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Activating prior knowledge using multiple-choice question distractors.

Liza C Schimmelfing1, Adam M Persky1

  • 1Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

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|March 24, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Utilizing multiple-choice (MC) questions with correct answers as distractors can improve recall of previously learned material. This method is effective for reactivating inaccessible knowledge, aiding academic success in graduate students.

Keywords:
marginal knowledgemultiple-choice questiontesting

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Medical Education

Background:

  • Graduate and professional students often struggle with academic success due to forgetting material between prerequisite courses and new coursework.
  • This knowledge gap can lead to difficulties in accessing previously learned information when needed.
  • Prior knowledge is crucial for academic success in advanced studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effectiveness of multiple-choice (MC) question examinations in stabilizing or reactivating students' memories.
  • To determine if MC questions can improve recall of previously learned but inaccessible material.

Main Methods:

  • 156 first-year student-pharmacists completed a baseline physiology exam with fill-in-the-blank (FIB) and MC questions.
  • Experimental MC questions included correct answers as distractors for future FIB questions.
  • Control MC questions had distractors unrelated to future FIB questions.

Main Results:

  • Performance on target FIB questions improved by 29% when MC distractors contained the correct answer, versus 18% in the control group (P < .001).
  • When students initially could not recall the answer (FIB), the experimental condition showed a significant improvement (30% vs. 17%).

Conclusions:

  • MC questions incorporating correct answers as distractors can effectively reactivate dormant knowledge.
  • This strategy offers an inexpensive method to enhance memory retrieval for students, particularly for material rendered inaccessible by disuse.