Courses designed to teach study skills have been found to be helpful, but they are often time-consuming, costly, and not widely accessible. A recent study, therefore, explored whether providing students with a brief two-page study manual with effective learning techniques could be a more simple and cost-effective approach for improving learning.
This study randomly assigned 87 students from three courses related to psychology at Stockholm University to either receive the study manual (n=43) or continue studying as usual (n=44) for one semester, and then compared their learning outcomes. The manual briefly explained how students might improve learning by combining the learning techniques: retrieval practice, elaboration, and distributed practice. The manual group received a downloadable PDF study manual and was informed that its use was optional, whereas the non-manual group was notified that they had not been selected to receive the manual.
Results showed that the study manual significantly enhanced students’ learning performance by increasing their likelihood of passing exams by about 12% and of achieving high grades by around 24%, with the greatest improvement seen in the most challenging course. In addition, the manual boosted self-regulated learning for some students by increasing their use of the three aforementioned learning techniques, which likely contributed to improved learning performance. However, fewer than half of the students reported being influenced by the manual, suggesting that while providing knowledge of effective learning techniques alone may be sufficient for some students to translate the knowledge into action, others may need additional guidance or support.
In summary, the study manual shows promise as a tool for enhancing students’ learning performance and self-regulated learning, and some students may require additional training or support beyond the manual alone to start using them.
Source (Open Access): Jemstedt, A. (2024). Enhancing learning with a two-page study manual. Learning and Instruction, 90, 101852. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2023.101852