Sunday, February 4, 2018

Benefits of Practice Tests to Student Learning

This study included a meta-analysis which examined the effects of practice tests versus nontesting learning conditions such as restudying, practice, filler activities, or no presentation of the material. Results revealed that taking a practice test before the actual test resulted in higher test performance than with any of the other comparison conditions. The researchers of this study suggest that the use of retrieval practice learning activities will help students develop test-taking skills that may improve performance on high-stakes tests. Lastly, the real-life implications of this study can help guide and inform students, teachers, researchers, and policymakers about the use of practice tests in order to advance student learning.

Adesope, O. O., Trevisan, D. A., & Sundararajan, N. (2017). Rethinking the use of tests: A meta-analysis of practice testing. Review of Educational Research, 87(3), 659-701. https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/0034654316689306 

No comments: