Procrastination and Student Performance on Immediate and Delayed Quizzes

Abstract

For years learners nave been treated as passive players in the teaching and learning process. According to Cross & Steadman (1996), learners must be actively involved in the learning process if learning is to be successful. Listening actively and attentively is imperative for this active involvement in the learning process. However, instructors should not assume that students are interested in becoming involved in the learning process (Swanson, 1984). In the Educational Research and Methods Division Distinguished Lecture presented at the 1991 American Society for Engineering, Cross (1993) pointedly emphasized the use of pedagogical techniques that transform the traditional classroom into one in which students take more responsibility for the success of their own education. Cross (1993, p. 14) stressed the importance of student-centered learning, stating, It puts students on notice that they are expected to synthesize and articulate their learning; and they are expected to be active learners, raising questions and thinking about implications. To encourage learning, faculty use varied assignments: Homework, oral presentations, papers, and quizzes. Multiple quizzes given throughout the semester have been shown to be a reasonable extrinsic motivator for learning. According to Gaynor and Millham (1976), psychology students who took weekly tests outperformed other psychology students who took a midterm and final exam. Organic chemistry students who took weekly quizzes performed better on a standardized test and earned higher grades than students who took biweekly quizzes (Duty, 1982). First-year chemistry students who took weekly quizzes also earned higher grades on tests and on their final exam than students who were not given these quizzes (Martin & Srikameswaran, 1974). According to these three studies, giving regular quizzes encourages regular study and better overall performance. Therefore, quizzes can be used to test student retention of course material. In a study by Specht and Sandlin (1991), students' retention of material was examined following exposure to either a traditional lecture or an experimental learning exercise. An unannounced quiz administered at the end of class and a delayed quiz, administered six weeks later, were used to evaluate student retention of material. Results indicated no significant difference in performance on the immediate quiz between the two groups. However, the students in the lecture class showed a significant loss of retention on the 6-week delayed quiz compared to the experimental class. These data highlight the role of student-centered teaching in enhancing performance on delayed assessment measures. Quiz Timing and Performance An important measure of academic success is on-task behavior during the presentation of a stimulus. Maintaining student attention during a class period can be difficult. Fatigue, lack of concentration, and daydreaming during a class period may compete with the instructor's efforts to engage students (Peck, 1979). The frequency of quizzes and their timeliness are proposed to increase student attentiveness during class (Peck, 1979). Kardash, Kukowski, & Bentmann (1988) examined the effects of a quiz administered immediately after lecture and no quiz on active and passive learners. All students were then given a test one week after lecture to determine the effects of immediate quizzing after lecture. The active learners outperformed the passive learners on the immediate quiz, but both groups scored the same on the delayed quiz. However, results indicated a significant increase from immediate to delayed performance for passive learners. This finding validates the value of a time lapse between lecture and testing for certain students and suggests the value of structuring test timing to meet the individual needs of students.. These results also suggested that passive learners were, perhaps, aided by the structure introduced by the early presence of an immediate quiz. …