AN EXAMINATION OF REPETITION AND THE SPACING EFFECT IN THE CLASSROOM: A SELF-REPORT SURVEY OF TEACHERS

Abstract

The spacing effect is one of the most remarkable and reliable phenomenon to emerge from the experimental research in learning and memory. In fact, over the past 100 years it has been demonstrated with a wide range of learning paradigms, materials, and participants. Not surprisingly, several researchers have outlined suggestions for its application to the classroom (e.g., Demspter, 1988; Rohrer & Pashler, 2007). However, while it is important that educational practices are grounded in research, it is equally important that researchers consider established teaching practices when formulating experiments. This point is especially pertinent to the research on the spacing effect because despite its 100 year history, there are relatively few ecologically valid demonstrations of its effect. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the congruence between teaching practices with respect to repetition and the timing of repetitions, and research methodologies used in studies of the spacing effect. Specifically, the research objectives of this study were to investigate teachers': 1) self-reported use and opinion of repetition as a teaching strategy, 2) self-reported preferences and beliefs regarding massed versus distributed methods of teaching, and 3) self-reported beliefs about the ecological validity of massed versus distributed teaching methods. Data for this study were gathered from 303 US teachers who completed a self-report web-based survey. While results revealed that teachers reported to use repetition in their classrooms, reported reasons for using repetition varied by grade level taught. With respect to the timing of repetitions, results indicated that teachers are knowledgeable of the benefits to memory of spaced repetitions. Interestingly, principles of the spacing effect were often reported as impractical to use in the classroom, and massed methods of teaching were overwhelmingly viewed as more ecologically valid. Results suggest the that breakdown between the research on the spacing effect and educational practice may not stem from lack of knowledge on part of the teachers, but rather from a lack of congruence between teaching practices and research methodologies. Important implications for researchers seeking to conduct ecologically valid demonstrations of the spacing effect are discussed.