Abstract
We investigated whether continuously alternating between topics during practice, or interleaved practice, improves memory and the ability to solve problems in undergraduate physics. Over 8 weeks, students in two lecture sections of a university-level introductory physics course completed thrice-weekly homework assignments, each containing problems that were interleaved (i.e., alternating topics) or conventionally arranged (i.e., one topic practiced at a time). On two surprise criterial tests containing novel and more challenging problems, students recalled more relevant information and more frequently produced correct solutions after having engaged in interleaved practice (with observed median improvements of 50% on test 1 and 125% on test 2). Despite benefiting more from interleaved practice, students tended to rate the technique as more difficult and incorrectly believed that they learned less from it. Thus, in a domain that entails considerable amounts of problem-solving, replacing conventionally arranged with interleaved homework can (despite perceptions to the contrary) foster longer lasting and more generalizable learning.
Highlights
In virtually all learning domains, different topics or skills need to be mastered
Its use is consistent with the common assumptions that human beings learn best when topics are introduced in isolation[4], the learning of concepts is facilitated by exposure to successive examples of the same concept[5], and that repetition practice fosters the development of expertize[6]
The present study addressed that need by conducting a realworld, reasonably well-controlled test of interleaving in undergraduate physics
Summary
In virtually all learning domains, different topics or skills need to be mastered. Examples include derivatives and integrals in calculus, body systems in physiology, and the forehand, backhand, and serve in tennis. An intuitive approach to achieving mastery in such cases is to focus on learning one topic or skill at a time, which cognitive scientists refer to as blocking or massing (e.g., given concepts A, B, and C, studying three examples of each concept according to an “A1A2A3B1B2B3C1C2C3” schedule). Its use is consistent with the common assumptions that human beings learn best when topics are introduced in isolation[4], the learning of concepts is facilitated by exposure to successive examples of the same concept[5], and that repetition practice fosters the development of expertize[6]. Interleaving involves switching between topics (or skills, concepts, categories, etc.) during learning (e.g., studying concepts A, B, and C using an “A1B1C1A2B2C2A3B3C3” schedule)[7]. Interleaving is currently rarely used in pedagogical settings[1,2,3]
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