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Study and revision difficulties

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Summary

  • In word-list experiments, college students with ADHD also benefited from self-testing.
  • Recall during study and recall days later can give very different assessments of a study method.
  • Self-testing does not outperform rereading across all materials, including word lists, terms, and articles.

Self-testing improved two-day recall in a word-list experiment

Research-backed

In a word-list experiment, alternating study with closed-book self-testing worked better than rereading alone when practice opportunities were equal. Two days later, college students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remembered more after self-testing(Knouse et al., 2015).

A study method is therefore better judged by how much can be recalled independently days later than by the familiarity felt while rereading.

With clear practice steps, ADHD students may recall just as much

Research-backed

In a term-learning experiment, students studied, recalled, and checked answers on a computer. One group chose its own practice schedule; another practiced until each term was recalled correctly three times. After one week, neither practice schedule showed a detectable difference in recall or recognition between students with and without ADHD(Knouse et al., 2020).

The researchers noted that the computer interface may have supported practice. Performance with clear guidance does not necessarily reflect performance when independently organizing everyday coursework(Knouse et al., 2020).

Section-by-section recall helped immediately, but not two days later

Research-backed

In an article-learning experiment, recalling each section immediately after reading it produced more points during practice. Two days later, however, students who recalled after reading the whole article retained a higher proportion of points. This held for students with and without ADHD(Stern & Halamish, 2023).

Neither recall method outperformed rereading in this experiment. Judging whether a study method suits article learning therefore requires more than checking how easily answers come during practice(Stern & Halamish, 2023).

Evidence

References (3)
  1. Randomized trialDoes Testing Improve Learning for College Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?Knouse, Rawson, Vaughn, Dunlosky (2015). Clinical Psychological Science
  2. Randomized trialHow much do college students with ADHD benefit from retrieval practice when learning key-term definitions?Knouse, Rawson, Dunlosky (2020). Learning and Instruction
  3. Randomized trialFree-recall retrieval practice tasks for students with ADHD: whole-text versus section recallStern, Halamish (2023). Frontiers in Psychology