Testing versus review: Effects on retention.

Abstract

Taking a test on content that has just been studied is known to enhance later retention of the material studied, but is testing more profitable than the same amount of time spent in review? High school students studied a brief history text, then either took a test on the passage, spent equivalent time reviewing the passage, or went on to an unrelated task. A retention test given 2 weeks later indicated that the test condition resulted in better retention than either the review or the control conditions. The effect was further shown to be content specific (in contrast to effects typically produced by questions inserted in text) and independent of item format. These results favor a greater use of testing in instruction. Administering quizzes to students in class is generally considered to fulfill two functions: to motivate students to study and to determine how well they have mastered the material that was taught. A third function, more directly related to the learning process, goes largely unrecognized: to help the student consolidate in memory what was learned. It is this third function of testing with which the present research is concerned. This consolidation function of testing was demonstrated relatively early in instructional psychology (Jones, 1923-1924) and replicated on numerous occasions (e.g., Laporte & Voss, 1975). This consolidation effect is described as follows: taking a test immediately after learning will lead to better retention of the material at a later date, as evidenced on a delayed retention test, even when no corrective feedback is provided and when no further study of the material has taken place. Recent research (Duchastel, 1981; Nungester & Duchastel, Note 1) has examined how this consolidation effect (known simply as a testing effect on retention) was influenced by the type of test employed. Two We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Haverford Township School District, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in the conduct of this study, especially the teachers who assisted directly: Mr. Bush, Mrs. McGarvey, Miss Harrison, Mr. Long, and their principal, Mr. Drukin.