In a within-subjects category-learning experiment, students reported higher mental effort and lower concurrent judgments of learning during interleaved than during blocked studying¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i3large
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i3 Students rated blocked studying as less effortful than interleaved studying (d = -1.79) and felt they learned more during blocked than interleaved studying (d = 1.69). → Janssen 2023
Evidence¶
Janssen 2023¶
Janssen, E. M., van Gog, T., van de Groep, L., de Lange, A. J., Knopper, R. L., Onan, E., Wiradhany, W., & de Bruin, A. B. H. (2023). The Role of Mental Effort in Students' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Interleaved and Blocked Study Strategies and Their Willingness to Use Them. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09797-3
q3 · i3 · causal · r2
Experiment 1 (N = 150, within-subjects, paired t-tests after each study unit) showed blocked studying was rated "less effortful" than interleaved studying, t(149) = -21.93, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = -1.79; concurrent judgments of learning were also higher for blocked (d = 1.69).
"students reported blocked studying as being less effortful (M = 3.97, SD = 1.06) than interleaved studying (M = 6.26, SD = 1.19), t(149) = -21.93, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = -1.79"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- In Experiment 1, mental effort was negatively related to perceived effectiveness and (via perceived effectiveness) willingness to use interleaved studying, with a more influential role for interleaved than blocked studying — related
- In a between-subjects experiment, students using blocked studying still reported lower mental effort and higher concurrent judgments of learning than students using interleaved studying — related
- Learners associate higher effort with less effective study strategies, indicating negative connotations of effort — a broader claim this one bears on
- Students in active learning environments learned more but felt they learned less, mistaking mental effort for failure — a broader claim this one bears on
- In Experiment 1, students' prospective judgments of learning were higher for blocked studying even though actual test performance was higher for interleaved studying — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
interleaved-higher-effort-lower-jol-within-subjects |
title |
In a within-subjects category-learning experiment, students reported higher mental effort and lower concurrent judgments of learning during interleaved than during blocked studying |
description |
In a within-subjects category-learning experiment, students reported higher mental effort and lower concurrent judgments of learning during interleaved than during blocked studying |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2023 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-22 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — janssen-2023 |
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