Science Learning Gets Boost from Memory Retrieval

Rather than using elaborate study methods, students learning about science could boost their ability to memorize and understand various concepts related to their interests by practicing memory retrieval.

In other words, experts have demonstrated that people are better at understanding science concepts if they remember what they've learned from memory, rather than trying to study elaborate books.

Purdue University experts say that this is the short version of the take-away message of a new study they conducted, on how to boost science learning abilities in the general public.

“Our view is that learning is not about studying or getting knowledge 'in memory.' Learning is about retrieving. So it is important to make retrieval practice an integral part of the learning process,” says scientist Jeffrey Karpicke.

The team member was the lead investigator on the new research. He also holds an appointment as a psychology professor at Purdue, and is the author of a new study detailing the findings. The work appears in the January 20 issue of the top journal Science.

At this point, teachers and educators working by established norms encourage and reward elaborate study routines and techniques as the basis of learning activities. They say that this approach helps with encoding information into students' memories.

What the Purdue team is suggesting is that, when students try to retrieve things they have studied, they would do best to set the study book aside, and focus more on mental recollection of the concepts they studied.

The US National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE) funded the new research paper, which is called “Retrieval Practice Produces More Learning Than Elaborative Studying With Concept Mapping.”

For the purpose of the study, Purdue investigators analyzed the effectiveness of both study methods against each other. “In prior research, we established that practicing retrieval is a powerful way to improve learning,” Karpick says.

“Here we put retrieval practice to the test by comparing its effectiveness to an elaborative study method, specifically elaborative studying by creating concept maps,” he goes on to say.

"Students do not always know what methods will produce the best learning. It may be surprising to realize that there is such a disconnect between what students think will afford good learning and what is actually best,” the expert believes.

“We, as educators, need to keep this in mind as we create learning tools and evaluate educational practices,” he concludes.