Reordering the groups of facts in a lesson did not change which groups boys answered best: recall followed subject matter, not position¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 1911 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Across two forms taught the bud lesson with fact groups in different orders, correct answers were greatest for Section II, next for Section I, least for Section III, regardless of each group's position. → Dell 1911

Evidence¶

Dell 1911¶

Dell, John A. (1911). Some Observations on the Learning of Sensible Material. Journal of Educational Psychology, 2, 401-406. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0074801

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Quasi-experiment: a lesson on buds was given independently to two forms (16 and 21 boys) with the three groups of facts arranged in different orders, and each class was tested by ten oral questions at its next meeting. Percentages of correct answers per section were computed (Table III), showing position "occupied different positions in the lessons given to the two forms" yet did not drive recall.

"shows that the probability of obtaining a correct answer is greatest for a question in Section II, next greatest for Section I and least for Section III, although the subject-matter of these sections occupied different positions in the lessons given to the two forms."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Older Form II boys answered more questions correctly than Form I boys in every section of the bud lesson, attributed to age and prior training — related
• Over a whole term of chemistry and nature-study lessons, only the slightest indication existed that facts were remembered better by virtue of their position in the course — a broader claim this one bears on