Self-reported spaced study: Associations with college students' grades and self-regulation

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Learning Sciences

Background:

• Spaced study, distributing learning over time, enhances long-term retention compared to massed study (the spacing effect).
• Previous self-report surveys on student study habits show weak correlations with academic outcomes.
• Existing measures may not adequately capture the core components of effective spaced study.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether existing self-report measures of spaced study accurately reflect its impact on academic performance.
• To develop and validate a novel survey item that better assesses the critical element of concept restudy in spaced learning.
• To examine the relationship between validated spaced study measures, academic performance, and self-regulation.

Main Methods:

• Two samples of college students (N=185, N=194) completed surveys immediately after each exam.
• Surveys included items assessing study session distribution, cramming, and concept restudy (a novel item).
• Statistical analyses examined the predictive validity of survey items on exam scores, controlling for total study time.

Main Results:

• Only the novel survey item, which specifically asked about restudying the same concepts, significantly predicted exam scores in both student samples.
• This item also predicted indicators of self-regulation, suggesting a link between self-regulation and effective spaced study.
• Traditional measures of spreading study sessions or avoiding cramming did not consistently predict academic performance.

Conclusions:

• Restudying the same concepts is a crucial, often overlooked, component of effective spaced study.
• Accurate measurement of spaced study requires assessing concept revisit, not just session distribution.
• Future research on self-reported learning strategies should incorporate measures that capture concept restudy for better prediction of academic success.