"How do I study?": The effects of spaced-out learning vs cramming on academic achievements
Why do students cram when they know it’s not good for their mental health or progression in studies? Having been a spaced-out learner from the time of high school, I often wondered why and how my friends can afford to leave revision to the last minute.
How do I study? I remember asking this question before I started writing exams in high school. I fell into the trap of thinking there must be a ‘perfect way to study and ace exams’, unbeknownst to the many strategies I could try to optimise my learning experiences. From studying A-levels to writing exams at university, my study techniques have changed drastically from cramming to learning how to study over a longer period of time. Our study techniques impact how much information we retain for the big day. Besides studying for exams, our study techniques determine whether this information stays in our short-term memory (STM) or long-term memory (LTM). By exploring techniques like spaced-out learning and cramming, a better understanding of improving learning experiences as well as academic achievements can be grasped. This not only helps improve your grades and success with academics, but also puts you in good stead with skills that are important during working or volunteering such as planning, organising and time management.
Spaced-out Learning
During an introductory lecture to one of my courses last year, the lecturer briefly touched upon three different type of learners at university: the “slow but steady” approach, the binger (i.e. crammer) and the organiser (i.e. spaced-out learning). She encouraged us to adopt a more organised approach and also stressed that this isn’t easy when you are at university, with various other commitments to jobs, societies and trying to balance your social life. Spaced-out learning involves reviewing your materials on a regular basis, for example after every class you have and making up exam notes as you go. This type of learning approach is not only beneficial whilst going over past papers, but it also allows students to pinpoint areas which may be trickier, so that they can seek help from their teachers or other textbooks. Kornell (2009) conducted a study to explore whether students preferred massed studying or spaced-out studying in the lead up to examinations, with a focus on using either a large stack of flashcards (spaced-out learning) or smaller stacks of flashcards (cramming). The findings revealed that 90% of participants found spacing to be more effective than cramming. In another study, Hartwig & Dunlosky (2012) investigate different study techniques amongst college students; one of the key findings revealed that self-testing was one of the most popular and important strategies that students choose to adopt whilst revising. This finding is consistent with academic achievements as students who self-test, rather than re-watching lecture recordings or memorising notes, are more likely to gain a better understanding of their revision materials.
Myths & Misconceptions About Cramming
Why do students cram when they know it’s not good for their mental health or progression in studies? Having been a spaced-out learner from the time of high school, I often wondered why and how my friends can afford to leave revision to the last minute. I realised that there are increasing pressures on students to build up their CV, get involved in extracurricular activities and do well in their studies – sometimes proving too much for students to balance. Whilst some people are good at cramming and pulling off the grades they need to progress with their studies at school or university, its effects are detrimental – not only do students have to pull all-nighters to cover the syllabus in a few days, but the stress and emotional energy invested in cramming leads to sleep deprivation, lack of retention and lower test scores, if students decide to cram regularly. Moreover, a common misconception that students have about cramming is assuming that massing is more effective than spacing, as short-term academic achievements equates to long-term learning (Kornell, 2009). In reality, cramming for an examination is associated with a heightened sense of emotions like stress, panic, and poor time management. Consequently, this does not only affect performance in exams, but it also affects whether you are able to recognise information that is being presented (i.e. a question that you saw in a past paper) or recall the materials. To be in a better position to tackle questions that involve critical thinking, cramming is often not enough to prepare for a course. Students that choose to study at college or university are faced with the dilemma of ‘to cram or not to cram’, when most of the material studied will aid a students’ future career and is usually required as you progress during a degree. This brings to question whether there is a ‘right’ way to study and factors which influence our study techniques.
Is There a ‘Right’ Way to Study or is it Subjective?
Optimising our learning experiences could not be more important in this day and age where technology dominates paperback textbooks and handwritten notes during lectures. Other factors that contribute to our learning experience include the type of mindsets we have towards learning, whether we are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated and the attention span we have (i.e. whether we can study for long periods of time, do we chunk information into smaller sections for better retention?). Adopting a spaced-out learning approach will put students in a good stead for revision and exams, as well as reducing panic and stress in these situations. Moreover, using the same approach in extracurricular activities at college or university, as well as towards volunteering or work, can help students with stress and time management. With regards to cramming, it is evident that students occasionally adopt this technique when they haven’t planned their work out well during the year or in circumstances where personal matters arise. Whilst cramming enables students to review material quickly, the information retained is usually foundational knowledge rather than in-depth, which can affect students’ critical-thinking and evaluation skills. Overall, finding the right way to study can vary from person to person, and studying techniques are more likely to differ from high school to college or university level. It is important to note that there is not ‘right’ way to study and sustaining one study technique across all of your courses may not be possible due to factors like personal matters that affect an individuals’ emotional and mental health.
Written by Evelyn Antony
“Hello! My name is Evelyn and I recently graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a Master of Arts (with Honours) degree in Psychology. My undergraduate dissertation leveraged data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, where I investigated the role of emotional dysregulation in explaining the association between ADHD and internalising emotional problems amongst young children. Throughout my degree, I have acquired valuable and meaningful experiences working with young people that have profound mental health issues and additional needs, as well as working in research and events management within higher education settings. Collectively my work experiences and undergraduate degree in psychology has led me to pursue postgraduate studies, in educational psychology, which commences later in 2021.”
Connect with Evelyn on Linkedin and through her personal blog.
References
Hartwig, M. K., & Dunlosky, J. (2012). Study strategies of college students: Are self-testing and scheduling related to achievement?. Psychonomic bulletin & review, 19(1), 126-134.
Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 23(9), 1297-1317.