Practice tests benefit retention (g = 0.63) and transfer (g = 0.53) outcomes without a significant difference between them¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r3 · q4 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q4 i2 Practice tests produced significant effects regardless of outcome construct; retention and transfer outcomes did not differ significantly, though retention effects were larger than the mixed retention-and-transfer outcome. → Adesope 2017

Evidence¶

Adesope 2017¶

Adesope, O. O., Trevisan, D. A., & Sundararajan, N. (2017). Rethinking the Use of Tests: A Meta-Analysis of Practice Testing. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316689306

q4 · i2 · quant-synthesis · r3

Moderator analysis of outcome construct (Table 3): retention k = 243 (g = 0.63), transfer k = 11 (g = 0.53), mixed retention and transfer k = 15 (g = 0.37). "there was no statistically significant difference between retention (g = 0.63) and transfer (g = 0.53) outcomes."

"In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between retention (g = 0.63) and transfer (g = 0.53) outcomes. However, the retention-based outcome produced a much higher effect size, and was significantly larger than the mixed-retention and transfer outcome (g = 0.37)."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Long-Term Memory — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Retrieval Practice Improves Transfer — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Spoken–written advantages are larger for retention outcomes and multiple-choice test formats than for transfer or mixed formats — related
• Testing effects are stronger when practice and final test formats are identical (g = 0.63) than dissimilar (g = 0.53), supporting transfer-appropriate processing — related