Interleaving benefits are small for mathematical tasks and absent or reversed for expository texts and words¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r3 · q4 · i1 small
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i1 Mathematical tasks showed a small positive interleaving effect (g = 0.34), expository texts showed no significant effect, and words showed a negative effect favoring blocking (g = -0.39). → Brunmair 2019 q4 i1 For word materials the effect favored blocking over interleaving (g = -0.39). → Brunmair 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Brunmair 2019¶

Brunmair, M., & Richter, T. (2019). Similarity matters: A meta-analysis of interleaved learning and its moderators. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000209

q4 · i1 · quant-synthesis · r3

Meta-analytic estimates by material type in the same multilevel synthesis (k = 238). Mathematical tasks showed a small significant effect; expository texts did not differ significantly from zero.

"In nonvisual stimuli, a positive interleaving effect was found only for mathematical tasks, g = 0.34 (p = .005, 95% CI [0.11, 0.57]) and no significant effect for expository texts."

Brunmair 2019 (2)¶

Brunmair, M., & Richter, T. (2019). Similarity matters: A meta-analysis of interleaved learning and its moderators. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000209

q4 · i1 · quant-synthesis · r?

The same material-type moderator analysis found a blocking advantage for word materials, with the printed estimate "g = -0.39" and a confidence interval excluding zero.

"Furthermore, we found a negative effect (i.e., an advantage of blocking over interleaving) for studies based on words as learning materials, g = -0.39 (p > .001, 95% CI [-0.64, -0.14])."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Retrieval practice and spaced retrieval improve achievement and retention by medium amounts, while interleaving helps category learning only for some materials and blocking beats it for words — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Interleaving category examples improves inductive category learning for visual and mathematical materials, but not for expository texts or word categories — related
• Interleaving Improves Discrimination — related
• Spacing content over time and interweaving different content strengthens learning and retention — a broader claim this one bears on
• The interleaving effect generalizes to visual materials, with the largest effects for paintings — related
• Interleaving is especially useful for inductive, subtle pattern learning without a clear verbal rule, but can equal or exceed blocking in rule-based domains too — related
• Interleaving benefits low-skilled students more than high-skilled students when learning math problem categories — related
• Interleaving is most useful when differences between items are subtle; blocking can be preferable when category members are diverse — related
• The discriminative-contrast hypothesis treats spacing and interleaving as distinct effects, with interleaving benefits more likely for similar than dissimilar interleaved tasks — related
• Interleaving is more effective for materials with a low degree of discriminability — related