Effect of frequent testing on learning physics

Above eighty percent of students reread, underline or highlight text when they study even though these are some of the least effective learning strategies. Some studies have shown that when students take frequent tests on the studied subject, their performance on the final test is improved. Repeated testing had shown greater long-term retention of information than repeated and spaced study. This effect is known as the testing effect. However, most of the studies on the testing effect involved memorization, and many of them were conducted in the laboratories of cognitive scientists. In this talk I will share some preliminary findings of the testing effect in general physics and upper-level physics classes. I will also discuss negative testing effect and how it can be reversed.