Effortful Tests and Repeated Metacognitive Judgments Enhance Future Learning

Abstract

Prior testing can facilitate subsequent learning, a phenomenon termed the forward testing effect (FTE). We examined a metacognitive account of this effect, which proposes that the FTE occurs because retrieval leads to strategy optimizations during later learning. One prediction of this account is that tests that require less retrieval effort (e.g., multiple-choice relative to cued-recall) should lead to a smaller benefit on new learning. We examined the impact of interpolated multiple-choice or cued-recall testing (relative to no prior testing) on new learning of a four-section STEM text passage. The effect sizes associated with the FTE were numerically, though not significantly larger when the prior tests were cued-recall than multiple-choice, but only when interpolated judgments of learning were not queried. Further, when multiple-choice tests were made more difficult through lure similarity, the FTE was similarly increased. Finally, the FTE was eliminated entirely when participants provided four JOLs after reading each text section. We believe this elimination of the FTE stemmed from an increase in performance for the control participants induced by reactivity from repeated metacognitive queries requiring deep metacognitive reflection. Taken together, these experiments support a metacognitive account of FTE and have important implications for how educators and students should employ retrieval practice and leverage the benefits of metacognitive reflection to improve new learning.

Full text

Vol.:(0123456789)
Educational Psychology Review (2023) 35:86
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09803-8
1 3
INTERVENTION STUDY
Effortful Tests andRepeated Metacognitive Judgments
Enhance Future Learning
SaraD.Davis1 · JasonC.K.Chan2
Accepted: 3 August 2023 / Published online: 22 August 2023
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2023
Abstract
Prior testing can facilitate subsequent learning, a phenomenon termed the forward
testing effect (FTE). We examined a metacognitive account of this effect, which pro-
poses that the FTE occurs because retrieval leads to strategy optimizations during
later learning. One prediction of this account is that tests that require less retrieval
effort (e.g., multiple-choice relative to cued-recall) should lead to a smaller benefit
on new learning. We examined the impact of interpolated multiple-choice or cued-
recall testing (relative to no prior testing) on new learning of a four-section STEM
text passage. The effect sizes associated with the FTE were numerically, though
not significantly larger when the prior tests were cued-recall than multiple-choice,
but only when interpolated judgments of learning were not queried. Further, when
multiple-choice tests were made more difficult through lure similarity, the FTE was
similarly increased. Finally, the FTE was eliminated entirely when participants pro-
vided four JOLs after reading each text section. We believe this elimination of the
FTE stemmed from an increase in performance for the control participants induced
by reactivity from repeated metacognitive queries requiring deep metacognitive
reflection. Taken together, these experiments support a metacognitive account of
FTE and have important implications for how educators and students should employ
retrieval practice and leverage the benefits of metacognitive reflection to improve
new learning.
Keywords Testing effect· Forward testing effect· Retrieval· Metacognition· JOL
Reactivity
All materials as well as data used for analyses can be found at the Open Science Framework
athttps:// osf. io/ ezjuv/.
* Sara D. Davis
sara.davis@unf.edu
1 Department ofPsychology, University ofNorth Florida, Building 51, Room 3404, Jacksonville,
FL32224, USA
2 Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
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