Practicing retrieval in university teaching: short-answer questions are beneficial, whereas multiple-choice questions are not

Abstract

ABSTRACT Proponents of the testing effect claim that answering questions about the learning content benefits retention more than does additional restudying—even without corrective feedback. In educational contexts, evidence for this claim is scarce and points toward differential effects for different question formats: Benefits emerged for short-answer questions but not for multiple-choice questions. The present study implemented an experimentally controlled, minimal intervention design in five sessions of an existing lecture. In each session, participants reviewed lecture content by answering short-answer questions, multiple-choice questions, or reading summarising statements. An unannounced test measured the retention of learning content. Bayesian analyses revealed a positive testing effect for short-answer questions that was strongest for difficult practice questions. Analyses also provided evidence for the absence of a testing effect for multiple-choice questions. These results suggest that short-answer testing is more beneficial than multiple-choice testing in a higher education context when feedback is not provided.