Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. · 2013
grade Dreviewindependentreplicatednumbers spot-checked
Sample
Synthesis rating 10 study techniques
Population
Synthesis across K-12, college, lab and applied.
Design
Expert utility ratings (generalizability across materials/learners/tasks), not a pooled meta. Grade-D as evidence, but curates strong primary literatures.
Key findings
Authoritative ranking: practice testing and distributed practice are the two HIGH-utility techniques; popular rereading/highlighting are LOW. Cite as expert consensus, not primary evidence. Flags that students rarely self-adopt these, so they need imposed structure.
Genetic confound
Teachable study skills/retention, not ability.
Replication notes
Widely cited consensus; consistent with later classroom metas.
DOI / URL
10.1177/1529100612453266
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practice testing (retrieval) | utility | HIGH | mixed | favors delayed retention | unclear | unclear | domain-skill |
| Distributed (spaced) practice | utility | HIGH | mixed | delayed | unclear | unclear | domain-skill |
| Interleaving / elaborative interrogation / self-explanation | utility | MODERATE | mixed | mixed | unclear | unclear | domain-skill |
| Rereading / highlighting / summarizing | utility | LOW | mixed | mixed | unclear | unclear | domain-skill |
Cited by
- Retrieval practice (the testing effect)strong supportconf: highgc: low
- Spaced (distributed) practicestrong supportconf: highgc: low