scholarly journals Learning new word meanings from story reading: the benefit of immediate testing

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11693
Author(s):  
Rachael C. Hulme ◽  
Jennifer M. Rodd
Keyword(s):  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Story Reading ◽  
New Meanings

This study investigated how word meanings can be learned from natural story reading. Three experiments with adult participants compared naturalistic incidental learning with intentional learning of new meanings for familiar words, and examined the role of immediate tests in maintaining memory of new word meanings. In Experiment 1, participants learned new meanings for familiar words through incidental (story reading) and intentional (definition training task) conditions. Memory was tested with cued recall of meanings and multiple-choice meaning-to-word matching immediately and 24 h later. Results for both measures showed higher accuracy for intentional learning, which was also more time efficient than incidental learning. However, there was reasonably good learning from both methods, and items learned incidentally through stories appeared less susceptible to forgetting over 24 h. It was possible that retrieval practice at the immediate test may have aided learning and improved memory of new word meanings 24 h later, especially for the incidental story reading condition. Two preregistered experiments then examined the role of immediate testing in long-term retention of new meanings for familiar words. There was a strong testing effect for word meanings learned through intentional and incidental conditions (Experiment 2), which was non-significantly larger for items learned incidentally through stories. Both cued recall and multiple-choice tests were each individually sufficient to enhance retention compared to having no immediate test (Experiment 3), with a larger learning boost from multiple-choice. This research emphasises (i) the resilience of word meanings learned incidentally through stories and (ii) the key role that testing can play in boosting vocabulary learning from story reading.

scholarly journals Learning new word meanings from story reading: The benefit of immediate testing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Catherine Hulme ◽  
Jennifer M Rodd
Keyword(s):  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Story Reading ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
Task Conditions

This study investigated how word meanings can be learned from natural story reading. Three experiments compared naturalistic incidental learning with intentional learning of new meanings for familiar words, and examined the role of immediate tests in maintaining memory of new word meanings. In Experiment 1, participants learned new meanings for familiar words through incidental (story reading) and intentional (definition training task) conditions. Memory was tested with cued recall of meanings and multiple-choice meaning-to-word matching immediately and 24 hours later. Results showed that intentional learning was more efficient, but there was reasonably good learning from both methods, and items learned incidentally through stories appeared less susceptible to forgetting over 24 hours. Two preregistered experiments then examined the role of immediate testing in long-term retention of new meanings for familiar words. There was a strong testing effect for word meanings learned through intentional and incidental conditions (Experiment 2), which was non-significantly larger for items learned incidentally through stories. Both cued recall and multiple-choice tests enhanced retention individually (Experiment 3), with better performance for multiple-choice. This research emphasises (i) the resilience of word meanings learned incidentally through stories and (ii) the key role that testing can play in boosting vocabulary learning from story reading.

A Classroom Study on the Role of Prior Knowledge and Retrieval Tool in the Testing Effect

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-274
Author(s):  
Andrea P. Francis ◽  
Mareike B. Wieth ◽  
Kevin L. Zabel ◽  
Thomas H. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Knowledge Practice ◽  
Building Activities ◽  
Connection Building

This quasi-experimental study investigated the role of prior psychology knowledge and in-class retrieval activity in the testing effect. Undergraduate introductory psychology students ( N = 53) from two classes at a small liberal arts college practiced retrieving information in class with multiple-choice quizzing and concept mapping. Prior psychology knowledge was measured using a 25-item multiple-choice pretest. Both students with high and low prior psychology knowledge had higher scores on examination material that was practiced in class with retrieval-based concept mapping compared to traditional multiple-choice quizzes and to no organized in-class retrieval activity at all. Only students with high prior psychology knowledge had higher scores on quizzed material compared to no organized in-class retrieval practice, and these scores were lower than those on material that was practiced with in-class concept mapping. In comparison to administering multiple-choice quiz questions, a more useful in-class activity might be to have students, especially those with less prior psychology knowledge, practice retrieving material through free recall and connection building activities such as a concept map.

scholarly journals Incidental learning and long-term retention of new word meanings from stories: The effect of number of exposures

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Catherine Hulme ◽  
Daria Barsky ◽  
Jennifer M Rodd
Keyword(s):  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
Term Retention ◽  
New Meanings ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Long Term Retention ◽  
The Impact

This study used a web-based naturalistic story-reading paradigm to investigate the impact of number of exposures on incidental acquisition and long-term retention of new meanings for known words in the native language (L1). Participants read one of four custom-written stories in which they encountered novel meanings (e.g., “a safe concealed within a piece of furniture”) for familiar words (e.g., “foam”). These meanings appeared two, four, six, or eight times in the narrative. The results showed reasonably good memory (assessed by cued recall of (i) novel meanings and (ii) word forms) after only two exposures, emphasising the importance of initial encounters. Accuracy in cued recall of novel meanings showed a linear, incremental increase with more exposures. Interestingly, there was no significant forgetting after one week, regardless of the number of exposures during training. This demonstrates the efficiency with which adults acquire new word meanings in L1 incidentally through reading and retain them well over time.

scholarly journals Prior episodic learning and the efficacy of retrieval practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan W. Gupta ◽  
Steven C. Pan ◽  
Timothy C. Rickard
Keyword(s):  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Study Phase ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
Effect Theory ◽  
Test Enhanced Learning ◽  
Enhanced Learning ◽  
Learning Event

AbstractIn three experiments we investigated how the level of study-based, episodic knowledge influences the efficacy of subsequent retrieval practice (testing) as a learning event. Possibilities are that the efficacy of a test, relative to a restudy control, decreases, increases, or is independent of the degree of prior study-based learning. The degree of study-based learning was manipulated by varying the number of item repetitions in the initial study phase between one and eight. Predictions of the dual-memory model of test-enhanced learning for the case of one study-phase repetition were used as a reference. Results support the hypothesis that the advantage of testing over restudy is independent of the degree of prior episodic learning, and they suggest that educators can apply cued-recall testing with the expectation that its efficacy is similar across varying levels of prior content learning. Implications for testing effect theory are discussed.

scholarly journals Neural Correlates of Long-Term Memory Enhancement Following Retrieval Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Marin-Garcia ◽  
Aaron T. Mattfeld ◽  
John D. E. Gabrieli
Keyword(s):  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Test Group ◽  
Cued Recall ◽  
Long Term Memory ◽  
Study Group ◽  
Contrast Study ◽  
Memory Enhancement ◽  
Term Memory

Retrieval practice, relative to further study, leads to long-term memory enhancement known as the “testing effect.” The neurobiological correlates of the testing effect at retrieval, when the learning benefits of testing are expressed, have not been fully characterized. Participants learned Swahili-English word-pairs and were assigned randomly to either the Study-Group or the Test-Group. After a week delay, all participants completed a cued-recall test while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The Test-Group had superior memory for the word-pairs compared to the Study-Group. While both groups exhibited largely overlapping activations for remembered word-pairs, following an interaction analysis the Test-Group exhibited differential performance-related effects in the left putamen and left inferior parietal cortex near the supramarginal gyrus. The same analysis showed the Study-Group exhibited greater activations in the dorsal MPFC/pre-SMA and bilateral frontal operculum for remembered vs. forgotten word-pairs, whereas the Test-Group showed the opposite pattern of activation in the same regions. Thus, retrieval practice during training establishes a unique striatal-supramarginal network at retrieval that promotes enhanced memory performance. In contrast, study alone yields poorer memory but greater activations in frontal regions.

The role of orthotactic probability in incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition L1 and L2

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denisa Bordag ◽  
Amit Kirschenbaum ◽  
Maria Rogahn ◽  
Erwin Tschirner
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Vocabulary Acquisition ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
First Language ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Word Meanings ◽  
L1 And L2

Four experiments were conducted to examine the role of orthotactic probability, i.e. the sequential letter probability, in the early stages of vocabulary acquisition by adult native speakers and advanced learners of German. The results show different effects for orthographic probability in incidental and intentional vocabulary acquisition: Whereas low orthographic probability contributed positively to incidental acquisition of novel word meanings in first language (L1), high orthographic probability affected positively the second language (L2) intentional learning. The results are discussed in the context of the following concepts: (1) triggering the establishment of a new representation, (2) noticing of new lexemes during reading, and (3) vocabulary size of the L1 and L2 mental lexicons.

Het Afleiden Van de Betekenis Van Vreemdtalige Woorden Uit de Context

1989 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 13-25
Author(s):  
Jan H. Hulstijn
Keyword(s):  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Multiple Choice ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Learning Task ◽  
Intentional Learning ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Unknown Word ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Unknown Words

This research focused on the incidental learning of the meaning of new word forms occurring in a reading passage. In five experiments, a comparison was made of the retention effects of several ways to orient readers to the meaning of twelve new word forms ("targets"), occurring in a reading passage, containing otherwise simple vocabulary. In all experiments the same four-page Dutch reading passage was used (on the role of advertisement agencies). In experiments I, III, and V, the targets were 12 Dutch low frequency verbs. Subjects in these experiments were adult intermediate learners of Dutch as a second language (65, 45, and 35 Ss respectively). In experiments II and IV, these Dutch verbs were replaced by twelve pseudo-verbs. Subjects in these two experiments were adult Dutch native speakers (98 and 52 Ss respectively). In the margin of the text various sorts of cues were given, orienting the readers in various ways to the meaning of the targets. The following orienting cues (experimental conditions) were compared: (1) Translation: Translation of the target into LI (Exp. I), (2) Synonym: Dutch synonym of the target (Exp. II-V), (3) Context: a sample sentence providing a concise and highly specific context for the target's meaning (Exp. I and II), (4) Multiple Choice: four (Exp. I-III) or two (Exp. IV-V) verbs to choose from, one verb being a correct synonym, the other verbs giving wrong meanings (distractors), and (5) Control: absence of cue (Exp. I-II). In all five experiments Ss read the text and answered six multiple-choice comprehension questions, each question pertaining to the meaning of one or two paragraphs. This reading-for-comprehension task was unexpectedly followed by some posttests, eliciting knowledge of the twelve targets (incidental learning). In experiments IV and V half of the Ss were informed that retention tests were to follow the reading task (intentional learning). The results of these five experiments and the conclusions drawn from them can be summarized as follows: 1. The retention of word meanings in a truly incidental task is very poor indeed. The chance that readers will remember the meaning of an unknown word, occurring once in the text, is minimal. 2. The presence of an orienting cue enhances word meaning retention, as compared to the absence of an orienting cue. In the latter case, readers often spontaneously infer a wrong (although possible) meaning. 3. From 2 it follows that in language pedagogy one should try to assess the differential effect of various orienting cues, rather than compare giving the meaning to the reader/learner (cue presence) with having the reader/learner infer the meaning without any help (cue absence). 4. A comparison between the Multiple Choice and the Synonym conditions showed in three out of four experiments that the former had a higher retention effect than the latter in an incidental (as opposed to intentional) learning setting. With the multiple-choice procedure, however, there is a chance that the readerAearner infers a wrong meaning (distractor). This procedure should therefore only be used in the classroom, with immediate feedback from the teacher. For unguided reading/learning at home, the synonym (or translation) procedure seems to be more appropriate. 5. The results of these experiments provide modest evidence for a mental effort hypothesis. The net retention effect (i.e. in an incidental learning task) of conditions in which the meaning of unknown words must be inferred by the reader/earner is higher than of conditions in which the meaning is given. However, as said under 4, it is assumed that language teachers will generally opt for the safer procedure of giving the meaning of an unknown word, rather than for the (somewhat) more effective procedure of having the reader/learner infer the meaning.

Improving students’ summative knowledge of introductory chemistry through the forward testing effect: examining the role of retrieval practice quizzing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaylee Todd ◽  
David J. Therriault ◽  
Alexander Angerhofer
Keyword(s):  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Testing Effect ◽  
Retrieval Practice ◽  
Control Variable ◽  
Introductory Chemistry ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
High Achieving Students ◽  
Exam Scores

Building domain knowledge is essential to a student's success in any course. Chemistry, similar to other STEM disciplines, has a strong cumulative element (i.e., topic areas continuously build upon prior coursework). We employed the testing effect, in the form of post-exam retrieval quizzes, as a way to improve students’ understanding of chemistry over an entire semester. Students (n = 146) enrolled in Introduction to Chemistry were presented with retrieval quizzes released one week after each during-term exam (that covered that exam's content). We measured students’ level of quiz participation, during-term exam scores (a control variable), and cumulative final exam scores to determine the effectiveness of implementing a post-exam retrieval quiz system. Most critically, students completing more than 50% of the retrieval quizzes performed significantly better (i.e., more than a half letter grade) on the cumulative final exam than those who were below 50% participation as determined by one-way between-subjects ANOVA and planned follow-up analyses. We found no significant differences between the participating groups on during-term exam scores, suggesting that high achieving students were not more likely than struggling students to participate in the practice testing (and thus benefit from it).

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