Spacing, Feedback, and Testing Boost Vocabulary Learning in a Web Application

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) becomes more prevalent in education but its general efficacy and that of specific learning applications are not fully established yet. One way to further improve learning applications could be to use insights from fundamental memory research. We here assess whether four established learning principles (spacing, corrective feedback, testing, and multimodality) can be translated into an applied ICT context to facilitate vocabulary learning in a self-developed web application. Effects on the amount of newly learned vocabulary were assessed in a mixed factorial design (3×2×2×2) with the independent variables Spacing (between-subjects; one, two, or four sessions), Feedback (within-subjects; with or without), Testing (within-subjects, 70 or 30% retrieval trials), and Multimodality (within-subjects; unimodal or multimodal). Data from 79 participants revealed significant main effects for Spacing [F(2,76) = 8.51, p = 0.0005, ηp2=0.18] and Feedback [F(1,76) = 21.38, p < 0.0001, ηp2=0.22], and a significant interaction between Feedback and Testing [F(1,76) = 14.12, p = 0.0003, ηp2=0.16]. Optimal Spacing and the presence of corrective Feedback in combination with Testing together boost learning by 29% as compared to non-optimal realizations (massed learning, testing with the lack of corrective feedback). Our findings indicate that established learning principles derived from basic memory research can successfully be implemented in web applications to optimize vocabulary learning.

The acquisition of foreign language vocabulary: Does spacing effect matter?

“…The evaluation of learning outcomes relies heavily on the variation of teaching methodologies such as the distributed instruction [8]. Several studies have sought to examine the effect of distributed instruction on learning outcomes [9][10][11][12]. Carpenter and colleagues [13] pointed out that most students and teachers are solicitous about the study timing to maximise adjournment of previously learned materials, as well as improve learning outcomes.…”

“…The body of literature in the field of second/foreign language teaching and learning [9][10][11][12]16] emphasised the extreme importance of exposing learners to recurrent and orderly examples of linguistic structures. However, the question whether the recurrent input should be massed or spaced needs further investigations.…”

“…There was plenty of research works that showed the positive effect of spaced instruction in cognitive psychology. However, very few studies have investigated the effect of spaced presentation of instructional materials on learning and teaching second/foreign language [9][10][11][12][13].…”