A systematic review of 50 classroom experiments found retrieval practice yields medium-to-large benefits in most cases, but only 6% were conducted in non-WEIRD countries¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · theoretical r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · checked against its sources 2026-10-19 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Retrieval practice yielded medium to large benefits in most (57%) of 50 classroom experiments, across education levels, content areas, designs, delays, and formats. → Dillon H. Murphy 2023 q3 i? Only 6% of the reviewed experiments were conducted in non-WEIRD countries, leaving generalizability to more diverse contexts undetermined. → Dillon H. Murphy 2023 (2)

Evidence¶

Dillon H. Murphy 2023¶

Dillon H. Murphy, Jeri L. Little, Elizabeth L. Bjork. (2023). The Value of Using Tests in Education as Tools for Learning—Not Just for Assessment. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09808-3

q3 · i? · theoretical · r3

The commentary cites Agarwal et al.'s (2021) systematic review of 50 classroom experiments, reporting that "retrieval practice yields medium to large benefits in most cases (57%)," with positive impacts across education levels, content areas, designs, test delays, and formats.

"a recent review of 50 classroom experiments by Agarwal et al. (2021) demonstrated that retrieval practice yields medium to large benefits in most cases (57%)"

Dillon H. Murphy 2023 (2)¶

Dillon H. Murphy, Jeri L. Little, Elizabeth L. Bjork. (2023). The Value of Using Tests in Education as Tools for Learning—Not Just for Assessment. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09808-3

q3 · i? · theoretical · r3

The commentary notes the same review found "only a small fraction of experiments (6%) were conducted in non–Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (non-WEIRD) countries," so whether benefits accrue across more diverse contexts remains undetermined.

"the review also highlights that only a small fraction of experiments (6%) were conducted in non–Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (non-WEIRD) countries"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Retrieval practice produces better retention than restudying, with meta-analytic reviews reporting people 2.5 times as likely to remember tested information and medium-to-large classroom effects — related
• 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 — related
• Quizzing outperforms no/filler activity, fewer-question testing and restudying, with a larger advantage over no/filler activity (low reexposure) than over restudying (high reexposure); against other elaborative strategies its advantage is small and not significant. — related
• Retrieval Practice Improves Transfer — related
• Practice testing yields transferrable learning relative to a nontesting reexposure control condition (d = 0.40) — related
• The classroom testing effect transfers to mismatched test formats, but consistent quiz–exam formats yield a significantly larger effect (g = 0.531 vs. g = 0.399). — related
• The same quizzing or concept-mapping activity produces more learning when done without viewing the material, as retrieval, than while viewing it — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Retrieval practice improves delayed but not immediate performance, consistent with a desirable-difficulties explanation — related