"What's on the Test?": The Impact of Giving Students a Concept-List Study Guide. (April 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cushen, Patrick J.; Hackathorn, Jana; Vázquez Brown, Maria D.; Rife, Sean C.; Joyce, Amanda W.; Smith, Eric D.; Bordieri, Michael J.; Anderson, Paul W.; Karlsson, Marie E.; Daniels, Jordan
• Is Part Of: Teaching of psychology. Volume 46:Number 2(2019:Apr.)
• Page Start: 109
• Page End: 114
• Publication Date: 2019-04
• Subjects: teaching psychology -- study aids -- study guides -- exam performance; Psychology -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; 150.711
• DOI: 10.1177/0098628319834171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0098-6283

Abstract

Students frequently request concept-list study guides prior to exams, but the benefits of instructors providing such resources are unclear. Research on memory and comprehension has suggested that some challenges in learning are associated with benefits to performance. In the context of an introductory psychology course, a study was conducted to investigate the impact of providing a concept-list study guide on exam performance, as opposed to having students create a study guide. Additionally, student preferences for various types of study guides were examined. Results indicated that although students greatly prefer that the instructors provide a study guide (as opposed to making their own), providing a concept-list study guide resulted in poorer exam performance. These results call for future research on the influence of study guides on student performance.