The stepwise-MCQ benefit is most robust for questions with noncompetitive answer options and for learners who report trying to retrieve the answer during the delay.¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r? · q3
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? The stepwise-MCQ effect was most robust for noncompetitive (easy-to-guess) answer options across Experiments 1, 3a, and 3b, and for learners reporting retrieval from memory during the stepwise display in Experiments 1 and 3. → van den Broek 2023

Evidence¶

van den Broek 2023¶

van den Broek, G., Gerritsen, S. L., Oomen, I. T. J., Velthoven, E., van Boxtel, F. H. J., Kester, L., & van Gog, T. (2023). Optimizing multiple-choice questions for retrieval practice: Delayed display of answer alternatives enhances vocabulary learning. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000810

q3 · i? · causal · r?

Moderator analysis across the four experiments: the retention benefit of stepwise MCQs was "most robust" for noncompetitive answer options and for self-reported retrieval during the 4 s delay. No effect sizes are printed in the available text.

"However, the effect was most robust for questions with noncompetitive answer options (Experiments 1, 3a, and 3b) and for learners who reported trying to retrieve the answer from memory during the stepwise display (Experiments 1 and 3)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Competitive, hard-to-guess answer options generally enhance vocabulary retention (Experiments 3a and 3b). — reports the opposite
• Answering MCQs benefits learning when learners retrieve knowledge from memory to evaluate plausible alternatives, but such retrieval may not occur with easy-to-guess answers. — related
• Stepwise-MCQ benefits generalize across translation directions and across both easy-to-guess (noncompetitive) and hard-to-guess (competitive) answer options. — reports the opposite
• Stepwise MCQs, which delay answer options by 4 s, enhance vocabulary retention significantly compared to standard MCQs in three of four experiments, measured days after practice. — related