Self-created cheat sheet users reported significantly longer midterm preparation time than instructor-provided users, but the difference was not significant for the final exam¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r1 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Midterm preparation time distributions differed significantly by cheat sheet type, with self-created users reporting longer preparation. → Helen Weixu Chen 2026 q3 i? For the final exam, the difference in preparation time between the two cheat sheet types was not statistically significant. → Helen Weixu Chen 2026 (2)

Evidence¶

Helen Weixu Chen 2026¶

Helen Weixu Chen, Victoria Sakhnini, and Lesley Istead. (2026). Make or Take: How Students Navigate Self-Created and Instructor-Provided Cheat Sheets. ACM Trans. Comput. Educ. https://doi.org/10.1145/3834566

q3 · i? · associational · r1

Chi-square tests of independence compared ordinal preparation-time frequency distributions between self-created and instructor-provided users. "𝜒 2 = 12.58, 𝑝= 0.0056 < 0.05" for the midterm; no effect size was printed.

"For the midterm, participants using self-created cheat sheets reported much longer preparation time than those using instructor-provided cheat sheets (𝜒 2 = 12.58, 𝑝= 0.0056 < 0.05, 𝑑𝑓= 3)."

Helen Weixu Chen 2026 (2)¶

Helen Weixu Chen, Victoria Sakhnini, and Lesley Istead. (2026). Make or Take: How Students Navigate Self-Created and Instructor-Provided Cheat Sheets. ACM Trans. Comput. Educ. https://doi.org/10.1145/3834566

q3 · i? · associational · r1

The same chi-square comparison for the final exam showed "this difference was not statistically significant (𝜒 2 = 2.34, 𝑝= 0.51"; equivalence was not tested.

"However, for the final exam, this difference was not statistically significant (𝜒 2 = 2.34, 𝑝= 0.51, 𝑑𝑓= 3)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Cheat sheet type was not significantly associated with exam performance on either exam, though a moderate non-significant trend favoured self-created sheets on the final — related
• Most participants reported that cheat sheets boosted their confidence and efficiency during exams — related
• Most students used cheat sheets as an occasional backup or continuous aid rather than a one-time reference — related
• Students using self-created cheat sheets reported greater perceived coverage of needed final exam content than instructor-provided users — related
• Preferences for instructor-provided sheets were grounded in trust, alignment and efficiency, while self-created preferences reflected personalization, control and studying through creation — related