Use Pre Questions¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 3 claims (1 for, 2 mixed) · 10 studies (6 causal, 3 quant-synthesis, 1 theoretical), q3–q4 · 3 of 10 report an effect size

Description¶

Pre questions are questions posed to learners before they study the target material. Learners typically answer them incorrectly — the point is not assessment but preparation: the act of attempting retrieval, even unsuccessfully, primes related knowledge and makes the subsequent instruction more effective. Pre questions can be delivered as a short quiz, embedded questions in a text or video, or instructor prompts at the start of a lesson.

Design Implications¶

Pre questions exploit the pretesting effect: unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance later learning of the tested material more than spending the same time studying it Kornell, Hays, & Bjork, 2009 [+S]. The mechanism appears to be a combination of activation of prior knowledge and heightened attention to pre-questioned content during instruction — learners process related material more deeply because the failed attempt creates a knowledge gap they are motivated to fill Richland, Kornell, & Kao, 2009 [+M]. Because the effect is content-specific, pre questions should target the concepts that matter most in the upcoming lesson, not serve as generic warm-ups.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Questions that target the same concepts (or close analogs) covered in the subsequent instruction — the pretesting effect is strongest for pre-questioned content
• Feedback or immediate instruction following the attempt, so errors do not persist Pan & Rickard, 2018 [+M]
• Low or no stakes — learners must feel safe guessing, since wrong answers are expected and productive
• Multiple-choice or short-answer formats both work; multiple-choice with plausible distractors can add diagnostic value

Constraints¶

• Pre questions divert attention: learners remember pre-questioned content better but unquestioned content worse Richland, Kornell, & Kao, 2009 [-S] — overusing them creates attentional tunneling at the expense of the rest of the lesson
• Guessing without subsequent instruction or feedback can entrench misconceptions Pan & Rickard, 2018 [~M]
• Less effective when learners lack enough prior knowledge to generate even a plausible guess; the benefit depends on some retrievable related knowledge activation improves learning [~M]
• In video and e-learning, pre questions add time and can interrupt flow if overlong Clark & Mayer-style coherence concerns: irrelevant or excessive material hurts learning [~M]

Implementation Variability¶

• Pre-lecture quizzes — 3–5 questions before a lecture or reading, ungraded
• Embedded video questions — questions inserted before the segment that answers them (as in many MOOC platforms)
• Pre-instruction problems — asking learners to attempt a problem they cannot yet solve, a variant used in productive-failure designs
• Analogical pre questions — asking about a related but different case, which supports transfer more broadly than verbatim pre questions comparing and contrasting cases improves learning [+M]

Target Learners¶

• Learners with moderate prior knowledge, who can generate meaningful (if wrong) guesses activation improves learning [+M]
• Novices benefit less than intermediate learners; complete beginners may lack the knowledge base for productive guessing
• Adult and self-directed learners, who tolerate the discomfort of being wrong when its purpose is explained

Target Learning Goals¶

• Factual and conceptual knowledge: the effect is strongest for retention of pre-questioned facts and concepts Kornell, Hays, & Bjork, 2009 [+S]
• Attention management: directing limited attention to high-value content in a dense lesson
• Preparing for later retrieance practice-based study: pre questions act as an initial retrieval event in a spaced schedule

Instructions¶

1. Identify the 3–5 most important concepts of the upcoming lesson; write one question per concept at a level learners can plausibly attempt.
2. Present the questions before any instruction, framed explicitly as "you are not expected to know these — guessing is the point."
3. Keep the activity short (under 5 minutes) and ungraded to avoid anxiety and to preserve the coherence of the lesson [+W].
4. Proceed immediately to instruction that answers the questions, or provide brief feedback on the guesses.
5. Revisit the same questions after instruction as retrieval practice, closing the loop between the failed attempt and the learned answer.
6. Optionally use analogical variants — a question about a parallel case — when transfer rather than retention is the goal.

Related Strategies¶

• Activating Prior Knowledge — pre questions are a retrieval-based form of activation; both prepare schemas for new input
• Pretesting — the broader strategy family this belongs to
• Retrieval Practice — post-instruction questioning; pre questions are its pre-instruction counterpart

Examples¶

• Pre-lecture quizzes in large STEM courses — Instructors using tools like Perusall or LMS quizzes pose questions on assigned reading before the lecture covering it; students answer, then the lecture resolves the gaps.
• Khan Academy — Unit "check your readiness" quizzes present problems before the associated lessons, surfacing gaps before instruction begins.
• Richland, Kornell, & Kao (2009) — In classroom experiments, students who answered