, we assessed the students’

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  14. The Moderating Role of Learning Rounds: Effects on Retrieval Practice and Context Dependence in Digital Flashcard Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

    Shan Huang, Hongwen Cao, Jiayin Wang, et al. · 2025 · Behavioral Sciences · 7 citations

    Digital flashcards are widely used in foreign language vocabulary learning. Research attributes their effectiveness to retrieval practice, where learners actively recall target information, thereby enhancing learning performance. The superiority of retrieval practice over non-retrieval methods such as restudying is referred to as the retrieval practice effect (RPE). Despite extensive research on the RPE, two key questions remain underexplored: how the number of learning rounds modulates the RPE in digital flashcard learning and whether the benefits of retrieval practice are consistently observed across different test modalities, a factor related to the context-dependence of memory. To addres

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  15. Virtual language learning: potential and practice

    Uschi Felix · 1998 · ReCALL · 7 citations

    How realistic is it to achieve good quality language learning and teaching using technology? This paper looks at the advantages and disadvantages of using CD-ROMs and Web-based materials in the quest for providing meaningful interactive language learning strategies to students. It will demonstrate that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, at least in terms of pedagogy, and that there is no need to reject technology despite difficulties and frustrations because the latest developments in technology, especially on the WWW, have significantly increased the potential for even more authentic interaction in the classroom. Illustrations from our Vietnamese course are included.

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  17. The battle of question formats: a comparative study of retrieval practice using very short answer questions and multiple choice questions

    E. V. van Wijk, M. de Jonge, F. V. van Blankenstein, et al. · 2024 · BMC Medical Education · 5 citations

    Retrieval practice is a highly effective learning strategy that enhances long-term retention by encouraging the active recall of information. However, the optimal question format for maximizing knowledge retention remains uncertain. In this study, we compared the effect of very short answer (VSAQ) versus multiple-choice question (MCQ) practice tests on students’ knowledge retention. By analyzing these two formats, we aim to identify the most effective approach to retrieval practice, thereby helping to optimize its implementation and improve learning outcomes. In this randomized within-subjects study, students (n = 45) practiced with both VSAQs and MCQs in an extracurricular lifestyle course,

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  19. Effects of Cued-Recall Versus Recognition Retrieval Practice on Beginning College Students’ Exam Performance

    T. Lawson · 2021 · College Teaching · 3 citations

    Abstract Cognitive psychologists have found that taking practice tests improves students’ learning, and some claim that tests that require recall are more effective than those that require recognition. This study examined whether recognition (i.e., multiple-choice) quizzes were as effective as cued-recall (i.e., fill-in-the-blank) quizzes for improving introductory psychology students’ exam performance. Chapters covered on each of four exams were assigned to either a no-quiz, fill-in-the-blank-quiz, or multiple-choice-quiz condition, and I evaluated students’ average exam performance on questions related to each quiz condition. Both the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank quizzes improved

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  21. Spaced Repetition and Retrieval Practice: Efficient Learning Mechanisms from a Cognitive Psychology Perspective and Their Empowerment by AI

    Mengqi Huang · 2025 · International Journal of Asian Social Science Research · 2 citations

    This paper explores two efficient learning strategies-spaced repetition and retrieval practice-from the perspective of cognitive psychology, and examines their integration with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. It first establishes the theoretical foundation by elaborating on the human memory processes (encoding, storage, retrieval), Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, the spacing effect, and the retrieval practice effect, clarifying how these strategies align with the brain’s memory mechanisms. The paper then analyzes the scientific principles of spaced repetition, including its reliance on memory consolidation theory and desirable difficulty theory, as well as the evolution of interval a

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  22. Retrieval Practice and Word Learning During Narrative Intervention in Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: A Case Study

    B. de Diego-Lázaro · 2025 · Communication Disorders Quarterly · 2 citations

    Retrieval practice involves actively recalling information from memory and has been found to be an effective strategy for word learning. This U.S. case study aimed to describe the effect of retrieval practice on word learning in four children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Children received eight language intervention sessions in 4 weeks. Target words were presented in the context of a narrative under three different conditions: no retrieval, immediate retrieval, or spaced retrieval. Under the no-retrieval condition, children received exposure to new words, but they were not asked to recall them. Under the immediate-retrieval condition, children were required to recall words immediat

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  23. Retrieval practice enhances learning in real primary school settings, whether distributed or not

    Laura Franzoi, Veronica Cembrani, Claudio Mulatti, et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Psychology · 2 citations

    With the aim of bridging the gap between laboratory studies and real-world learning experiences, this research investigated the effects of combining retrieval and distributed practice in primary school settings. Retrieval and distributed practice were implemented through a testing procedure that provided accuracy feedback on students' retrieval attempts until they achieved 100% correct answers, and a spacing procedure that lengthened the interval between the initial reading of the study topic (complex school-like materials, i.e., history texts) and the subsequent study session, respectively. In line with existing literature, our findings support the advantage of the testing procedure over th

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  24. Free-recall retrieval practice tasks for students with ADHD: whole-text versus section recall

    Pnina Stern, Vered Halamish · 2023 · Frontiers in Psychology · 1 citations

    Introduction The present study examined the relative effectiveness of two free-recall-based retrieval practice methods for text learning among students with ADHD. Method Participants with and without ADHD read texts and practiced them by freely recalling the information either after reading each section or after reading the whole text. Two days later, participants completed a free-recall criterion test on the texts. Results The results suggested that although more idea units were recalled during practice in the section recall condition than in the whole-text recall condition, the whole-text recall condition outperformed the section recall condition on the criterion test in terms of the propo

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