With the 2021-2022 school year kicking off strong here at GCU, it is finally time for students to get back into the rhythm of college life. With that comes the stress of balancing assignments, projects, extra-curricular activities, sports, community service and work.
For students struggling with the idea of balancing college life here is a verse from the Bible that illustrates the concept of balance perfectly, 1 Samuel 18:14, that “In everything, he did he had great success because the Lord was with him.” With that in mind, when we choose to lean on God, we can succeed in anything we put our mind to.
One of the most fundamental ways to perform well in college is through good ol’ studying. Here is a list of three possible study methods to try out, according to the American Psychological Association. All three of these methods are backed up by detailed research that have positively impacted students by helping them study better and retain information for a more extended period of time.
- Repetition is the Brain’s Best Friend:
Repeated retrieval practice is a study method that requires the individual to review the study material repetitively. Over time, the brain is able to recover memories that correlate to the study material.
Some countless researchers and scientists make it their mission to better understand the human brain in relation to memory and learning. One of these professionals, Dr. Jeffery Karpicke, resides in Indiana and is a researcher at Purdue University. In a study that Dr. Karpicke conducted, the participants were asked to learn and recall a list of words in a foreign language at a later date. During the first part of the study, the participants learned the list of words using one of the following four methods:
- Studying the list of words once
- Studying the list of words until the participant could recall each word once
- Studying the list of words until the participant could recall each word three times consecutively
- Studying the list of words until the participant could recall each word three times spaced in 30-minute increments
A week later, the participants returned to be quizzed on the list of words that they studied. It was discovered in the data that the participants that studied the words in 30-minute intervals surpassed the other study methods. The data showed that 80% of this group was able to remember the words.
In comparison, participants who studied the words until they could recall the words three times consecutively only measured up to be about 30% successful in their recollection; this type of study method is known as massed retrieval practice.
Then finally, the participants that used either the first or second study method had a success rate of 1%.
Dr. Karpicke concluded that repeated retrievals of the study material a few times can significantly impact retaining that information later on. Therefore, it is highly suggested that students incorporate this method into their school routine.
- The Power of Quizzing Yourself
Recent studies have also been conducted to better understand if quizzes are beneficial to students in helping them retain course information better throughout the school year, and the results were quite surprising. The societal response to quizzes and tests generally tends to be negative because people tend to associate them with the idea of failing.
This was the same belief that Dr. Nate Kornell, a psychology professor at the Williams College in Massachusetts, had. In pursuit of finding answers as to whether or not quizzes are beneficial to student memory retention, Dr. Kornell set out to conduct a thorough study. In his study, Dr. Kornell was testing to see if the participants could remember certain words in pairs. So a participant would be shown the word “idea,” and the word that the participant needed to remember that correlated with the word shown is “seeker”. Within the study, the participants had to either practice through re-studying/memorizing the different pairs of words or by self-testing.
The results of the study showed that the participants that chose to self-test performed better than those that chose to try to memorize the word pairs. Based upon the results that Dr. Kornell has had, it is recommended that students take advantage of the flashcards, self-generated tests, or even practice test questions provided by the professor to enhance their recollection of the course material.
- Study Group Parties
Study groups tend to be a popular choice of study method among students as well. However, Dr. Henry Roediger, a psychology professor at Washington University, points out that when studying in groups, it is essential to allow everyone the opportunity to think of the answer to a question independently.
The significance of this point can be traced back to one particular study that was conducted not too long ago. In this study, participants were working towards learning words in a foreign language by answering aloud or listening to their partner’s answers. The results showed that the participants who answered aloud out-performed those listening to the answer based on a test given two days later.
Therefore, Dr. Roediger highly recommends that when utilizing a study group, it is crucial to ensure that everyone in a study group is given enough time to come up with their own answer. This will allow students to mentally think of and reason through the question, thus producing much better retention of the information.
While these are just a few of the study methods recommended through various studies and medical research on the human brain, there are other methods that students can utilize based on their strengths and weakness. For example, for students that struggle to sit and study for hours at a time or for people that procrastinate assignments, the Pomodoro technique might be a good fit. This is where the individual works on a task for 25 to 30 minutes and then takes a 5-minute break.
Overall, there are many scientifically developed methods of study that can help make studying a little more pleasant for the student, as well as helping them retain the information during the school year.
College is scary and daunting for many students; however, when it all boils down to it, trusting the Lord is the true key to success; as it says in Jeremiah 17:7, “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.”
This is going to be a fantastic year at GCU. Here students are given a plethora of opportunities, success, and a path to find their purpose!