Quizzing Promotes Deeper Acquisition in Middle School Science: Transfer of Quizzed Content to Summative Exams
Saved in:
| Title: | Quizzing Promotes Deeper Acquisition in Middle School Science: Transfer of Quizzed Content to Summative Exams |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Agarwal, Pooja K., McDaniel, Mark A., Thomas, Ruthann C., Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) |
| Source: | Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2011. |
| Availability: | Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: 202-495-0920; Fax: 202-640-4401; e-mail: inquiries@sree.org; Web site: http://www.sree.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Physical Description: | |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2011 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Middle Schools |
| Descriptors: | Feedback (Response), Testing, Educational Practices, Classroom Environment, School Holding Power, Teaching Methods, Self Evaluation (Individuals), Tests, Experiments, Experimental Psychology, Science Education |
| Abstract: | The use of summative testing to evaluate students' acquisition, retention, and transfer of instructed material is a fundamental aspect of educational practice and theory. However, a substantial basic literature has established that testing is not a neutral event--testing can also enhance and modify memory (Carpenter & DeLosh, 2006; Hogan & Kintsch, 1971; McDaniel & Masson, 1985; see Roediger & Karpicke, 2006, for a review). Such findings suggest that educators might exploit testing (e.g., no- or low-stakes quizzing) as a technique to promote learning, not just as a way to assess learning. Converging on this suggestion, a number of quasi-experimental and correlational studies have demonstrated that no- and low-stakes quizzing can enhance performance on course assessments relative to no quizzing, for both online quizzing (Angus & Watson, 2009, Daniel & Broida, 2004; Kibble, 2007) and in-class quizzing (e.g., Leeming, 2002; see Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 1991, for a review). The authors thought it possible that low-stakes quizzing in the classroom might also prompt deeper or more complete learning of the course material, such that performance on course summative assessment items that required transfer of the tested information would be enhanced relative to no quizzing. To examine this possibility, the authors conducted three experiments in an authentic classroom situation in which performance on the summative examinations used to evaluate the students (and assign grades) served as their dependent measures. Of interest was the extent to which in-class quizzes (with feedback) would enhance performance on summative exams, especially when quiz items are related to, but are not identical to, items on the summative exam. Echoing the variety of transfer effects produced by testing (quizzing) reported across the tantalizing but limited available experimental work (see Rohrer et al., 2010), the present study was designed to explore a range of possible transfer from quizzed items to exam items. As an overview, Experiment 1 focused on the extent to which quizzing would produce associative transfer, and Experiments 2a and 2b examined the effects of quizzing on learning and retention of related information and application of target constructs. Results demonstrate that low- and no-stakes quizzing can promote learning that is deeper than just retaining a particular answer. Experiment 1 clearly showed that quizzing promoted transfer to different exam items requiring a reverse association between concept-term and definition from that quizzed. Experiments 2a and 2b further showed that quizzing promoted transfer from applying a principle/concept in a concrete context to better retention of definitional information, as well as to applying the principle in a new context. This transfer was relatively broad, ranging from associative transfer, to increased learning of definitional information (after applied questions), to application of concepts in a variety of situations. Thus, quizzing can enhance learning of science concepts, not just learning of particular answers to repeated questions (across quizzes and exams). As such, low- or no-stakes quizzing appears to be a valuable learning technique that could be incorporated in a wide variety of educational contexts, without extensive changes or adjustments to current classroom practice and teacher development. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.) |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Number of References: | 23 |
| Entry Date: | 2011 |
| Accession Number: | ED517986 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 CustomLinks: – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED517986 Name: ERIC Full Text Category: fullText Text: Full Text from ERIC |
|---|---|
| Header | DbId: eric DbLabel: ERIC An: ED517986 AccessLevel: 3 PubType: Report PubTypeId: report PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
| IllustrationInfo | |
| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Quizzing Promotes Deeper Acquisition in Middle School Science: Transfer of Quizzed Content to Summative Exams – Name: Language Label: Language Group: Lang Data: English – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Agarwal%2C+Pooja+K%2E%22">Agarwal, Pooja K.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22McDaniel%2C+Mark+A%2E%22">McDaniel, Mark A.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Thomas%2C+Ruthann+C%2E%22">Thomas, Ruthann C.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Society+for+Research+on+Educational+Effectiveness+%28SREE%29%22">Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE)</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Society+for+Research+on+Educational+Effectiveness%22"><i>Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness</i></searchLink>. 2011. – Name: Avail Label: Availability Group: Avail Data: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. 2040 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208. Tel: 202-495-0920; Fax: 202-640-4401; e-mail: inquiries@sree.org; Web site: http://www.sree.org – Name: PeerReviewed Label: Peer Reviewed Group: SrcInfo Data: N – Name: PhysDesc Label: Physical Description Group: PhysDesc Data: PDF – Name: Pages Label: Page Count Group: Src Data: 14 – Name: DatePubCY Label: Publication Date Group: Date Data: 2011 – Name: TypeDocument Label: Document Type Group: TypDoc Data: Reports - Research – Name: Audience Label: Education Level Group: Audnce Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Middle+Schools%22">Middle Schools</searchLink> – Name: Subject Label: Descriptors Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Feedback+%28Response%29%22">Feedback (Response)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Testing%22">Testing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Practices%22">Educational Practices</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classroom+Environment%22">Classroom Environment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22School+Holding+Power%22">School Holding Power</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+Methods%22">Teaching Methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Evaluation+%28Individuals%29%22">Self Evaluation (Individuals)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tests%22">Tests</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experiments%22">Experiments</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Experimental+Psychology%22">Experimental Psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Science+Education%22">Science Education</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: The use of summative testing to evaluate students' acquisition, retention, and transfer of instructed material is a fundamental aspect of educational practice and theory. However, a substantial basic literature has established that testing is not a neutral event--testing can also enhance and modify memory (Carpenter & DeLosh, 2006; Hogan & Kintsch, 1971; McDaniel & Masson, 1985; see Roediger & Karpicke, 2006, for a review). Such findings suggest that educators might exploit testing (e.g., no- or low-stakes quizzing) as a technique to promote learning, not just as a way to assess learning. Converging on this suggestion, a number of quasi-experimental and correlational studies have demonstrated that no- and low-stakes quizzing can enhance performance on course assessments relative to no quizzing, for both online quizzing (Angus & Watson, 2009, Daniel & Broida, 2004; Kibble, 2007) and in-class quizzing (e.g., Leeming, 2002; see Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, & Kulik, 1991, for a review). The authors thought it possible that low-stakes quizzing in the classroom might also prompt deeper or more complete learning of the course material, such that performance on course summative assessment items that required transfer of the tested information would be enhanced relative to no quizzing. To examine this possibility, the authors conducted three experiments in an authentic classroom situation in which performance on the summative examinations used to evaluate the students (and assign grades) served as their dependent measures. Of interest was the extent to which in-class quizzes (with feedback) would enhance performance on summative exams, especially when quiz items are related to, but are not identical to, items on the summative exam. Echoing the variety of transfer effects produced by testing (quizzing) reported across the tantalizing but limited available experimental work (see Rohrer et al., 2010), the present study was designed to explore a range of possible transfer from quizzed items to exam items. As an overview, Experiment 1 focused on the extent to which quizzing would produce associative transfer, and Experiments 2a and 2b examined the effects of quizzing on learning and retention of related information and application of target constructs. Results demonstrate that low- and no-stakes quizzing can promote learning that is deeper than just retaining a particular answer. Experiment 1 clearly showed that quizzing promoted transfer to different exam items requiring a reverse association between concept-term and definition from that quizzed. Experiments 2a and 2b further showed that quizzing promoted transfer from applying a principle/concept in a concrete context to better retention of definitional information, as well as to applying the principle in a new context. This transfer was relatively broad, ranging from associative transfer, to increased learning of definitional information (after applied questions), to application of concepts in a variety of situations. Thus, quizzing can enhance learning of science concepts, not just learning of particular answers to repeated questions (across quizzes and exams). As such, low- or no-stakes quizzing appears to be a valuable learning technique that could be incorporated in a wide variety of educational contexts, without extensive changes or adjustments to current classroom practice and teacher development. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.) – Name: AbstractInfo Label: Abstractor Group: Ab Data: ERIC – Name: Ref Label: Number of References Group: RefInfo Data: 23 – Name: DateEntry Label: Entry Date Group: Date Data: 2011 – Name: AN Label: Accession Number Group: ID Data: ED517986 |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED517986 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Languages: – Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 14 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Feedback (Response) Type: general – SubjectFull: Testing Type: general – SubjectFull: Educational Practices Type: general – SubjectFull: Classroom Environment Type: general – SubjectFull: School Holding Power Type: general – SubjectFull: Teaching Methods Type: general – SubjectFull: Self Evaluation (Individuals) Type: general – SubjectFull: Tests Type: general – SubjectFull: Experiments Type: general – SubjectFull: Experimental Psychology Type: general – SubjectFull: Science Education Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Quizzing Promotes Deeper Acquisition in Middle School Science: Transfer of Quizzed Content to Summative Exams Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE) – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Agarwal, Pooja K. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: McDaniel, Mark A. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Thomas, Ruthann C. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 01 Type: published Y: 2011 Titles: – TitleFull: Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
