Retrieval practice – a tool to be able to retain higher mathematics even 3 months after the exam

Muzsnay, Anna and Szabó, Csaba and Szeibert, Janka (2024) Retrieval practice – a tool to be able to retain higher mathematics even 3 months after the exam. ANNALES MATHEMATICAE ET INFORMATICAE, 60. pp. 218-227. ISSN 1787-6117

Preview

Text AMI_60_from218to227.pdf - Published Version Download (548kB) | Preview

Abstract

It is a common phenomenon that students forget the learned material within a few days after their exam. A considerable part of university students do not gain long-term knowledge. Aiming to reduce forgetting and increase further retention in a first-year mathematics course for mathematics pre-service teachers, we applied a special kind of retrieval practice in their lessons. The positive effects of retrieval practice – the strategic use of retrieval to enhance memory – have been shown in the medium term in learning university mathematics. In this paper, we investigate the potential benefit of the applied retrieval practice in learning Number Theory at the university level, focusing on knowledge lasting for 3 months. N = 42 first-year pre-service mathematics teacher students wrote a post-test on the material they learned in the course Number Theory three months after their exam. According to our results, those, who learned Number Theory by retrieval practice, performed significantly better than those who learned on the traditional way. Our findings suggest that retrieval practice can have a powerful, long-lasting effect on learning and solving complex mathematical problems.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item