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Student spacing and self-testing strategies and their associations with learning in an upper division microbiology course

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Abstract

A growing body of work has shown that two specific study strategies help explain differences in learning and achievement in gateway courses: spacing (breaking up study sessions across multiple days) and self-testing (actively recalling information from memory). However, it is still unclear whether the benefits of these strategies are applicable in more advanced biology courses, and whether promoting effective study practices in these courses (spacing and self-testing) is related to increased use of these practices and greater learning outcomes. We studied two senior-level microbiology courses that were taught by the same instructor. Using a quasi-experimental design, one course additionally received a light-touch study skills intervention, where the instructor introduced the concepts of spacing and self-testing while also providing reminders to students about utilizing these strategies. We found that, while the intervention was not related to increased use of spacing and self-testing, both strategies were positively related to learning, as measured by the final course grade. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that engaging in spacing throughout the course was the most consistent predictor of final course grade, even after accounting for other study strategies, demographic characteristics, and prior academic achievement. Our results add to the literature emphasizing the importance of spacing in increasing students’ achievement in STEM courses.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through the EHR Core Research Program, Award 1535300. The views contained in this article are those of the authors, and not of their institutions or the National Science Foundation.

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Correspondence to Fernando Rodriguez or Julia Massimelli Sewall.

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This study was completed in compliance with human subjects IRB 2016-3168 (University of California, Irvine).

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Rodriguez, F., Fischer, C., Zhou, N. et al. Student spacing and self-testing strategies and their associations with learning in an upper division microbiology course. SN Soc Sci 1, 38 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-020-00013-5

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