Metacognitive strategies in student learning: Do students practise retrieval when they study on their own?

TLDR

Research shows that retrieval practice markedly improves learning and retention, yet students often lack awareness of its benefits and tend to rely on rereading rather than testing in real‑world settings. The study surveyed 177 college students to examine their real‑world study strategies and suggested that overconfidence during study leads to a preference for rereading over retrieval practice. The authors surveyed 177 college students, asking them to report study strategies and to decide between rereading or practising recall after a textbook chapter. Most students reported rereading notes or textbooks, while only a minority engaged in self‑testing or retrieval practice during study.

Abstract

Basic research on human learning and memory has shown that practising retrieval of information (by testing the information) has powerful effects on learning and long-term retention. Repeated testing enhances learning more than repeated reading, which often confers limited benefit beyond that gained from the initial reading of the material. Laboratory research also suggests that students lack metacognitive awareness of the mnemonic benefits of testing. The implication is that in real-world educational settings students may not engage in retrieval practise to enhance learning. To investigate students' real-world study behaviours, we surveyed 177 college students and asked them (1) to list strategies they used when studying (an open-ended free report question) and (2) to choose whether they would reread or practise recall after studying a textbook chapter (a forced report question). The results of both questions point to the same conclusion: A majority of students repeatedly read their notes or textbook (despite the limited benefits of this strategy), but relatively few engage in self-testing or retrieval practise while studying. We propose that many students experienceusions of competence while studying and that theseusions have significant consequences for the strategies students select when they monitor and regulate their own learning.