Investigating the Effect of Retrieval Practice on EFL Students' Retention of Prose Passages: Repeated Testing versus Studying

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the beneficial effect of retrieval practice on the short- and long-term retention of prose passages by Saudi EFL speakers. A total of 270 Saudi EFL students were divided into six groups to compare the effectiveness of repeated study and repeated testing. Each student read the same 333-word passage containing 20 ideas. Results of immediate tests showed that more ideas were recalled by the repeated study (SSSS) group than by the repeated test (STTT) group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Results of delayed tests showed that the STTT group or even the single test (SSST) group was more successful with long-term retention than the SSSS group. Furthermore, the SSSS group retained less information in the first week after the study period than the other groups. The results of the study indicate that testing has a positive effect on the retention of previously learned material.