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- Vol 2 RE: Chapter 3
- Vol 7 RE: Chapter 5
retrieval practicetesting effectclassroom learningcorrective feedbackdelayed learningtransfer-appropriate processingretrieval opportunitiesformative assessmentJournal article Evidence summaryAt a glance
Yang and colleagues synthesise classroom evidence for retrieval practice rather than relying only on laboratory studies. The meta-analysis includes 222 independent studies and data from 48,478 learners.
Key ideas
Across comparisons, testing or quizzing produced a medium average improvement in academic achievement over restudy and other control activities (Hedges’ g = 0.499). Effects varied with the comparison strategy, match between practice and final-test formats and materials, corrective feedback, number of retrieval opportunities, timing and location, intervention duration, and research design. The authors find results compatible with additional exposure, transfer-appropriate processing, and motivational accounts; the analysis does not establish that one mechanism explains every effect. The pooled estimate also should not be read as a guaranteed effect for any quiz implementation, because included studies and conditions were heterogeneous.
Why it matters
For educators, retrieval should be low stakes and aligned with important knowledge, repeated over time, followed by corrective information, and used to guide learning rather than merely assign grades. Comparing retrieval with a credible alternative and monitoring delayed learning provide more meaningful evidence than immediate quiz performance alone.
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Edition abbreviations
- TE
- Teacher Edition
- PE
- Practice Edition
- RE
- Research Edition
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