How can retrieval practice improve educational achievement in Brazil?

Abstract

Brazil has the 12th highest gross domestic product in the world but ranks 57th regarding education achievement. From this perspective, we discuss how the learning strategy named retrieval practice can benefit education in Brazil. A large body of research has shown that when individuals practice retrieval of previously studied information, they increase their chances of remembering that information in the future. This phenomenon has been advocated as a promising strategy to promote learning in classroom contexts. To verify whether this pattern is reproduced by Brazilian students, we briefly review the literature on retrieval practice conducted in Brazil. We then discuss possible obstacles to the implementation of retrieval practice in Brazilian classrooms, as well as strategies to overcome these obstacles. Although we focus on the Brazilian reality, the current discussion might also be pertinent for the implementation of retrieval practice in educational contexts in other developing countries.