22 Enhancing the Quality of

Student Learning Using

Distributed Practice
Melody Wiseheart, Carolina E. Küpper-Tetzel, Tina
Weston, Alice S. N. Kim, Irina V. Kapler, and Vanessa
Foot-Seymour

Whether you are an educator or a student, effective time management is critical to

achieving success in the formal education system. For educators, the expectation is that a
significant amount of curriculum can be covered in a condensed period of time. The goal
is to maximize the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom so that students
are prepared for the grade level or course that will follow. For students, the expectation is
that a range of subject materials will be studied and tested in a short amount of time. This
system of learning prioritizes the quantity of knowledge conveyed to students over the
quality of students’ learning – that is, long-lasting comprehension and retention of the
material. In preparation for an upcoming test or exam, teachers and students must decide
what material to review and when and how to review it. To maximize the use of limited
learning time, it is important to identify learning strategies that will be not only effective
but also efficient tools for promoting long-term retention of classroom materials.
The field of cognitive psychology offers a wealth of insight on how to enhance
knowledge retention. Particularly, researchers have consistently shown the benefit of
repetition or reviewing of newly learned information on long-term memory. As explained
in the writings of memory researcher Ebbinghaus (1885/1964), “with any considerable
number of repetitions a suitable distribution of them over a space of time is decidedly
more advantageous than the massing of them at a single time” (p. 89). This phenomenon
is called the distributed practice effect or spacing effect, and it refers to the finding that
when reviewing previously learned material, distributing or “spacing” a set amount of
study time across sessions leads to better memory performance in the long run than
“massing” or cramming the same amount of study time into a single session. A typical
research design for investigating the spacing effect consists of two study events and one
test event. During the first study event, new material is introduced and learned (some-
times to a criterion); during the second study event, the same material is reviewed; and
during the test event, the material is tested (Figure 22.1). The time interval between the
first and second study events is referred to as the interstudy interval; it can be short/
massed (e.g., immediate or a few seconds later) or long/spaced (e.g., minutes, hours, or
days later). The time interval between the last study event and the test event is referred to
as the retention interval; it can also be short (e.g., an immediate test or a test in 5 minutes)
or long (e.g., a test a month or year away). Therefore, the distributed practice effect can be
studied in both single-session experiments as well as multiday experiments.

550

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 551

Basic research design

Interstudy Retention
First study interval Second study interval Test
session session session

Example: (a) Massed interstudy interval; (b) Spaced interstudy interval

(a)
First study Second study Test
session session session
(b)

First study Second study Test

session session session

Example: (c) Short retention interval; (d) Long retention interval

(c)

First study Second study Test

session session session

(d)

First study Second study Test

session session session

Figure 22.1 A basic distributed practice research design

During the first study event, new material is introduced and learned. During the second study
event, the material is reviewed. During the test event, individuals are tested on their memory
for the material. The time interval that passes between the first and second study events is
referred to as the interstudy interval. It is either (a) short/massed or (b) long/spaced. The time
interval that passes between the second study event and the test event is referred to as the
retention interval. It is either (c) short or (d) long. Note: Some researchers refer to interstudy
interval as gap or lag.

In this chapter, we provide a brief historical overview of the distributed

practice effect and its theoretical underpinnings. We highlight important studies
across a range of different subject matters that demonstrate the versatility of this
phenomenon, particularly as it relates to education. We close with a discussion
on how teachers and students can incorporate distributed practice into everyday
instruction and study, as well as how researchers can address limitations of the
current literature.

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 552 melody wiseheart et al.

Historical Studies and Key Findings of the Distributed Practice

Effect
Ebbinghaus (1885/1964) conducted the earliest known research document-
ing distributed practice benefits. He ran a series of experiments on himself to
determine how to minimize the amount of time it took for him to relearn a set of
material. He found that spacing the study of simple verbal material across several
days instead of massing all study into a single day resulted in fewer relearning trials
to achieve perfect acquisition. Around the same time, Jost (1897; described in
Hovland, 1939) administered a paired-associate task with a fixed number of learning
trials, similar to many modern-day distributed practice studies. He also found a
distributed practice benefit for simple verbal material. Lashley (1915) subsequently
examined skill learning in archery and found that when fewer arrow shots were made
per day (40 vs. 20 vs. 5, to a grand total of 320), subjects’ final shooting accuracy
increased.
Since the work of Ebbinghaus, hundreds of studies have investigated the distrib-
uted practice effect, most of which are in the verbal learning domain (e.g., studies
that employed words, paired-associates, sentences, or text passages as the study
material). Meta-analyses estimate that about 75 percent of 400 plus verbal learning
studies in the distributed practice literature show a spacing advantage, about 15 per-
cent show a massing advantage, and the remaining 10 percent of studies show no
difference between spacing and massing conditions (Cepeda et al., 2006; Moss,
1995). Generally, reported effect sizes are large; however, as we will discuss in the
section “Generalizability of the Distributed Practice Effect,” the magnitude of the
distributed practice benefit may depend on a variety of factors, such as type of
content or skill being reviewed.
Early researchers wondered whether final test performance always benefited from
spacing, regardless of the retention interval. Robinson (1921), for example, com-
pared a single massed learning session to two shorter sessions spaced out by 24
hours. He found that spacing only improved performance on the final test when the
retention interval was 24 hours. Massed and spaced conditions resulted in identical
test performance when the retention interval was only 5 minutes or 20 minutes
(average of Tables III and IV in Robinson, 1921, p. 332). This is perhaps the first
study showing that a spaced interstudy interval (in this example, 1 day) does not
always optimize final test performance. Years later, Glenberg (1976) formally
reported that the interstudy interval and retention interval interact, such that the
optimal amount of spacing (or time) between the two learning events is different
depending on when the final test takes place (see also Cepeda et al., 2008).
Data from Glenberg’s (1976) experiments convincingly demonstrate that the
effect of interstudy interval is nonmonotonic; that is, increasing the interstudy
interval (i.e., amount of time) between study sessions will benefit retention to a
point, after which additional increases in interstudy interval will lead to poorer
retention (Peterson et al., 1963). The point at which the shift takes place is the
optimal interstudy interval for the given retention interval (Glenberg, 1976).
Generally speaking, for a test that occurs immediately after learning (i.e., short

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 553

retention interval), the optimal interstudy interval is massed. Conversely, for a test
that occurs further into the future (i.e., a longer retention interval), the optimal
interstudy interval is spaced. Glenberg’s findings helped to clarify earlier reviews
of the distributed practice effect that had not considered retention interval as a factor
of interest and therefore had reported incomparable results across some experiments
(e.g., Ruch, 1928). Additionally, Glenberg’s work paved the way for contemporary
mathematical models of the spacing effect that seek to determine the optimal
interstudy interval for a host of time scales ranging from seconds to years (Lindsey
et al., 2009; Küpper-Tetzel & Erdfelder, 2012).
Thus, memory researchers of the 1960s and 1970s formally defined variables such
as interstudy interval and retention interval and demonstrated how these variables
(and their interaction) influence the magnitude of the distributed practice benefit
(Glenberg, 1979; Hintzman, 1974; Melton, 1970). This work was groundbreaking as
it began to clarify the question, “What is the best way to distribute my studying?”
(Answer: “Depends on when your test is.”)

Explanations of the Distributed Practice Effect

As interest around distributed practice grew in the 1960s, researchers focused
their efforts on understanding why the effect occurred and how it could be so
remarkably consistent across people and across learning tasks. Two of the major
historical theories put forth as explanations of the distributed practice effect – study-
phase retrieval and contextual variability – still remain popular today (for a compre-
hensive review, see Küpper-Tetzel, 2014). Study-phase retrieval theory suggests that
greater difficulty retrieving an earlier learning instance of an item leads to greater
strengthening of the memory trace for this item during a subsequent learning event
(Delaney, Verkoeijen, & Spirgel, 2010; Hintzman & Block, 1973; Murray, 1983; Thios
& D’Agostino, 1976). In other words, when retrieval is effortful at the second study
event, the difficulty in reaccessing the information improves the likelihood of remem-
bering that item on a final test. However, if too much time has passed between the first
and second study events, and the item has been forgotten by the second study events,
study-phase retrieval will not take place. The initial memory trace of the item will not
be reinforced and final memory for the item will inevitably suffer. This theory suggests
that a learner should choose interstudy intervals that are long enough to make retrieval
during a subsequent study session effortful, but still successful, meaning that the
interstudy interval will vary depending on the to-be-learned material and the char-
acteristics of the learner. Study-phase retrieval theory does not make strong predictions
due to its lack of specificity about the retrieval process (e.g., what are the specific
factors that affect the likelihood of successful study-phase retrieval?), and therefore
may not be a sufficient explanation for the spacing effect. It also conflicts with research
suggesting that the ideal interstudy interval should be determined by the desired length
of retention (e.g., Cepeda et al., 2008).
Contextual variability theory suggests that cues such as mood, environmental
context, and mental images are encoded alongside items as they are learned

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 554 melody wiseheart et al.

(Estes, 1955; Glenberg, 1979). These cues fluctuate over time and spacing helps
to increase cue variability. It is assumed that the probability of successful recall
will depend on whether contextual cues at the final test can be used to retrieve
previously learned information from memory. The greater the overlap between
cues at test and cues stored in memory from each study event, the higher the
chances that the target information will be retrieved. When the retention interval
is long, greater cue variability during learning increases the probability of
retrieval at test; it is assumed that greater cue variability is more likely to
occur if practice is spaced out in time. In contrast, when the retention interval
is short, relatively less cue variability increases the probability of retrieval at
test; it is assumed that less cue variability is more likely to occur if practice is
massed. Similarly to study-phase retrieval theory, contextual variability theory
lacks specificity (e.g., how can fluctuations in context and cue/trace overlap be
measured?) and does not account for the full range of distributed practice effects
reported in the literature.
Study-phase retrieval theory and contextual variability theory are not mutually
exclusive. Recently, researchers have evaluated the probability of a hybrid account
as an explanation of the distributed practice effect – for example, a combination of
contextual variability mechanisms with some other mechanism(s), such as study-
phase retrieval (Benjamin & Tullis, 2010; Delaney et al., 2010; Lindsey et al., 2009;
Mozer et al, 2009; Raaijmakers, 2003). Hybrid accounts acknowledge that no single-
mechanism account has been able to account for the wide range of distributed
practice findings.

Metacognition and the Distributed Practice Effect

Ironically, although the distributed practice effect is clear across a range of
different topics and activities, related research studies in the field of metacognition (i.
e., awareness of one’s own thinking or behavior) show that the strategy is not used by
most learners. On the contrary, most students believe that cramming will improve
their memory prior to a test (Kornell, 2009; Kornell & Bjork, 2008; McCabe, 2011;
Son & Simon, 2012; Zechmeister & Schaughnessy, 1980). Technically, this belief is
correct. Since semesters are the norm in traditional education systems, and tests are
often given within weeks of learning a set of material, it is often the case that shorter-
term retention is evaluated (days or weeks) rather than longer-term retention (months
or years). As we have discussed, when the retention interval is short, a short
interstudy intervals will be optimal.
Unfortunately, massing gives the illusion that memory storage is strong and will
last for a long time. This belief is incorrect; massing creates more salient memory
traces that are prone to forgetting, while spacing produces memory traces that are
less salient at the time of initial learning but are more robust to forgetting. (Rohrer &
Taylor, 2007, fig. 1B shows that massed memory traces leave memory more quickly;
Cepeda et al., 2008, fig. 3a shows that short interstudy interval memory traces are
stronger for short retention intervals, whereas long interstudy interval traces are

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 555

weaker for short retention intervals and are stronger at long retention intervals.) We
return to these points in the following sections.

Distributed Practice Schedules

In a more complex distributed practice research design, to-be-learned
material is reviewed more than once. Material is introduced during the first study
event, reviewed once (second study event), and then reviewed a second time (third
study event), before eventually being tested. In this design, the interstudy interval
between the first study event and the second study event may be varied, and the
interstudy interval between the second study event and the third study event may be
varied. This research design naturally presents more options for the timing of when
material is reviewed; researchers have defined these options as equal, expanding, or
contracting learning schedules (Figure 22.2). Studies that have investigated the
optimal learning schedule for verbal material across three study events have reported
mixed results (e.g., Balota, Duchek, & Logan, 2007; Cull, 2000; Kang et al., 2014).
Not surprisingly, the optimal learning schedule is also likely to depend on retention
interval. For example, Küpper-Tetzel, Kapler, and Wiseheart (2014) found that
contracting learning schedules benefited participants’ cued recall memory at shorter
retention intervals, and expanding and equal learning schedules benefited partici-
pants’ cued recall memory at a longer retention interval.

Complex research design

(a) Equal learning schedule

Interstudy Interstudy Retention

First study interval Second study interval Third study interval Test
session session session session

(b) Expanding learning schedule

Interstudy
interval Interstudy Retention
First study Second study interval Third study interval Test
session session session session

(c) Contracting learning schedule

Interstudy
Interstudy interval Retention
First study interval Second study Third study interval Test
session session session session

Figure 22.2 A complex distributed practice research design where three different learning
schedules are compared against each other
In the equal learning schedule (a), the interstudy interval between the first and second study
events is the same length as between the second and third study events. In the expanding
learning schedule (b), the interstudy interval between the first and second study events is
shorter than the interstudy interval between the second and third study events. In the con-
tracting learning schedule (c), the interstudy interval between the first and second study events
is longer than the interstudy interval between the second and third study events. Across all
three learning schedules, retention interval is fixed, as is total time from first to last study event.

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 556 melody wiseheart et al.

Studies on the distributed practice effect have expanded further to include the
concept of “interleaving.” Interleaving is the practice of mixing different types of
learning activities within a single block of time rather than distributing blocks of the
same activity across time. For the sake of conciseness, we do not review any
interleaving studies in this chapter. Instead, we refer readers to Chapter 16 in this
volume.

Generalizability of the Distributed Practice Effect

The distributed practice effect has been found across different age groups,
in addition to different skills and domains. The benefits of distributed practice on
knowledge retention have been reported in infants (e.g., Rovee-Collier, Evancio, &
Earley, 1995), preschool children (e.g., Toppino, Kasserman, & Mracek, 1991),
elementary school children (e.g., Rea & Modigliani, 1987), middle school children
(e.g., Carpenter, Pashler, & Cepeda, 2009; Küpper-Tetzel, Erdfelder, & Dickhäuser,
2014), and healthy young and old adults (e.g., Cepeda et al., 2008; Simone, Bell, &
Cepeda, 2013). It has been demonstrated in memory-impaired populations, which
speaks to its robustness (Balota et al., 2006; Cermak et al., 1996; Green et al., 2014).
This large collection of research, which taps into various populations across the life
span, suggests that distributed practice can improve how people of all ages learn and
retain new information.
To determine the extent to which distributed practice improvements can be
generalized, researchers have searched for ways to categorize learning outcomes.
Gagné (1977, 1984) outlined five major types of learning outcomes: intellectual
skills, verbal information (i.e., verbal learning), cognitive strategies, motor skills,
and attitudes. He posited that these categories of learning outcomes have the
following characteristics: they are clear in terms of final performance made possible
by the learning; they apply to a diverse set of human activities; they require that
learning tasks be specific to the category; and, most pertinently, they “differ in the
nature of information-processing demands for its learning. Specifically, each kind of
outcome requires different (a) substantive type of relevant prior learning, (b) manner
of encoding for long-term storage, and (c) requirements for retrieval and transfer of
new situations” (Gagné, 1984, p. 378). Research on distributed practice effects has
explored three of the five learning categories: verbal information, motor skills, and
intellectual skills. Verbal learning happens orally or through writing and consists of
facts, conceptual ideas, and other information. Motor skills, on the other hand, are
organized sets of actions, such as playing an instrument or throwing a ball. Both
simple motor actions and skills executed as part of a complex activity are included in
this category. Intellectual skills include higher-order acts of thinking, such as solving
mathematical problems or correcting grammar. Outside Gagné’s framework, several
investigations on distributed practice have been conducted in the context of a fourth
learning outcome – social and emotional skills. Social and emotional skills include
sensitivity to others’ needs and fear responses such as phobias.

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 557

Meta-analytic data suggest that the effect size of the distributed practice effect
varies across domains, with a large effect size for verbal learning (d = 0.85; Cepeda et
al., 2006; Moss, 1995) and a medium effect size for motor skills learning (d = 0.5;
Donovan & Radosevich, 1999; Lee & Genovese, 1988). We estimate a medium
effect size for intellectual skills learning (d = 0.5; based on Foot, 2016; Kapler,
Weston, & Wiseheart, 2015; Vlach & Sandhofer, 2012) and a small effect size for
social and emotional skills (d = 0.2; based on Korben, 1976; Rowe & Craske, 1998).
Tables 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, and 22.4 provide a list of distributed practice studies
across a range of different subjects, organized by three of Gagné’s (1977, 1984) five
learning outcomes, as well as the social and emotional skills domain. Studies with
potential confounds (e.g., different number of relearning trials during session 2 for
each experimental condition; different retention intervals for each experimental
condition) are included to demonstrate the range of topics that have been investi-
gated, but are marked as confounded. The verbal learning literature is so large that
we have chosen to highlight only a small subset of studies in Table 22.1. The other
three learning outcomes have much smaller literatures; thus, we have included many
(although not all) of these studies in Tables 22.2, 22.3, and 22.4. Because the
distributed practice literature is, on the whole, very large, it is not surprising that
there is a range of reported effect sizes (weak to strong) and, in some cases, reports of
mixed findings.
In the sections that follow, we highlight details for a subset of studies listed in
Tables 22.1, 22.2, and 22.3 that had the primary goal of translating the distributed
practice effect to educational materials and/or educationally relevant time schedules.
Contrary to classic distributed practice studies, many of the studies we review are not
formal laboratory studies. The emergence of field and simulated-field studies
demonstrates a paradigm shift by the research community toward understanding
the distributed practice effect in real-world learning environments. We have empha-
sized disciplines that, in our opinion, offer empirically sound studies, and these
disciplines should provide an understanding of the types of learning that will and will
not demonstrate distributed practice benefits.

Verbal Learning
Simple word recall and phonics learning. In a traditional distributed practice
study, Seabrook, Brown, and Solity (2005: Experiment 3) taught sounds associated
with phonemes (i.e., phonics) to five-year-olds in a classroom setting. Massed
practice was compared with a 2 minute interstudy interval and the retention interval
was two weeks. Distributed study led to greater phonics improvement than massed
study in this sample.
Word and fact learning. Sobel, Cepeda, and Kapler (2011) examined vocabulary
learning among 5th grade students, using a typical teaching method employed by
elementary school teachers. Students studied and practiced recalling definitions of
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) words and practiced using them in sentences.
They compared massed practice to one-week spaced practice and the retention

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 Table 22.1 Distributed practice studies of verbal learning
Time Scale of
Interstudy Interval / Number of
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Study Sessions Notes References
Medical Dementia patients used spaced retrieval to Days / Days and Weak 9 *% Hawley (2002)
Treatment learn names of friends. Weeks
Multiple sclerosis patients learned a paragraph Mins / Secs and Mins Weak 3 Goverover et al.
of text and a route on a map. (2009)
A developmental amnesia patient (case study) 1 Day / Days Strong 2 Green et al. (2014)
learned words and paired associates.
Children diagnosed with speech apraxia Days / n/a Mixed 4 or 16 *^ Webb (2011)
completed a speech therapy intervention.
Children born with a cleft palate practiced Days / n/a Weak 15 or 104 *^ Pamplona et al. (2005)
speech intelligibility.
Medical Undergraduate students learned to recognize Secs / Secs Mixed 3 Wogalter, Jarrard, &

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Training faces. Cayard (1991)
Medical students studied for a medical Weeks / Weeks Strong Multiple * Kerfoot et al. (2011)
licensing exam.
History 8th grade students learned US history facts. Weeks / Months Strong 2 Carpenter, Pashler, &
Cepeda (2009)
Language 5th grade students memorized the definitions Weeks / Months Strong 2 Sobel, Cepeda, &
of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Kapler (2011)
words.
Elementary school children learned basic Weeks / Days and Weak Multiple Goossens et al. (2016)
vocabulary in a classroom field study. Weeks
6th grade students memorized German– Days / Months Strong 2 Küpper-Tetzel,
English word pairs. Erdfelder, &
Dickhäuser (2014)
 5th grade students completed computerized Days / Weeks Strong 3 Fishman, Keller, &
spelling drills. Atkinson (1968)
Elementary school children practiced reading Days / n/a Weak 12 ^ LaRocco (2008)
fluency.
Kindergarten students practiced reading Days / n/a Weak 15 ^ Griffin (2009)
fluency.
Elementary school children (with and without Days / Secs and 1 Mixed 4 Riches, Tomasello, &
language impairments) learned verbs. Week Conti-Ramsden (2005)
At-risk kindergarten students learned Days and Weeks / Secs Mixed 24 Ukrainetz, Ross, &
phonemic awareness. and Weeks Harm (2009)
High school students memorized English– Days / Secs and Days Strong 3 Bloom & Shuell
French word pairs. (1981)
Elementary school students learned phonics. Mins / Weeks Strong 3 Seabrook, Brown, &
Solity (2005), Exp. 3

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Undergraduates memorized GRE words using Hours and Days / 1 Strong 4 Kornell (2009), Exp. 2
flashcards. Day
Undergraduates read and comprehended 1 Week / Secs and Strong 2 Rawson & Kintsch
expository narratives. Days (2005)
Undergraduates read and comprehended Secs and Days and Mixed 2 Verkoeijen, Rikers, &
expository narratives. Weeks / Days Ozsoy (2008)
Undergraduates learned face-name pairs. Secs / Mins Strong 3 Carpenter & DeLosh
(2005)

% See Creighton, van der Ploeg, and O’Connor (2013) and Oren, Willerton, and Small (2014) for extensive reviews; all but one reviewed study contained a confound.
* Study contains a potential confound.
^ Study did not have a retention interval.
~ Weak indicates not significant or small effect size; strong indicates medium or large effect size and significant or likely to be significant; mixed indicates both weak and strong
results.
This table demonstrates the scope of existing research. It is not a complete review.
 Table 22.2 Distributed practice studies of motor skills
Time Scale of
Interstudy Interval / Number of
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Study Sessions Notes References
Aviation Undergraduates practiced controlling the Secs / n/a Strong Dozens *^ Farr, Dey, & Bloch
altitude of a model airplane using a pulley. (1956)
Fine Motor Undergraduates learned to maintain a ratio of Mins and 1 Day / 1 Strong 3 Shea, Lai, Black, &
keypresses with each of four keys. Day Park (2000), Exp. 2
Gross Motor Experienced weightlifters practiced lifts. Mins / n/a Strong 1 ^ Joy et al. (2013)
Experienced weightlifters practiced lifts. Secs / n/a Strong 1 ^ Kreutzer (2014)
Experienced weightlifters practiced lifts. Secs / n/a Weak 1 ^ Lawton, Cronin, &
Lindsell (2006
Experienced weightlifters practiced lifts. Days / Days Strong 12 ^ Oliver (2012)
Experienced weightlifters practiced lifts. Secs / n/a Strong 1 ^ Willardson & Burkett

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(2006a, 2006b)
Undergraduates adapted to biceps strength Mins and Days / Weak 1 or 3 Calder & Gabriel
training. Weeks and months (2007)
Undergraduates learned how to balance on a Mins or 1 Day / 1 Day Strong 2 Shea et al. (2000),
stabilometer. Exp. 1
Medical Medical students practiced broncoscopy Mins and Weeks / 1 Weak 3 Bjerrum et al. (2016)
Training skills. Month
Medical students practiced endoscopy skills. Mins and Days / 1 Mixed 3 Verdaasdonk et al.
Week (2007)
Adult novices practiced laparoscopy skills. Mins / 5 Mins 1 Week / Mixed 3 * Gallagher, Jordan-
2 Weeks Black, & O’Sullivan
(2012)
Medical students practiced laparoscopy skills. Mins / Mins Strong 1 or 4 Mackay et al. (2002)
 Medical students practiced laparoscopy skills. Mins and 1 Week / 2 Mixed 1 or 3 Spruit, Band, &
Weeks and 1 Year Hamming (2015)
Medical students practiced vascular Weeks and Months / Weak 4 Mitchell et al. (2011)
anastomosis skills. Mins and Months
Medical students practiced vascular Mins and 1 Week / Mixed 4 Moulton et al. (2006)
anastomosis skills. Mins and 1 Month
Military Undergraduates learned command-and- Days / Months Weak 5 or 9 * Arthur et al. (2007)
Training control skills in a simulated naval warfare
environment.
Adults learned a radar position task (similar to Mins and Days / 1 Weak 4 Fleishman & Parker
radar intercept missions during flight Week (1962)
combat).
Army reserves practiced machine gun Weeks / Weeks Weak 1 or 2 * Schendel & Hagman
assembly and disassembly. (1980)
Army reserves practiced rifle firing skills. Days / 1 Day Mixed 10 * McGuigan &
MacCaslin (1955)

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Music Experienced pianists learned a series of short Mins and Hours and Mixed 1 or 2 Rubin-Rabson (1940)
piano compositions. Days / 2 Weeks
Novice pianists learning a melodic sequence. Mins and Hours and 1 Mixed 3 ^ Simmons (2012)
Day/ n/a
Novice undergraduates learning familiar and Mins / Mins Weak 2 Wiseheart, D’Souza,
unfamiliar melodic sequences on a piano. & Chae (2017)
Sports Adults learning archery skills. Days / n/a Strong 6 to 72 ^ Lashley (1915)
Undergraduates learning to bounce a Mins and 1 Day / Mins Mixed 4 Singer (1965)
basketball into the basket from the foul line. and Days and Weeks
Elementary school children learning to Mins / Mins Strong 2 Christina (1974)
dribble a basketball.
High school students practicing volleyball Days / n/a Weak 6 or 18 ^ Fitzgerald (1952)
serves.
 Table 22.2 (cont.)
Time Scale of
Interstudy Interval / Number of
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Study Sessions Notes References

High school students practicing javelin Days / Months Weak 34 * Murphy (1916)
throws.
Undergraduate physical education students Days / n/a Mixed 16 or 19 ^ Young (1954)
learning archery and badminton.
Undergraduates learning to swim. Days / n/a Weak Variable (5+) *^ Scott (1954)
Undergraduate physical education students Days / n/a Strong Variable (6+) ^ Knapp & Dixon
learning to juggle. (1950)
Novice undergraduates practicing putting Mins and Days / Days Strong 4 Dail & R. Christina
skills. and Weeks (2004)
Novice high school students practicing Mins / Days Weak 12 Lynch (1971)
putting skills.
Novice undergraduates practicing billiards set Days / 1 Year Strong 9 Lawrence (1949);

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shots. Miller (1948)
Undergraduates learning how to dribble a Days and Weeks / Strong 3 Murphree (1971)
soccer ball. Days and 1 Month
Undergraduates learning gymnastics skills. Mins / n/a Mixed 10 ^ Kleinman (1976)
Vocation High school students learning typing skills. Days / n/a Weak 9 ^ Dritsas (1950)
High school students learning welding skills. Days / 1 Day Strong 7 to 20 Drake (1981; 1987)
Postal workers learning keyboard skills on Hours / Months Weak 60 Baddeley & Longman
mail sorting machines. (1978)
Utility employees memorizing computer Mins and 1 Day / 1 Strong 4 Rogers (2004)
shortcut keys. Week

* Study contains a potential confound.

^ Study did not have a retention interval.
~ Weak indicates not significant or small effect size; strong indicates medium or large effect size and significant or likely to be significant; mixed indicates both weak and strong
results.
 Table 22.3 Distributed practice studies of intellectual skills
Time Scale of
Interstudy Interval / Number of
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Study Sessions Notes References
Aviation Aviation students interpreted noisy or Days / 2 Weeks Weak 2 to 16 Tobias (1976), Exp. 2
distorted air traffic communications between
pilots and controllers.
Language Undergraduates corrected verb errors in text Days / Weeks and Strong 5 Bird (2010)
passages. Months
Mathematics Middle school students studied math units. Weeks / Days Strong Multiple * Wineland & Stephens
(1995)
8th grade students studied mathematics. Days / Weeks Weak Multiple * Liang (1970)
8th grade students studied mathematics. Days / Months Mixed Multiple * Weaver (1976)
High school students solved plane geometry Days / Secs and Weeks Strong 7 * Yazdani & Zebrowski

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problems. (2006)
High school students learned algebra rules. Days / Months Weak Multiple * Urwiller (1971)
Undergraduates solved precalculus problems. Days / Days Weak Multiple * Revak (1997)
Undergraduates learned statistics. Day / Days Strong 4 * Smith & Rothkopf
(1984)
Undergraduates learned statistics. Secs and Weeks / Strong Multiple * Budé et al. (2011)
Months
Undergraduates used mathematical reasoning Mins / Mins and 1 Day Weak 8 Hunt (1969)
to solve a water displacement problem.
Undergraduates used mathematical reasoning Mins / Mins Weak 9 Scheel (2007)
to solve a water displacement problem.
Undergraduates learned algebra rules. Days / Weeks Mixed 4 * Mayfield & Chase
(2002); Kim (2003)
 Table 22.3 (cont.)
Time Scale of
Interstudy Interval / Number of
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Study Sessions Notes References

Undergraduates solved permutation problems. 1 Week / Weeks Strong 2 Rohrer & Taylor
(2006), Exp. 1
Undergraduates solved permutation problems. 1 Week / 1 Week Strong 2 Rohrer & Taylor
(2007), Exp. 1
Media Literacy Elementary school children learned to judge 1 Day and 1 Week / Strong 3 Foot (2016)
the credibility of a series of websites. Weeks
Science Elementary school children learned biology Days / 1 Week Strong 4 Gluckman, Vlach, &
facts about food chains and reasoning about Sandhofer (2014);
food chain consequences. Vlach & Sandhofer
(2012)
Middle school students learned biology Days / Days and Strong Multiple Reynolds & Glaser
concepts. Weeks (1964), Exp. 1

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High school students learned physics Days / Weeks Strong Multiple * Grote (1995)
concepts.
Undergraduates learned astronomy concepts. Mins / Secs Strong 3 Lu (1978)
Undergraduates learned meteorology facts Days / Months Strong 2 Kapler, Weston, &
and applied concepts. Wiseheart (2015)
Vocational Adults enrolled in labor education classes Days and Weeks / Mixed 6 * Hertenstein (2000)
Training practiced computer skills, issues in collective Months
bargaining and handling grievances, union
leadership, and commonsense economics.
Bank employees learned effective sales Days / Weeks Strong 6 * Kauffeld & Lehmann-
techniques. Willenbrock (2010)

* Study contains a potential confound.

~ Weak indicates not significant or small effect size; strong indicates medium or large effect size and significant or likely to be significant; mixed indicates both weak and strong
results.
 Table 22.4 Distributed practice studies of social and emotional skills
Time Scale of Number of
Interstudy Interval / Study
Subject / Skill Brief Study Description Retention Interval Effect Size~ Sessions Notes References
Social & Elementary school children learned Days / n/a Weak 12 ^ Tran (2007)
Emotional emotional coping skills.
Training
Undergraduates learned assertiveness Weeks / Weeks and Weak 1 or 6 El-Shamy (1976);

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skills. Months Korben (1976)
Undergraduates with arachnophobia Mins / Weeks Strong 1 Rowe & Craske
completing therapy for extinction of a fear (1998)
response to spiders.
Adult participants enrolled in sensitivity Mins or Days / Weak 1 or dozens Bare & Mitchell
training. Months (1972)

^ Study did not have a retention interval.

~ Weak indicates not significant or small effect size; strong indicates medium or large effect size and significant or likely to be significant; mixed indicates both weak
and strong results.
 566 melody wiseheart et al.

interval was five weeks. Students in the spaced condition recalled almost triple the
number of definitions on the final test. Using similar stimuli, Kornell (2009) asked
undergraduate students to learn GRE words using digital flashcards in an online
study. In the spaced condition, participants studied words in a single large stack of
twenty cards and the entire stack was presented in the same order four consecutive
times. In the massed condition, participants studied the same twenty words in four
small stacks of five cards each. Stack #1 was presented four consecutive times, stack
#2 was presented four consecutive times, and so forth for all four stacks. Participants
were tested for their memory of the words after a median retention interval of 24
hours (range: 17–41 hours). Recall of the word meanings on the final test was, on
average, 13 percent higher for words learned in the spaced condition.
In a classroom study, Carpenter, Pashler, and Cepeda (2009) tested 8th grade
students on their knowledge of US history facts. After their regularly scheduled
exam for the class, students completed delayed relearning of material at interstudy
intervals of either one week or sixteen weeks. When tested nine months later,
students who had relearned at the sixteen-week interval demonstrated better
performance.
Goossens and colleagues (2016) ran field experiments in schools comparing long
(two-week) versus short (one-week) interstudy intervals for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th
grade students learning vocabulary words with retention intervals from one to eleven
weeks (retention interval varied by age group). Contrary to the evidence presented
thus far, the researchers found no systematic differences between the interstudy
interval conditions and final memory performance using two different types of
tests (cued recall and multiple choice). When they found a difference, it was in the
opposite direction, with shorter interstudy intervals outperforming longer ones.
However, in the light of previous studies that have revealed a systematic relationship
between interstudy interval and retention interval, it is possible that the shorter
interstudy interval was better suited for the given retention interval. In addition,
field studies like this one introduce higher levels of environmental noise, which can
increase error variance in the data and decrease chances of finding an experimental
effect.
Second-language learning. Bloom and Shuell (1981) studied vocabulary learning
in high school students memorizing English–French vocabulary as part of their
regular classwork. Learning took place using multiple-choice, fill in the blank, and
cued recall tests. Massed practice and a one-day interstudy interval were compared,
and retention intervals of 0 minutes and four days were included. Groups performed
equally at the immediate test, and the spaced group showed better performance four
days later.
Küpper-Tetzel, Erdfelder, and Dickhäuser (2014) asked 6th grade students in a
German school to restudy German–English vocabulary either immediately (massed
condition), one day later, or ten days later (two spaced conditions with different
interstudy intervals). Final memory tests were given after one week or thirty-five
days. In line with previous findings (e.g., Cepeda et al., 2008; Glenberg, 1976),
results showed that the optimal interstudy interval for a test one week later was one

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 567

day, whereas students tested one month later benefited from an interstudy interval of
up to ten days.
Text comprehension. Rawson and Kintsch (2005) investigated whether distributed
practice aids comprehension of text narratives. Participants read a 2,000-word
Scientific American excerpt once, twice in a massed fashion, or twice with one
week between sessions. They were tested for their comprehension of the passage
immediately after the second study session or after a retention interval of two days.
Again, the optimal rereading interval depended on the retention interval; massed
rereading was best for the immediate test group whereas spaced rereading was best
for the delayed test group. Verkoeijen, Rikers, and Ozsoy (2008) replicated the
results of this study using three interstudy intervals (massed, four days, and three
and a half weeks) and a single two-day retention interval. In the context of their study
design, the optimal interstudy interval was four days.

Motor Skills Learning

Sports. Distributed practice has been applied to training protocols in a number of
different sports, including golf, basketball, and soccer. For example, Dail and
Christina (2004) examined novice golfers (young adults) practicing their putting
skills. Massed practice was compared to a one-day interstudy interval, and the
golfers’ putting performance was assessed following one-, seven-, and twenty-
eight-day retention intervals. Distributed practice resulted in better acquisition of
golf putting skills as well as improved retention of these skills.
Christina (1974) investigated basketball dribbling in 4th grade students, with
dribbling speed as a dependent variable. Massed practice was compared to a 12 min-
ute interstudy interval in which other skills were practiced. The design of this study
had additional complexities; overlapping the distributed practice intervention, both
massed and spaced groups received distributed practice at several-day interstudy
intervals (i.e., several practice sessions occurred during Tuesday and Thursday
physical education class sessions). Still, after a formal five-day retention interval,
the distributed practice group dribbled faster than the massed group.
Murphree (1971) examined ability to dribble a soccer ball in undergraduates
without soccer experience. One group received three consecutive days of practice,
a second group received six sessions over three weeks, plus a 20 second rest between
trials, and a third group received six sessions over three weeks, plus a 5 minute rest
between trials. There was a no practice control group. Retention intervals of several
days (exact number not specified) and one month were used. Increasingly spaced
groups showed larger gains during skill acquisition. The 5 minute interstudy interval
produced the highest scores after each retention interval. There was no evidence of
forgetting during the one-month retention interval.
Vocation. Two studies have been conducted examining the effects of distributed
practice on welding skills (Drake, 1981, 1987). In both studies, a large number of
practice sessions were given, with 5 hours’ total training time at welding skills in all

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 568 melody wiseheart et al.

conditions. Giving a larger number of shorter training sessions, a form of distributed

practice, resulted in higher-quality welding.
Surgical skills. Several researchers have investigated whether distributed practice
helps future doctors improve their surgical skills. Bjerrum and colleagues (2016)
examined bronchoscopy training using massed practice or a one-week interstudy
interval, and a one-month retention interval. Using five different measures of quality
of bronchoscope usage, no differences were found between massed and spaced
groups.
Verdaasdonk and colleagues (2007) examined endoscopic skills using 15 minute
and one-day interstudy intervals, and a one-week retention interval. The spaced
group completed tasks faster but no spacing benefit in accuracy was observed.
Surgical skills studies show that there are limitations to motor skills benefits from
distributed practice. It might be that complex motor skills are less likely to show a
distributed practice benefit, while basic motor skills (e.g., repetitive hand move-
ments) are more likely show a benefit.

Intellectual Skills
Mathematics. Rohrer and Taylor (2006) examined permutation problem-solving
(sometimes known as transformations in the education domain) in a group of under-
graduates, using massed practice and a one-week interstudy interval, and one- and
four-week retention intervals. Massed and spaced groups performed equally well at
the one-week retention interval, however, the spaced group performed twice as well
as the massed group at the four-week retention interval. Rohrer and Taylor (2007)
performed a similar study, with less practice per learning session, and found a
spacing benefit at the one-week retention interval.
Science. In two studies, 1st and 2nd grade children learned basic biology informa-
tion using massed versus spaced learning schedules (Gluckman, Vlach, &
Sandhofer, 2014; Vlach & Sandhofer, 2012). Children memorized facts about food
chains as well how to generalize consequences of disruptions to the food chain. The
researchers used interstudy intervals of zero days and one day, and a retention
interval of one week. Both massed and spaced lessons benefited memory for facts,
with a larger increase in recall for spaced learning. However, only spaced learning
resulted in generalization skill improvements. A review of category learning by
Vlach (2014) suggests that distributed practice helps infants and preschool aged
children to generalize to novel exemplars of a category.
Reynolds and Glaser (1964) examined learning of biology concepts (via computer
instruction and testing) in middle school classrooms. In their second experiment,
massed and one-day interstudy intervals were compared (intervals estimated, as not
explicitly stated by the authors), and retention intervals of ten days and thirty-one
days were used. Distributed practice benefited final test performance at both reten-
tion intervals.
Lu (1978) taught undergraduates astronomy facts using audio lectures, using
either massed learning one concept at a time, or distributed learning in which

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 569

concepts were repeated throughout the lecture. In the spaced group, a specific
interstudy interval was not used. Rather, concepts were repeated and related to
new content that was presented in later parts of the lecture. Spaced learning resulted
in higher test scores immediately following the lecture.
Kapler and colleagues (2015) presented a lecture on meteorology to a group of
undergraduates in a simulated classroom study. Students completed a comprehen-
sion test immediately after the lecture to ensure learning had taken place. After
interstudy intervals of either one day or eight days, students reviewed the content of
the lecture in an online quiz containing both short answer questions and equivalent
multiple-choice questions (to ensure relearning had taken place). After a retention
interval of thirty-five days, students were tested for their fact knowledge as well as
their ability to apply learned information to solve a series of novel problems.
Students in the spaced group outperformed students in the massed group on both
factual knowledge and application skills, though the effect size was smaller for the
latter.
Literacy. Foot (2016) taught 4th through 6th grade students a set of criteria for
evaluating the credibility of a website (i.e., media literacy). Credibility lessons were
presented on three consecutive days or one lesson per week. After a thirty-five-day
retention interval, students in the spaced group recalled more of the criteria and were
better able to explain their credibility rating of a novel website compared to students
in the massed group.
Bird (2010) taught undergraduate students with intermediate English language
proficiency to correctly use verb tenses, with interstudy intervals of three days and
fourteen days, and retention intervals of seven days and sixty days. After the seven-
day retention interval, both interstudy interval conditions performed equally well
(both groups improved in comparison to pretest). After the sixty-day retention
interval, students in the fourteen-day condition demonstrated better language reason-
ing skills than students in three-day interstudy interval condition, indicating a
distributed practice benefit for long-term retention.

Summary of Findings
The distributed practice effect appears to be most beneficial for mastering
fact learning (e.g., word recall, vocabulary, second-language learning, text compre-
hension). Although rote memory of words and facts may sound like a shallow type of
learning, many disciplines require good foundational knowledge before higher-order
thinking skills enter the learning process (e.g., medicine, engineering, law).
Motor skills also benefit from distributed practice, such as in sports training and
basic motor training. Unlike verbal learning studies, motor skills studies typically
employ several practice sessions, not just the two sessions (basic research design) or
even three sessions (complex research design) that characterize the majority of the
literature. Motor skills learning is not simply defined by a single correct or incorrect
answer; rather outcome measures such as timing, balance, and coordination are

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 570 melody wiseheart et al.

uniquely measured and reported. It appears that less forgetting takes place between
study sessions during motor practice (e.g., Murphree, 1971; Wiseheart et al., 2017),
which may have important implications for theory development of the distributed
practice effect.
Evidence for the distributed practice effect in the domain of intellectual skills
suggests that this strategy may be applied to higher-level thinking abilities, although
the effect might not be as strong. The broad nature of this domain makes general-
izations from the data more difficult. It is a challenge for researchers to define what
exactly is meant by terms such as conceptual learning, intellectual skills, and critical
thinking skills. Moreover, assessing this type of learning is difficult when, like motor
learning, there is typically no “correct” answer. Despite these complications,
research in this area may contribute to theory development. For example, in the
study by Kapler and colleagues (2015), distributed practice improved participants’
application skills not only for items that were reviewed at the second study session
but also for items that were not reviewed at the second study session. This outcome
suggests that when learning is not single-fact–based but rather unit- or concept-based
(i.e., holistic), distributed practice may have effects on the entire learning experi-
ence. Reviewing one concept may implicitly prompt the learner to think of other
(nonreviewed) concepts, thereby strengthening memory for all of the information.

Recommendations for Integrating Distributed Practice into

Classroom Instruction
As our review of the literature demonstrates, researchers have put great
effort into translating distributed practice from the lab into real (or simulated)
classrooms and/or using real curricula (e.g., Foot, 2016; Kapler et al., 2015).
Generally, the results are positive, which is impressive considering the added
variability and complexities of real-world learning (e.g., students missing classes,
student distraction, preknowledge of curriculum material; but see Goossens et al.,
2016). The field is at a point where preliminary recommendations can be made to
educators and students about how and when to integrate distributed practice into
classroom learning. These recommendations may challenge traditional curriculum
structure, requiring educators to put more emphasis on integration or restructuring of
material rather than simply covering a quantity of information.
Distributed practice is appealing for integration into classroom instruction due to
its beneficial effects on learning, reliability across participants and time scales, as
well as its versatile potential for implementation. Table 22.5 lists a number of
suggestions for implementing a distributed practice strategy into real-world class-
room instruction. From the educator’s point of view, teachers may choose to space
out homework practice (Laing & Peterson, 1973; Peterson, 1971), to administer
weekly review quizzes and/or cumulative tests, or choose textbooks that include
opportunities for distributed practice (e.g., for a review, see Hood & Ivie, 2003; see
also Baldree, 2003; Harden & Stamper, 1999; cf. Johnson & Smith, 1987; Klingele &
Reed, 1983; Saxon, 1982). From the student’s point of view, learners may choose to

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 571

Table 22.5 Suggestions for implementing distributed practice into classroom instruction
Teaching Tool Implementation Techniques
Homework Students complete at least one practice item from the previous class/week in the
homework assigned for the current class/week.
Weekly quizzes In-class (or online) quizzes that cover material from the previous class/week.
Quizzes can be graded for accuracy or simply for completion.
Cumulative exams Final assessments that cover entire contents of a course. This approach works
well in combination with weekly quizzes so that the amount of to-be-learned
material is not overwhelming.
Textbooks Books, articles, and other reference materials that use a distributed practice or
interleaving approach.
Technology Apps, games, and study reminders that integrate distributed practice in
entertaining (and portable) ways.

allocate their study time in more efficient ways. They may download games and apps
or set study reminders on their electronic devices that maximize learning, even while
they are on the go from home to school. We are aware of a number of smartphone
apps (e.g., Eidetic, Memrise) that use distributed practice (and also adjust number of
learning trials throughout the learning process) to help the learner maximize their
performance (e.g., flashcards for the verbal GRE; flashcards for second-language
learning). By applying a distributed learning approach, students will be forced to
rethink conventional study habits. Study habits that are fluid and that involve little
mental effort generally do not support long-term maintenance of knowledge. Rather,
when acquisition is made slower or more difficult, as it is with distributed practice,
long-term retention is supported. Researchers have termed this type of learning
“desirably difficult” (Bjork & Bjork, 2011).
Optimal interstudy intervals for classroom learning depend mostly on how long
information needs to be retained, and there is no definitive answer to this question. As
study-phase retrieval theory suggests, difficult-to-learn information should be reviewed
at shorter time intervals to ensure it is not completely forgotten at review. Yet assuming a
desire for long-term retention, contextual variability theory suggests that information
should be reviewed at an interval spaced far enough in time that contextual cues in the
learning environment have a chance to vary. This review schedule will increase the
likelihood that contextual cues at study and test will match, thereby aiding final retrieval.
We recommend that study sessions be spaced widely (e.g., across days or weeks) so that
the chances of long-term retention are maximized.

A Paradigm Shift in Pedagogical Practices

Although we can make predictions about what information will benefit from
distributed practice and at what learning schedules, and we can make recommenda-
tions for how to implement spacing into everyday practice, the strategy can only fully

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 572 melody wiseheart et al.

be integrated into real educational contexts if educators and policy advisors seriously
rethink traditional pedagogical practices. As Vash (1989) writes, “education policy
setters know perfectly well [distributed practice] works better; they don’t care. It
isn’t tidy. It doesn’t let teachers teach a unit and dust off their hands quickly with a
nice sense of ‘Well, that’s done’” (p. 1547). Vash alludes to the fact that many
teachers are accustomed to covering topics in chunks, only once per semester, and
giving noncomprehensive tests. Teachers are constrained by time and have a lot of
curriculum to cover within a narrow time frame. Given these pressures, a unit-by-
unit teaching approach might appear to be the best (and perhaps only) option. As
discussed at the outset of the chapter, this type of teaching prioritizes the quantity of
the content covered over integration of students’ knowledge throughout their educa-
tional experience. Distributed practice is a strategy that, if used effectively, can
vastly improve the quality of student learning and at no (or very little) additional
time cost.

Limitations and Directions for Future Research

The distributed practice effect has been studied exhaustively in the labora-
tory. Although many of these lab studies have involved rigorous experimental
methods, others contain confounds in experimental design or analysis problems
that preclude interpretation of findings. For example, it is critical that retention
interval is controlled across all interstudy interval conditions, which can be particu-
larly problematic in list learning paradigms of the distributed practice effect
(although applicable to multiday paradigms, too). Furthermore, equating the number
of learning trials across conditions and including a discrete retention interval(s) are
also critical design decisions.
A great number of studies evaluating the distributed practice effect in classrooms
have appeared in the last decade. This is a promising shift in the published literature
and we look forward to more of this work. Well-conducted classroom studies require
collaborations between psychologists (who have expertise in research design) and
field-specific experts and affiliates, such as school boards, principals, and teachers
(who have expertise in curriculum and implementation). These collaborations
between distributed practice experts and experts outside psychology are needed so
that students in a wide range of fields, including outside traditional academia, can
benefit from use of distributed practice. Tables 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, and 22.4 provide a
good representation of fields that are ripe for future collaborations. Future hallmark
studies will be those that employ a large number of classrooms, teachers, and
disciplines and that, ideally, use a randomized controlled trial approach to compare
the distributed practice strategy to whatever is the current status quo for classroom
learning. We encourage improved dialogue among all collaborators.
Whether in the laboratory or in the classroom, more studies are needed that
investigate the distributed practice effect outside of the verbal learning domain.
While difficult to design and conduct, and requiring dedication to strong and

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 Enhancing the Quality of Student Learning Using Distributed Practice 573

respectful collaborations, these types of studies are needed to bridge the gap between
laboratory and classroom.
Overall, we believe that educators and students alike need to take a hard look at
why we teach and why we are motivated to learn. Using detrimental learning
strategies like cramming might be a viable option for an immediate assessment,
but research shows that in the long run it is often ineffective. Students will need to
invest more time in relearning the material if it is needed again in the future. In
comparison to other educational interventions, distributed practice has been ranked
quite high (#27 out of 195 in a review by Hattie, 2015), and it can and should be used
to improve classroom outcomes (e.g., American Association for the Advancement of
Science, 1962; Carpenter et al., 2012; Dempster, 1987, 1988; Kiepert, 2009; Pashler
et al., 2007). Based on the available empirical evidence and the potential ease with
which distributed practice can be implemented, we endorse the use of distributed
practice as a means for enhancing the quality of student learning.

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