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<p>Retrieval practice requires learners to retrieve previously learned information from memory. It has proven to be a powerful strategy for long-term learning. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the effectiveness of this strategy, as a function of the students’ working memory capacity and the number of tests performed in real class settings conditions and over the course of a school year. Study 1 aimed to determine whether the effectiveness of retrieval practice was affected by the students’ working memory skills. Students were tested on half of the content taught throughout the school year. Tested content was better memorized in the long term than non-tested content, and this result did not vary as a function of the students’ working memory. Study 2 aimed to test the effect of the number of tests on the retrieval practice. Throughout the school year, the learning content was either tested frequently, moderately frequently, or not at all. Results showed that the more frequent the tests, the better the long-term learning. These results offer promising prospects for more systematic retrieval practice in the classroom.</p>

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When do tests help learning? The role of working memory capacity and test frequency in secondary school students

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Nathalie Gavens,
  • Nadège Doignon-Camus,
  • Emma Quinones,
  • Romain Roth,
  • Maria Popa-Roch

摘要

Retrieval practice requires learners to retrieve previously learned information from memory. It has proven to be a powerful strategy for long-term learning. The aim of the present paper is to investigate the effectiveness of this strategy, as a function of the students’ working memory capacity and the number of tests performed in real class settings conditions and over the course of a school year. Study 1 aimed to determine whether the effectiveness of retrieval practice was affected by the students’ working memory skills. Students were tested on half of the content taught throughout the school year. Tested content was better memorized in the long term than non-tested content, and this result did not vary as a function of the students’ working memory. Study 2 aimed to test the effect of the number of tests on the retrieval practice. Throughout the school year, the learning content was either tested frequently, moderately frequently, or not at all. Results showed that the more frequent the tests, the better the long-term learning. These results offer promising prospects for more systematic retrieval practice in the classroom.