Mostly interleaved mathematics practice outscored mostly blocked practice on an unannounced delayed test in a large cluster randomized classroom trial¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r3 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 One month after an interleaved review, the interleaved group outscored the blocked group 61% vs. 38%, d = 0.83. → Doug Rohrer 2019 q3 i? A positive interleaving effect was observed for each of the 15 teachers (ds = 0.23 to 1.48). → Doug Rohrer 2019

Evidence¶

Doug Rohrer 2019¶

Doug Rohrer, Robert F. Dedrick, Marissa K. Hartwig, Chi-Ngai Cheung. (2019). A Randomized Controlled Trial of Interleaved Mathematics Practice. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://osf.io/pfeg4/

q3 · i3 · causal · r3

Pre-registered cluster randomized controlled trial: 54 seventh-grade classes nested in five schools, 787 analyzed students, four months of mostly interleaved or mostly blocked worksheets, then a common interleaved review and an unannounced test. The article reports the printed effect size d = 0.83 with 95% CI [0.68, 0.97].

"On the test, the interleaved group outscored the blocked group by a large margin. Table 6 lists descriptive measures. The effect size was large, Cohen’s d = 0.83, 95% CI = [0.68, 0.97]"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Interleaved practice produces higher mathematics test scores than blocked practice in a classroom experiment — a broader claim this one bears on
• The test benefit of interleaved practice does not diminish over time and perhaps grows larger (d = 0.79 at 30 days) — related
• A pilot study with 83 seventh graders found a large interleaving benefit (d = 0.97) preceding the main trial — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• The interleaving benefit appears in three of four problem-type-by-delay comparisons; the slope-problem effect at 1 day was not statistically significant — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• At a 1-day test delay, interleaved practice yields a moderate benefit over blocked practice (d = 0.42) — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Interleaved practice improves delayed posttest performance compared with blocked practice — related
• The interleaving effect on delayed test scores remained significant in a multilevel model controlling for teacher effects, with no teacher-by-condition interaction — related
• Interleaved mathematics assignments nearly doubled final test performance compared with blocked assignments in seventh grade (72% vs. 38%, d = 1.05) — related