Smart Studying: Teaching Students How to Study Through Neuroscience (Poster 35)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 3:20 p.m.
  In Invited Poster Session: 2025 AERA Undergraduate Fellows Research Poster Fair

Abstract

This study examines whether explaining the neuroscience and cognitive psychology behind effective study strategies increases their impact on student learning. Seventy-six undergraduates in an introductory chemistry course were randomly assigned to one of two video-based interventions. Both groups learned about four evidence-based study and test-taking strategies—retrieval practice, distributed practice, creating connections, and managing test anxiety—but only the experimental group received scientific explanations for why these strategies work. To assess the intervention’s effects, we compared each student’s average exam scores before and after the intervention, and analyzed the difference in improvement across groups. Preliminary results show that students in the neuroscience-informed condition saw a greater increase in exam performance than those in the control group, with an average gain of 2%. Final course grades and self-reported use of study strategies are being analyzed to further explore the relationship between metacognitive understanding and academic outcomes. This research aims to inform the design of interventions that foster more effective, self-regulated learning in college students.

Author

• Shayla Brooks, University of Arizona