Improving Students’ Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology

Improving Students’ Learning With Effective Learning Techniques: Promising Directions From Cognitive and Educational Psychology

In a study conducted by John Dunlosky, Katherine A. Rawson, Elizabeth J. Marsh, Mitchell J. Nathan, and Daniel T. Willingham in 2013, the researchers assessed the utility of various learning techniques in improving students' performance. The study found that practice testing and distributed practice were highly effective techniques that benefited learners of different ages and abilities.

On the other hand, five techniques received a low utility assessment: summarization, highlighting, the keyword mnemonic, imagery use for text learning, and rereading. Despite being commonly used by students, these techniques did not consistently boost performance. This suggests that educators should consider alternative techniques to enhance learning outcomes.

One possible reason for the disconnect between research on learning techniques and their implementation in educational practice is the overwhelming number of available techniques. Educators may find it challenging to navigate through the research and identify which techniques show promise and are feasible for students to adopt.

Moreover, student characteristics, such as working memory capacity, general fluid intelligence, and domain knowledge, can influence the effectiveness of learning techniques. Students with prior knowledge about a topic may find it easier to use self-explanation and elaborative interrogation, two techniques that involve answering "why" questions. Domain knowledge may also enhance the benefits of summarization and highlighting.

Elaborative interrogation, which prompts learners to generate explanations for facts, has been found to significantly improve learning outcomes. This technique facilitates the integration of new information with existing prior knowledge, thereby aiding in memory retention. Precise elaborations, higher prior knowledge, and self-generated elaborations further enhance the effectiveness of this technique.

Similarly, self-explanation, which involves students explaining their processing during learning, has shown positive effects on learning. When students actively highlight relevant information, they outperform passive highlighters. However, it is important to note that overmarking can reduce the distinctiveness of marked text, impacting memory retention. Additionally, underlining may be more beneficial for recalling individual concepts rather than making connections across concepts.

In terms of practice techniques, distributed practice has been proven to be superior to massed practice. Spacing the learning episodes with a lag of approximately 10-20% of the desired retention interval yields the best results. Furthermore, longer courses that provide spaced study opportunities have shown to enhance conceptual understanding and final exam performance.

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In conclusion, improving students' learning requires the adoption of effective learning techniques. Practice testing, distributed practice, elaborative interrogation, and self-explanation have shown promising results in enhancing learning outcomes. Educators should prioritize these techniques over less effective ones like summarization, highlighting, and rereading. It is also crucial to consider student characteristics and domain knowledge when implementing these techniques.

Actionable Advice:

1. Encourage students to actively engage in elaborative interrogation by prompting them to generate explanations for facts. This technique aids in the integration of new information with existing prior knowledge.
2. Promote self-explanation as a learning strategy, where students explain their thought processes during learning. This enhances understanding and retention of information.
3. Implement distributed practice by spacing learning episodes with a lag of approximately 10-20% of the desired retention interval. This technique has been proven to be more effective than massed practice.

By incorporating these evidence-based techniques into educational practice, educators can create a more conducive learning environment and improve students' learning outcomes.