Effects of Distributed Retrieval Practice Over a Semester: Cumulative Tests as a Way to Facilitate Second Language Vocabulary Learning

Abstract

Research suggests that testing (or retrieval) has the potential to enhance second language (L2) vocabulary learning. Given the positive effects of testing, how L2 vocabulary learning from tests can be optimized is an important question. One way to increase the benefits of testing may be to use cumulative tests, where not only recently studied but also previously studied materials are tested. This research compared the effects of cumulative and noncumulative quizzes on L2 vocabulary learning. Seventy-two Japanese university students were randomly assigned to the cumulative or noncumulative group and studied 80 low-frequency English vocabulary items over nine weekly classes. In both groups, participants were introduced to 10 target items in each class and completed a vocabulary quiz in the following class. In the noncumulative group, the 10 items introduced in the previous class appeared in vocabulary quizzes in the following class. In the cumulative group, not only target items introduced in the previous class but also items introduced in earlier classes were tested. Posttest results demonstrate that the cumulative tests may be twice

Distributed Retrieval Practice Enhances Primary School Students' Retention of Computational Thinking Concepts

“…The study found that cumulative tests (i.e. DP) are as much as three times more effective than noncumulative tests when comparing the results of a delayed test taken 3 weeks later (Nakata et al, 2020).…”

“…These forces of forgetting were demonstrated in Ebbinghaus' seminal work on the forgetting curve almost 135 years ago. Work that has recently been reproduced by Murre and Dros (2015) shows that on average we remember as little as 30% of what we learned after one day has passed.…”

“…To fulfill the objective of it being a useful skill for the future, students need to develop and retain a level of proficiency in CT. As it is considered to be a complex thinking skill, that is acquired over time with practice (Denning, 2017), appropriate teaching practices need to be explored to allow the acquired knowledge and skill to persist over time. However, learning can quickly become forgotten as demonstrated by the work of Ebbinghaus almost 135 years ago (Murre and Dros, 2015). With the rapid loss of memory over time, long-term or durable learning is hindered (Davis and Zhong, 2017).…”

“…Distributed Retrieval Practice (DRP) is a combination of the two evidence-based practices. Studies investigating DRP have found positive effects of DRP on university student learning of anatomy (Dobson et al 2017) and vocabulary items (Nakata et al, 2020).…”

Input spacing in second language classroom settings: Replications of Bird (2010) and Serrano (2011)

“…Similarly, distribution of practice effects can influence the content or teaching schedule within a curriculum. For example, teachers may revisit/review previously taught material in the days prior to a test, or this might be structured so that content is revisited and reviewed regularly and systematically over the course of the entire semester (e.g., Nakata, Tada, Mclean, & Kim, 2020).…”