What is the best way to study?
Exploring what impact different study techniques have on student exam scores and how teachers can guide students’ study habits for success.
Research at the University of Wisconsin (Bartoszewski, 2015) explored the correlation between ten well-known study techniques (Dunloswky et al., 2013) and academic performance.
The research tested how each technique correlated with each other, and final exam scores.
The study involved students (n = 312) from introductory psychology and human development courses who participated through an online survey. Participants were 18 to 42 years old.
The survey included questions about study habits, academic motivation, and classroom experiences. Instructors provided students’ exam scores for analysis alongside self-reported academic measures.
Key findings
Students rated two learning techniques, self-explanation and keyword mnemonic, as the top learning techniques in both courses. Summarisation and highlighting were reported to be the lowest.
- The study found that only elaborative interrogation significantly predicted exam scores, but intriguingly, its higher usage was linked to lower exam scores.
- Students reported frequent use of various learning techniques, with practice retrieval notably prevalent among the strategies evaluated.
- Many of the studied techniques were found to be interrelated in their use, suggesting that students often employ multiple strategies in conjunction with one another.
- Despite the broad application of learning techniques, the study revealed that most did not directly correlate with improved exam scores after controlling for other variables.
- Factors such as perceptions of teaching quality and self-efficacy emerged as more consistent predictors of academic performance, overshadowing the direct influence of specific study techniques.
Teachers can incorporate these findings into their teaching by encouraging students to adopt evidence-backed study strategies, such as elaborative interrogation, fostering a classroom environment that supports effective learning techniques. Here are some questions to use for CPD sessions.
Reflection questions for teachers
- How can teachers integrate effective study techniques into their curriculum plans?
- Which study strategies should be more emphasised in certain subject areas?
- How do schools provide opportunities to discuss study habits with students?
- Could teachers facilitate peer-sharing sessions on successful study habits?
- How might technology support these effective study techniques?
- What role does feedback play in shaping student study strategies?
- How do teachers design assignments that naturally encourage effective study methods?
- How could teachers measure the impact of new study strategies in their classrooms?
- How does current CPD promote best study practices?
- How might teachers adjust their approach to students with SEND?
The research suggests
… not surprisingly, many techniques correlated with one another; how students engaged with the material was just as important as what factors influenced the use of certain techniques.
Download the full paper.
