Practice with feedback, regardless of feedback type, improves metacognitive calibration relative to lecture, reducing overconfidence by about 13 percentage points¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In Study 2, both practice conditions showed prediction errors about 13 points lower than lecture, which overestimated performance by 26 percentage points; the practice conditions did not differ. → Michael W. Asher & Paulo F. Carvalho 2026

Evidence¶

Michael W. Asher & Paulo F. Carvalho 2026¶

Michael W. Asher & Paulo F. Carvalho. (2026). Conditions for Effective Learning Without Upfront Instruction: How Practice with Feedback Supports Memory, Generalization, Motivation, and Metacognition. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10103-6

q3 · i? · causal · r3

Study 2 measured calibration by the difference between actual and predicted posttest scores before the test. Lecture participants overestimated performance "by 26 percentage points"; "average prediction errors were 13 points lower in the explanatory feedback condition" and 13.6 points lower with correct-response feedback; the practice conditions did not differ (p =.912).

"Compared to lecture, average prediction errors were 13 points lower in the explanatory feedback condition, t(294) = 2.69, p =.008, and 13.6 points lower in the correct-response feedback condition, t(294) = 2.77, p =.006."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Learners judge explanatory feedback as more effective preparation than correct-response feedback, in both studies — related
• In one 2×2 experiment with 120 undergraduates, an Assessment-Performance Calibration Activity (APCA) gave the most accurate self-assessment and least overconfidence, and adding a feedback-literacy script did not improve calibration further — related
• Full reasoning traces worsened calibration bias and Brier scores relative to both other conditions — related
• Children's ability to discriminate between correct and incorrect answers did not change over training regardless of group — related
• Practice with feedback—either correct-answer or explanatory—produces better memory than lecture, in both multiple-choice and open-ended formats — related
• Without feedback, more practice-test participation predicts lower specificity (worse detection of incorrect answers); with corrective feedback this negative relation disappears — related