Pacing, Pixels, and Paper: Flexibility in Learning Words from Flashcards

Abstract

The present study focused on how self-control over pace might help learners successfully extract information from digital learning aids. Past research has indicated that too much control over pace can be overwhelming, but too little control over pace can be ineffective. Within the popular self-testing domain of flashcards, we sought to elucidate the optimal level of user control for digital learning and compare learning outcomes between paper and digital flashcards. College students learned vocabulary from paper flashcards or one of several digital flashcard versions and were scored on their memory recall and asked about their perceptions of the learning process. With digital flashcards, students were randomly assigned to an automatic slideshow of cards with no user control, automatic slideshow with pre-set pauses, automatic slideshow where users could press the spacebar to pause at any time, or a self-paced slideshow with complete user control. Users reported feeling more in control when indeed having some control, but ultimately memory recall, cognitive load, and satisfaction were similar across the five versions. However, memory recall was positively related to user satisfaction with their specific flashcard set, and negatively related to users' perceived mental effort and difficulty. Notably, whether paper or digital, students showed individual variability in how they advanced through the words. This research adds to the educational literature by suggesting that paper and digital flashcards are equally viable options for students. Given differences between individual users and the connection between satisfaction and recall, individualistic options that offer, but do not force, some control over pace seem ideal. Paper flashcards may already include such options, and e-flashcards should offer similar adaptive features to appeal to a wide variety of users.

The Use of Flashcards and Numbered Heads Together Technique to Improve Students' Vocabulary Knowledge

“…This finding is consistent with research findings of Savaiano, Lloyd, and Hatton (2017) which verified that Flashcards instruction was effective for teaching the meaning of words. This finding is then further strengthened by research findings of Sage, Rausch, Quirk, and Halladay (2016) which validated that Flashcards was a viable option for the students in learning English words.…”

Zung, Imundo, and Pan (2022) How do college students use digital flashcards during self-regulated learning?

“…Importantly, given that research into digital flashcards is still in its infancy (cf. Altiner, 2019;Dizon & Tang, 2017;Hung, 2015;Sage et al, 2016;Sage et al, 2019), relatively few evidencebased recommendations for their use currently exist, and as such, students often have to rely on little more than intuition in making such decisions. Further, although a recent review of flashcard programs suggest that they may facilitate effective learning strategies such as successive relearning (a combination of retrieval practice and spacing; Dunlosky & O'Brien, 2020),…”

Efektifitas Media Permainan Flashcard Dalam Meningkatkan Pengetahuan Kesehatan Reproduksi Anak Usia Prasekolah

“…Beberapa faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap perilaku seksual dan program pendidikan seksual antara lain nilai-nilai yang berlaku di keluarga, hubungan orang tua dan masih kurangnya informasi dan pengetahuan tentang seks (Lee YM, Florez E, Tariman J, McCarter S, Riesche L, 2015). Salah satu upaya pencegahan dini masalah Kesehatan reproduksi pada anak khususnya anak usia pra-sekolah yaitu meningkatkan pengetahuan melalui media flashcard (Sage, K., Rausch, J., Quirk, A., & Halladay, L, 2016).…”