Discovery and Adoption of the Testing Effect: Challenges of Eliciting Self-Testing Behavior in Students

Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/qb98mf848

Abstract

Engaging in self-testing is often a more effective strategy for retaining information than is restudying the target material. This testing benefit has been found in numerous studies and across a wide variety of manipulations and materials. Despite these common results, students remain largely unaware of the benefits of self-testing. We conducted three experiments using ecologically valid materials (statistics concepts and chemical elements) to determine whether student subjects could be made aware of the benefits of self-testing and consequently engage in voluntary self-testing. A within-subject testing benefit was successfully replicated in two experiments. However, little support was found for the hypothesis that subjects could be brought to exhibit voluntary, covert self-testing behavior. These results present a challenge to the field regarding effective means of eliciting appreciation and self-regulated use of the testing effect among students and thereby improve learning outcomes.

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