Assess and give feedback to learners
Appropriate methods for teaching, learning and assessing in the subject area in the subject area and at the level of the academic programme
Practice testing is when students are asked to recall what they've learned, like through quizzes, without the pressure of grades. It’s not just about seeing what they remember—it actually helps them learn better. This method can be used in classrooms or online, with low-stakes quizzes or informal recall tasks. The idea is that the act of retrieving info strengthens memory and understanding. It’s a shift from using tests to assess learning to using them to create learning.
Practice testing improves learning much more than just rereading or doing unrelated activities ➕➕➕➕➕ (Adesope et al.,2017). It helps across age groups, content areas, and settings. The effect is stronger when:
Frequent quizzes also predict exam performance and increase pass rates (Sotola & Credé, 2020). Mastery learning programs that include repeated testing and feedback show positive effects, especially for lower-achieving students (Kuliket al., 1990) ➕➕➕➕.
This summary is based on four meta-analyses. The best quality one (Adesope et al., 2017) included 272 effect sizes and examined both lab and classroom studies. It reported detailed stats and handled publication bias well. Sotola & Credé (2020) focused only on real classroom settings and found consistent, moderate effects. Schwieren et al. (2017) zoomed in on psychology classes, finding strong support for testing effects. Kulik et al. (1990) took a broader look at mastery learning, also showing benefits, though from an older evidence base.
Adesope, O. O., Trevisan, D. A., & Sundararajan, N. (2017). Rethinking the use of tests: A meta-analysis of practice testing. Review ofEducational Research, 87(3), 659–701. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654316689306
Kulik, C. L. C., Kulik, J. A., & Bangert-Drowns, R. L. (1990). Effectiveness of mastery learning programs: A meta-analysis. Review ofEducational Research, 60(2), 265–299. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543060002265
Schwieren, J., Barenberg, J., & Dutke, S. (2017). The testing effect in the psychology classroom: A meta-analytic perspective. PsychologyLearning & Teaching, 16(2), 179–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475725717695149
Sotola, L. K., & Credé, M. (2021). Regarding class quizzes: A meta-analytic synthesis of studies on the relationship between frequent low-stakes testing and class performance. Educational Psychology Review, 33(2),407–426. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-020-09563-9
