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Using a volitional help sheet to increase university students' attendance at on-campus lectures: A randomized
Mark A Elliott1, Allan McGroarty1, David J Robertson1
1Department of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|August 1, 2025
Summary
A volitional help sheet (VHS) effectively increased university students' on-campus lecture attendance. Memory techniques did not enhance VHS efficacy, and its success did not depend on students' memory ability.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Educational Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Volitional help sheets (VHS) promote implementation intentions and have increased online lecture attendance.
- Previous research has not evaluated VHS efficacy for on-campus lectures or the impact of memory enhancement.
- Memory models suggest rehearsal boosts intention efficacy, which may depend on memory ability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if VHS increases on-campus lecture attendance.
- To assess if memory rehearsal techniques enhance VHS effectiveness.
- To investigate if memory ability moderates VHS impact on attendance.
Main Methods:
- 252 psychology undergraduates completed online measures of lecture attendance intention and memory.
- Participants were randomized to: VHS only, VHS plus encoding facilitation, or a control group.
- Lecture attendance was tracked over an 11-week semester.
Main Results:
- Both VHS groups showed significantly higher lecture attendance than the control group.
- No significant difference in attendance was found between VHS-only and VHS plus encoding facilitation.
- Memory ability did not moderate the effect of VHS on lecture attendance.
Conclusions:
- VHS is an effective intervention for increasing on-campus university lecture attendance.
- Encoding facilitation did not boost VHS efficacy, nor was efficacy dependent on memory ability.
- VHS interventions are practical for improving student attendance; further research should explore memory-impaired populations and alternative boosting strategies.
Keywords:
encoding facilitationimplementation intentionslecture attendancememoryvolitional help sheetMore Related Videos
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