Results from this study showed that more spacing was significantly correlated with better performance on quizzes, confirming previous theories about spacing and learning outcomes. Shorter retention intervals were also found to be associated with higher quiz grades. Similarly, students who spaced more had higher final exam grades.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

To better understand the spacing effect in education, it's important to research what type of learning decisions students make when learning is self-regulated (as opposed to directed spacing in lab settings). One study used student data collected from a MOOC to examine if to examine various self-regulated spacing decisions and how they relate to student ability and learning outcomes. Spacing was defined as the number of sessions a student spent studying the unit that was covered by the quiz. Pretest grades (used to measure prior knowledge) and time spent in unit were used as predictor variables of performance. Data was analyzed from quizzes on 11 different units so that spacing effects could be examined within the same student.

Spacing effect in MOOCs

Carvalho, P.F., Sana, F. & Yan, V.X. (2020). Self-regulated spacing in a massive open online course is related to better learning. npj Sci. Learn. 5(2), 1-7.

Self-regulated spacing in a massive open online course is related to better learning

Relationship between spacing and quiz performance

Using both the pretest and final exam scores as indicators of student ability, this study looked at spacing patterns among students of various achievement levels. Analysis revealed that students with better performance on the final exam were more likely to engage in spacing. However, it was acknowledged that using final exam grades to predict spacing habits is potentially confounding. Moreover, it was found that spacing was more highly correlated with better quiz performance for students with lower ability than students with higher ability.

Spacing decisions based on final exam grade

Another finding from this study showed that the number of activities completed for a given unit, an indicator of active learning, was positively correlated with spacing. Additional analysis revealed that spacing had a greater effect on quiz performance when students were completing less activities versus when they completed more activities. These results suggest that spacing can be more beneficial for learning outcomes for students who are not engaging less in other methods of active learning.  

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