A comparison of students studying-behavior produced by daily, weekly, and three-week testing schedules

Abstract

Time spent in contact with academic course materials as a function of two testing schedules was measured using college undergraduates in an introductory educational psychology course. A within-subject (ABAB) design was employed with all subjects to allow for both individual and group analyses. A study room equipped with an adjacent observation room enabled visual and auditory monitoring of student study behavior. Academic materials were exclusively available to students in the study room and records of durations and distribution of student study time were made by an observer behind a one-way mirror. Daily testing produced consistent duration of study behavior with regular attendance at the study room; weekly and three-week testing produced sporadic bursts of study behavior and frequent instances of non-attendance. The amount of study behavior occurring in weekly and three-week testing conditions increased as the test time drew near (scalloping). Results suggest that daily testing supports more consistent study patterns than do the two larger intertest intervals investigated.