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Enhancing Study Habits: Building on Existing Techniques

Ideally, students would embrace the most effective study methods supported by research, such as self-testing, spaced repetition, and retrieval techniques, which are known to enhance understanding and academic success.

However, in practice, many students rely on passive study habits they are accustomed to, like repeatedly reading texts, highlighting without discrimination, or taking random notes.


A groundbreaking 2018 review of extensive research on study techniques suggests that to integrate evidence-based methods into students' regular study habits, teachers should focus on improving the strategies students already employ. Essentially, the approach should be to start where students are currently at.


"Since students tend to prefer these strategies, clarifying their benefits and limitations can guide them to use them more effectively," noted the research team from Washington University in St. Louis.


For instance, students might find comfort in rereading a text before a history exam, but they may not realize that making minor adjustments, such as taking breaks between readings and summarizing or questioning in between, can significantly boost their comprehension.


These minor adjustments also serve to introduce students to more effective strategies that they might not otherwise try. Integrating self-testing into their rereading routine can act as an entry point to these advanced techniques.


Here are strategies to refine the common study habits of students and introduce them to more advanced methods:


Optimizing Rereading

Students often mistakenly believe that reading a passage multiple times is sufficient for comprehension. This approach is passive and can lead to a false sense of understanding, according to researchers.


To enhance this method, encourage students to space out their readings. Research indicates that spaced readings, similar to spaced practice, lead to better memory retention compared to immediate rereading.


In a 1987 study referenced in the review, students who took a 30-minute break after their initial reading and before their second reading had better recall than those who did not pause.


Students can further improve rereading by incorporating retrieval practice. After the first reading, have them summarize in their own words, self-quiz, or create quick concept maps to identify knowledge gaps and focus their next reading session.

Mindful Highlighting and Underlining

Students naturally gravitate towards highlighting text, believing it aids memory retention. While there is evidence that marked information is better recalled, students often highlight too little or non-critical information.


With guidance, students can improve this skill significantly. A 2022 study showed that a few hours of instruction on proper highlighting techniques can lead to a substantial increase in effectiveness.


Simple advice includes urging students to avoid highlighting on the first read, which can help them identify key points and engage more actively with the text.


UCLA's Rebecca Alber suggests teaching students to analyze key textual features before reading, such as the text's purpose and audience, to guide their highlighting.


Active Note-Taking

Like highlighting, note-taking is a common study method. However, the way students take notes and use them can greatly impact their effectiveness.


When students aim to copy lectures verbatim, note-taking becomes less effective. This shallow processing can hinder learning by preventing deeper engagement with the material.


Instead, when students engage in a generative process, such as summarizing and organizing ideas in their own words, note-taking becomes a powerful tool for encoding and retaining information.


Daniel Willingham of the University of Virginia suggests that students should focus on their thoughts about the information rather than trying to transcribe the teacher's words exactly.


This approach results in fewer notes but requires more effort to revise and clarify, ensuring that notes serve their purpose and aid in listening, processing, and understanding.


Adding a collaborative element, such as discussing notes with a partner, can also enhance note-taking, as shown by a 2016 study where students who revised notes collaboratively recorded more notes and performed better on exams.


Strategic Flash Card Use

Flash cards are favored by students for their effectiveness in retrieval practice, which helps learn and retain information. However, students often lack the