The testing effect: applications in composition pedagogy

Graduation Date

2014

Document Type

Project

Program

Other

Program

Project (M.A.)--Humboldt State University, English: Teaching Writing, 2014

Committee Chair Name

Corey Lewis

Committee Chair Affiliation

HSU Faculty or Staff

Keywords

Testing, Student-centered, Test-enhanced learning, Humboldt State University -- Projects -- English, Pedagogy, Dialogic, Active learning, Testing effect, Long-term retention, Composition, Desirable difficulty, Spacing effect, Retrieval

Abstract

This project advocates for the use of frequently-administered, low-stakes tests to enhance student learning of the disciplinary content of composition. Though there is widespread disdain for the role of standardized tests in education today, not all forms of testing are the same, and some forms of testing can be very effective teaching tools. Tests should ideally be locally generated with relevance to class content, frequently administered, and low-stakes, with feedback provided shortly after testing. This project lays the groundwork for how testing can dovetail into the student-centered dialogic classroom, a common practice in composition today. Theories of human learning (including the testing effect and the spacing effect) show that active retrieval is the best way to ensure long-term retention and understanding. Frequent tests provide active-retrieval opportunities for students, which should enhance learning and retention. The project concludes with how to build tests specifically for the instruction of first-year college composition.

https://scholarworks.calstate.edu/concern/theses/zc77ss45g

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