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Putting evidence-based claims to the test: A multi-site classroom study of retrieval practice and spaced practice

Gurung, Regan A.R., Burns, Kathleen·2019·Applied Cognitive Psychology
DOI 10.1002/acp.3507
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Abstract

Summary Retrieval practice and spacing out studying help increase learning. Introductory Psychology students at nine colleges/universities took quizzes with more (RP+) or less (RP−) retrieval practice and more (SP+) or less (SP−) spacing between quizzes. We compared (N = 351) scores on class exams and on a standardized test. We also measured key student variables (e.g., depth of processing). GPA predicted a significant portion of variance in exam scores, R2 = 0.05, F(1, 204) = 10.84, p = 0.001. We found a main effect for retrieval practice and a significant retrieval by spacing practice interaction, R2 = 0.28, F(3, 201) = 27.38, p < 0.001. Students using SP+, as well as those with SP− and RP−, scored higher than students using SP− and RP+. In practice, closer attention needs to be paid to quiz and exam content overlap and the duration within which repetition is used.

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Crossref · 10.1002/acp.3507

Cites

13 of 13 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Too many exposures can lead to fatigue that negatively impacts learning.

    “too many exposures can lead to fatigue that negatively impacts learning (Gurung & Burns, 2019).”

    From The Distributed Practice Effect on Classroom Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Applied Research (2025) · cites this paper as Gurung & Burns, 2019

  • The negative impact of these factors fits with evidence that scheduling too many exposures to content can negatively impact learning through increasing students' fatigue from constantly reviewing the content.

    “The negative impact of these factors fits with evidence that, in scheduling too many exposures to content, learning can be negatively impacted through increasing students’ fatigue from constantly reviewing the content (Gurung & Burns, 2019).”

    From The Distributed Practice Effect on Classroom Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Applied Research (2025) · cites this paper as Gurung & Burns, 2019

  • The combination of spaced practice and spaced testing can influence learning.

    “Given that the combination of these two related approaches to repeated exposure can influence learning (Gurung & Burns, 2019), clearly distinguishing between the effects of these two strategies is key to the success of their respective implementations in classrooms.”

    From The Distributed Practice Effect on Classroom Learning: A Meta-Analytic Review of Applied Research (2025) · cites this paper as Gurung & Burns, 2019

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Authors
Gurung, R. A. R., & Burns, K.
Affiliations
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (US)
Corresponding author
Gurung, Regan A.R.
ORCID
Venue
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2019-01-04
Volume
33
Issue
5
Pages
732-743
ISSN
  • 0888-4080 (ISSN-L)
  • 1099-0720
DOI
10.1002/acp.3507
OpenAlex
W2904471117
Cited by
42
References
13
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 1
FWCI
1.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
Locations
Applied Cognitive Psychology (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
Keywords
retrieval practice, spaced practice, evidence-based teaching, introductory psychology, exam performance, standardized test scores, levels of processing, GPA, student learning

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Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

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