instruction in schools
2013
, Project 1A – Part 1: To Cram or Not To Cram
1. Waarom is massed learning op korte termijn effectiever voor het onthouden van de tekst & distributed
learning op lange termijn?
2. Zijn er meer studies die dit effect hebben gevonden (verschillen & overeenkomsten)?
generaliseerbaarheid
Rawson & Kintsch (2005) – Rereading Effects Depend on Time of Test
Previous research has shown better text learning after rereading versus 1 reading of a text. However,
rereading effects have only been explored using immediate tests, whereas most students face delays
between study & test. In 2 experiments, 423 college students read a text once, twice in massed fashion, or twice
with 1 week between trials. Students were tested either immediately or 2 days after study. On an immediate test,
performance was greater after massed vs. single reading, whereas performance for distributed rereading was
not significantly greater than after single reading. On a delayed test, performance was greater after distributed
vs. single reading, whereas performance for massed rereading & single reading no longer differed significantly.
- Benefit of common rereading study strategy well established with different types of texts, readers & tests
- Issues with previous research:
1) mostly used immediate testing delayed/longer-term effects of rereading?
- Study by Dyer et al.: single & rereading condition, immediate & 1-week-delay test
rereading better on both tests (influence of retrieval practice through immediate test?)
2) mostly used massed rereading effect of distributed rereading (compared to massed)?
- Study by Glover & Corkill: distributed (30min delay) > massed
- Study by Krug et al.: distributed rereading (1 week delay) > single & massed
- Meta-analysis by Donovan & Radosevich suggests that distributed rereading benefits are
weaker, less reliable, & may even reverse as complexity of cognitive task increases
Goals: > examine rereading effects with delayed testing in addition to immediate testing
> further investigate the effects of distributed reading.
Experiment 1
Aim: Investigate to what extent rereading is superior to single reading in distributed condition
& to check reliability & generality of previous results concerning distributed rereading (use
of lengthier text & both memory + comprehension tests)
Method: 3 reading conditions: single, massed & distributed (1-week delay). Half of 235 undergrad
participants were tested immediately after trial completion & half with a 2-day delay.
Test used a free recall measure & text comprehension questions.
Results:
Recall Performance