3.1.1

Learning by Self-Testing

Study on Seneca

Complete the interactive activities in the Seneca app to work towards your CPD certificate.

Why is Self-Testing Effective?

One of the most famous studies about the efficiency of self-testing was done by Roediger & Karpicke (2006).

Methods

Methods

  • Students were divided into 3 groups.
    • Group 1 studied the material four times before testing.
    • Group 2 studied the materials three times and self-tested once during the learning process.
    • Group 3 studied the original material just once, and used self-testing as a method for learning three more times before taking the final test.
Results

Results

  • The results showed much stronger performance from Group 3.
  • This means that the group who had studied the material once and used retrieval as a learning strategy performed much better than the other two groups.
  • This helped to provide further evidence for a phenomenon known as ‘the testing effect’,
Conclusion

Conclusion

  • Self-testing and indeed low-stakes quizzing can have significant impact not only on the memory but also on the learning process itself.
Even more effective...

Even more effective...

  • When coupled with things such as distributed or spaced practice, testing and self-testing have the potential to further enhance the impact of learning.
  • Encouraging self-testing over a period of time and returning to previously learned information can be a powerful tool in ensuring that knowledge is embedded into our students’ long-term memories.
Jump to other topics
1

Introduction

1.1

From Teaching to Learning

1.1.1Context in the Education Landscape 11.1.2Context in the Education Landscape 2
2

Summarising

2.1

Learning by Summarising

2.1.1What is a Summary?2.1.2Learn by Summarising2.1.3Summarisation at Work2.1.4Case Study: Adam Riches
3

Self-Testing

3.1

Learning by Self-Testing

3.1.1Learning by Self-Testing3.1.2Case Study: Emma Smith
4

Self-Explaining

4.1

Learning by Self-Explaining

4.1.1Learning by Self-Explaining4.1.2Case Study: Ceridwen Eccles

Practice questions on Learning by Self-Testing

Can you answer these? Complete these activities in the Seneca app to progress towards your certificate.

  1. 1
    Select the correct statements about summarisation and self-testing.True / false
  2. 2
    Which group had the best performance in Roediger & Karpicke's study (2006)?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    How can we deal with students' misconceptions while they self-test?Multiple choice
Answer all questions on Learning by Self-Testing

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Case Study: Adam Riches

Case Study: Emma Smith