Spacing effects in real‐world classroom vocabulary learning

Abstract

As a primary goal, educators often strive to maximize the amount of information pupils remember. In the lab, psychologists have found efficient memory strategies for retaining school-related materials. One such strategy is the spacing effect, a memory advantage that occurs when learning is distributed across time instead of crammed into a single study session. Spaced learning is not often explicitly utilized in actual classrooms, perhaps due to a paucity of research in applied settings and with school-aged children. The current study examined the spacing effect in real-world fifth-grade classrooms. We taught 39 children unfamiliar English words using both massed and spaced learning. Five weeks later, we tested vocabulary recall. One-week spacing produced superior long-term retention compared to massed learning. This finding demonstrates that the spacing effect can be generalized to vocabulary learning in applied settings and middle-school-aged children.

Distributed Practice and Retrieval Practice in Primary School Vocabulary Learning: A Multi‐classroom Study

“…In contrast to earlier conducted studies (e.g., Goossens et al, 2012;Goossens, Camp, Verkoeijen, Tabbers, & Zwaan, 2014;Sobel et al, 2011), the experiment was fully integrated in the vocabulary learning curriculum. The children had to perform their own vocabulary learning exercises that were scheduled differently (for the distributed practice manipulation) and that were supplemented with additional exercises (for the repetition type manipulation).…”

“…Fourth, in contrast to studies performed with only one age group or grade (e.g., Goossens, Camp, Verkoeijen, & Tabbers, 2012;Goossens, Camp, Verkoeijen, Tabbers, & Zwaan, 2014;Sobel et al, 2011), we conducted experiments in Grades 2, 3, 4, and 6 to be able to generalize our results to different age groups.…”

“…It is important to look at the combination of these two strategies, because it mirrors teaching practice: teachers often use distributed practice and retrieval practice together in one lesson. So, our main interest was to investigate whether the benefits of distributed practice and retrieval practice found in previous studies (e.g., Sobel et al, 2011) would generalize to actual classroom practice and whether the benefits of these two strategies can be combined.…”

“…Only a few studies have demonstrated a benefit of distributed practice in first language vocabulary learning (e.g., Goossens, Camp, Verkoeijen, Tabbers, & Zwaan, 2012;Kornell, 2009;Sobel, Cepeda, & Kapler, 2011). For example, Kornell (2009) had undergraduate students study 40 flashcards, each with an unknown word and its synonym (e.g., effulgent-brilliant).…”

“…Second, in many experiments on distributed practice, a distributed condition is compared with a massed condition, in which words are learned in a single learning session (see for example Goossens et al, 2012;Sobel et al, 2011). However, in (Dutch) vocabulary learning curricula, vocabulary exercises are usually not massed in a single learning session, but rather distributed over several learning sessions during the week (e.g., Janssen & Van Ooijen, 2012;Van de Gein, Van de Guchte, & Kouwenberg, 2008).…”