Why Your Study Habits Might Be All Wrong: What Research Says About Learning
Why Your Study Habits Might Be All Wrong: What Research Says About Learning
We’ve all crammed for a test the night before, highlighting every sentence and re-reading notes over and over. It feels productive, but research in the psychology of learning shows that many common strategies are surprisingly ineffective. The field of educational psychology, particularly research in cognitive science, has been uncovering what actually works in terms of learning, and it’s not always what students expect.
One of the most interesting findings in learning research is the power of retrieval practice—the act of recalling information rather than simply reviewing it. Studies by Roediger and Karpicke (2006) found that students who tested themselves on material performed significantly better on later tests than those who spent the same amount of time re-reading. This is known as the “testing effect.” Another method, spaced repetition, involves spreading out study sessions over time instead of cramming. Research consistently shows this improves long-term retention (Cepeda et al., 2006). Yet, despite this solid evidence, students often revert to passive methods like highlighting or cramming, which are less effective for deep learning.
This disconnect between what feels effective and what is effective highlights an important lesson: good learning doesn’t always feel easy. The psychology of learning challenges us to adopt strategies that require effort but lead to better results. If schools and educators emphasized evidence-based practices like retrieval and spacing, students might not only perform better but also develop more realistic beliefs about how learning works. It's time we stop trusting our instincts and start trusting the research.
Sources:
-
Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255.
-
Cepeda, N. J., et al. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354–380.
ReplyDeleteThis post perfectly captures why so many students (myself included!) fall into the trap of ineffective study habits—because they feel productive, even when they’re not. The research on retrieval practice and spaced repetition is eye-opening, especially the idea that struggling to recall information actually strengthens learning more than passive review. It reminds me of the phrase "desirable difficulty"—the harder your brain works to retrieve something, the better it sticks.
But here’s what really stood out to me: the gap between intuition and science. Why do we keep cramming and highlighting when we know it doesn’t work? Is it just habit, or does education itself fail to teach us how to learn? I’d love to see schools integrate these findings earlier—imagine if middle schoolers were taught spaced repetition instead of last-minute memorization!
I've had the same experience of cramming study material last minute. What has worked for me is reviewing the lessons day by day until the test. Taking 15 - 30 minutes a day for each subject. It was really simple, but I was able to complete an exam in 10 minutes and walk out with an A. I wish this had been taught to me in school. It would've saved all the disappointment from spending an hour on a test only to get a D on it anyway.
ReplyDelete