The benefits of testing for learning on later performance

Meghan M McConnell1, Christina St-Onge, Meredith E Young

  • 1Program for Educational Research and Development, Faculty of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, MDCL 3510, Hamilton, ON, Canada, mcconn@mcmaster.ca.

Summary

Educational activities like short-answer questions (SAQs) and context-rich multiple-choice questions (MCQs) significantly improve learning retention compared to studying alone or context-free MCQs. This test-enhanced learning (TEL) benefit was most pronounced for verbatim questions on a mock medical licensure exam.

Related Concept Videos

Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation01:20

Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation

Evaluation of the teaching process enables the nurse to determine if the patient's learning needs were met and if training was effective. If the expected outcomes are not met, the care plan is revised, and additional education or reinforcement is provided. Nurses can ask questions after the session or obtain feedback to assess the patient's understanding of the topic.
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...
2.4K
Hindsight Biases01:12

Hindsight Biases

Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now? 
3.5K
Purposive Learning01:22

Purposive Learning

E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...
692
Metacognition01:26

Metacognition

Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
1.1K
Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback01:24

Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback

Self-esteem is intricately tied to our perception of competence and our ability to exert control over our lives. One of the primary sources of this perception is performance feedback — the ongoing evaluation of our actions in terms of success and failure. According to Franks and Marolla (1976), people derive self-worth from experiencing themselves as causal agents, capable of achieving goals and overcoming obstacles. This process nurtures a critical component of self-esteem:...
230
Behaviorism01:28

Behaviorism

The field of behaviorism was pioneered by figures such as Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson, and B.F. Skinner fundamentally shifted the focus of psychology to the observable and controllable aspects of human and animal behavior. This shift marked a critical evolution in the discipline, emphasizing scientific rigor and experimental methodology.
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
7.6K