Most middle and high school students surveyed after classroom retrieval practice programs viewed them positively and said frequent retrieval practice helped them feel less nervous about exams¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 2 studies · 1 review r3, 1 theoretical r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · 1 of 2 entries checked against their sources (automated) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? The chapter reports, citing Agarwal et al. (2014), that of 1408 surveyed students 92% viewed classroom retrieval practice positively and 72% said it helped them feel less nervous about exams. → Karpicke 2017

q2 i? Survey data cited from Agarwal et al. (2014) show frequent retrieval practice reduced test anxiety for nearly 75% of students, which the practice guide used to emphasize retrieval practice is not high-stakes assessment. → Pooja K. Agarwal 2024

Evidence¶

Karpicke 2017¶

Karpicke, J. D. (2017). Retrieval-Based Learning: A Decade of Progress. Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference, 2nd edition, Volume 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809324-5.21055-9

q2 · i? · review · r3

The chapter reports a self-report survey by Agarwal et al. (2014) of 1408 middle and high school students: "72% said that frequent retrieval practice helped them feel less nervous about classroom exams". These are student beliefs, not measured anxiety change.

"Agarwal et al. (2014) surveyed 1408 middle and high school students who had experienced classroom-based retrieval practice programs (e.g., like the one implemented by McDaniel et al., 2011 ). The key findings from their survey were that 92% of students viewed the classroom retrieval practice activ- ities positively, believing that retrieval practice helped them learn, and 72% said that frequent retrieval practice helped them feel less nervous about classroom exams."

Pooja K. Agarwal 2024¶

Pooja K. Agarwal. (2024). Personal reflections on science communication and sharing retrieval practice research with teachers. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09839-w

q2 · i? · theoretical · r2

The commentary reports survey data attributed to Agarwal et al. (2014), presented in the practice guide as a pie chart showing reduced test anxiety for nearly 75% of students. The percentage is descriptive; no effect size is printed.

"a pie chart of survey data demonstrating that frequent retrieval practice reduced test anxiety for nearly 75% of students, in order to emphasize that retrieval practice is not a high-stakes assessment (Agarwal et al., 2014)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Academic Anxiety — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Students taking online and proctored online exams report higher test anxiety than students taking on-campus exams and non-proctored online exams — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Learners underuse effective learning strategies such as spacing and retrieval practice — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it

• Classroom quizzing delivered by clickers, computer software, or paper improves student performance on classroom exams in middle school and college courses — related
• Learners misjudge which learning strategies are effective — related
• Benefits of retrieval practice have persisted for 6 months in medical students and 9 months in middle-school students — related
• Spaced Retrieval Improves Retention — related
• Undergraduate statistics students most frequently used and valued the courseware's ungraded formative practice features, the Readiness Check and Self Check — related
• Test-enhanced learning generalizes across education levels, from elementary school (g = 0.328) through university/college (g = 0.486). — related
• Retrieval practice benefits learners regardless of trait anxiety level, but higher trait or induced anxiety is associated with smaller testing effects — related
• Retrieval-based learning research emphasizes both direct and indirect effects of retrieval on learning — related
• Retrieval practice has been implemented and studied in authentic middle school classrooms, with general recommendations for applied research — a broader claim this one bears on