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Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2015 Conference Proceedings pp 383–394Cite as

The Influence of Repetition Type on Question Difficulty

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Abstract

Previous research has indicated a positive effect for spaced repetition on comprehension. Spaced repetition reflects the spacing effect theory, which states that intervening stimuli between presentations enhances memory recall. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of repetition on question difficulty on a listening comprehension test. Two types of repetition, spaced and massed, were given on a listening comprehension test in order to examine the affect on question difficulty. As hypothesized, massed repetition had a similar effect as the control group, i.e., listening once. It was also hypothesized that the spacing effect would have a greater positive effect, but overall, the results did not indicate greater listening comprehension for more difficult items. The spacing effect did not affect question difficulty in any significant way. The spacing effect had an effect on question difficulty, but it is not clear as to why it was positive for some items and negative for others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Atomi University, Niiza, Japan

    Paul Horness

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  1. Paul Horness
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Correspondence to Paul Horness .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Foreign Studies, Jiaxing University College of Foreign Studies, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China

    Quan Zhang

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© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Horness, P. (2016). The Influence of Repetition Type on Question Difficulty. In: Zhang, Q. (eds) Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2015 Conference Proceedings. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1687-5_25

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