When people chose what to practice, they stayed with the same topic
People who set their own sequence repeated the same concept 64% of the time; only in that group was repetition associated with a slightly better score.
The key idea
Repetition went along with better scores only among those who set their own practice order, and the association was small.
The study, in plain language
The tutorial was part of real university courses and taught mean, median, and mode. After each problem, one group chose which concept to practice next. The other received a sequence created by another student with a similar starting level.
People who chose tended to stay with the same concept, especially after an incorrect answer. In that group, repetition went along with a slightly better score on the later test. Among those given another person’s sequence, this association did not appear.
The two groups ended with similar scores on average, so the finding does not show that repetition is better than mixing topics. What changed was the link between practice and the exam depending on who arranged the sequence. The authors clarify that these are associations and that the link was small.
What they found
- Those who chose the next exercise stayed with the same concept 64% of the time.
- They repeated more after an error (72%) than after a correct answer (66%).
- When another student set the sequence, repetition did not go along with the score; average scores were similar in both groups.
How they studied it
More than 2,000 university students practiced mean, median, and mode in an online tutorial. One group chose the next exercise and another received the order arranged by a student with a similar starting level. They then took a four-question test, and researchers examined whether repeating a concept went along with the score. Students chose whether to repeat, rather than being randomly assigned to do so, so the association does not establish causality.
What the study cannot show
- The relationship between chosen repetition and outcome was correlational, not a causal test showing that blocked practice is better. The assessment had four questions, and many students already knew the concepts before the tutorial.
Something to think about
When you make a mistake while practicing, do you stick with the same topic or switch to another? Notice what you do: both groups ended with similar scores, and no single formula emerged.
The original study
An In Vivo Study of Self-Regulated Study Sequencing in Introductory Psychology Courses
Source under CC BY 4.0. English adaptation and explanation by PaperFlow, with AI assistance. The text has been reorganized for a general audience; it is not the complete paper and does not imply endorsement by its authors.
One study alone does not represent a field's consensus. Educational content does not replace professional advice. Report a possible error.
