The Testing Effect in the Lecture Hall: Does it Depend on Learner Prerequisites?

Abstract

The benefits of practice testing for long-term learning are well established in many contexts. However, little is known about learner characteristics that might moderate its effectiveness. The effects of practice tests might depend on individual prerequisites for learning, especially in real-world educational settings. We explored whether the effects of practice testing in a regular university lecture would depend on cognitive (e.g., prior knowledge), motivational (e.g., learning motivation), or emotional (test anxiety) dispositions. We implemented an experimental intervention design in psychology courses for teacher students (N  =  208). One week before the lecture, focal learner characteristics were assessed. Immediately after the lecture, participants completed an online review session with short-answer questions (practice testing with corrective feedback) or summarizing statements (restudy), alternating within each participant. One week later, retention of learning contents was assessed with a criterial test containing short-answer and multiple-choice questions. A testing effect emerged (ηp²  =  .07), with better retention for the tested compared with the restudied contents. Some learner characteristics affected learning outcomes, but no interactions with testing vs. restudy occurred. These results suggest that the testing effect in the university classroom is a robust phenomenon that benefits learning irrespective of primary individual learning prerequisites.