Though the use of note-taking and rereading is most notably known as the best study technique amongst college students, we see that other ways of retaining information can be more beneficial than that of writing notes and reading them over before exams. The article at hand tests the idea of a 3R method which is the use of reading, recalling, and reviewing information instead of traditional study methods.
The usage of the 3R strategy in studying is seen as more effective than traditional note-taking, due to the 3R strategy being able to increase the chances of recalling information due to its use of recitation and rereading after the first exposure to the information being tested. Using a study based on correlations, both the first and second experiments proved the improved ability of recalling information immediately and after a bit of time compared to those tested using note taking strategies and by rereading alone.
The second experiment used more complex passages and information causing those who just reread to score lower than those who used the 3R method or took notes (the scores were equivalent with these two groups). The 3R method focuses on the person using the method which makes it so much more efficient and successful than any other study method. Study methods amongst college students today consist of two important things; rereading and note-taking. To the average student, these methods are important to succeeding in any college classroom or so we thought.
A study done at Washington University in St. Louis and Furman University proves this idea otherwise. This correlational study done by Mark McDaniel, Daniel Howard, & Gilles Einstein highlights the correlation of successful test scores and study methods by testing three popular methods of studying: traditional note-taking, rereading only and the Three R Study Strategy. The Three R (3R) Study Strategy is a truncated version of the SQ3R1 study strategy which focuses on the student to read the text, recite all they could remember, and read the information a second time.
We see that this study method is much more effective than that of note-taking or just rereading2 due to it being easier for students to apply this method, allowing the use of remembering information almost right after the study expanding the amount of information remembered, and the inclusion of recitation solidifying the information processed which can aid in rereading later on. In a previous study3, the use of the 3R strategy only yielded to improved performance when done immediately after the 3R, not after a period of time.
This test did not show any significant improvements when compared to students who studied using other strategies. Though the 3R strategy has been tested before the current experiment being discussed, the results shown by McDaniel, Howard & Einstein, show a significant improvement with those who apply the 3R strategy compared to those using other study methods and can be considered a serious contender for future students. Experiment 1 In the first experiment, researchers compared the 3R strategy to two other popular studying methods (rereading a passage twice and note-taking).
Using a group of seventy-two students, twenty-four students were assigned to three different study methods. The reread-only group read each passage twice. The note-taking group read the passage twice and was told to take notes while reading the passage. The 3R group read each passage once, verbally recited into a recorder what they remembered, and read the passage again. Each group was given four passages to look over. After they were all finished with their reading, they were told to solve math problems for three minutes and filled out a demographic questionnaire.
After this was done, each group was given a multiple choice test and three short answer inference questions on the first the third passage they read. After a week, the groups came back to complete the same test on all four of the passages. This allowed the students to be retested on the first and third passages and tested on the second and fourth passages for the first time. Results In regards to study time, we see that students using the note-taking method spent significantly more time than students who used the 3R or reread-only method.
Additionally, we see that those who used the 3R method took more time than those who used the reread only method. In the results provided in the journal, we see that in the free recall testing, the use of the 3R method was more successful across the board than those who used note taking or rereading as their study strategy. The results of the students who used the note-taking strategy and the rereading strategy were not as significant as students using the 3R strategy.
During the multiple choice portion, we see that students who used the note-taking strategy did better than those who used the 3R strategy and the rereading strategy. During the short answer portion, we see that students did better on the immediate test than that of the delayed testing (the test with no prior testing). Experiment 2 In the second experiment, the information became a lot more complicated and ultimately more difficult, testing the possibility that the 3R method could stretch to more complicated information.
Students were given two educational texts and the same instructions as indicated in experiment one. Each student read each passage and was told to answer three minutes worth of arithmetic and a demographics questionnaire. For the first passage, the students were given a free-recall test, a multiple-choice test and four problem-solving problems. Students later came back after one week and completed all three tests for both passages. The students were tested on the second article for the first time and the first article for the first time. Results
In regards to study time, students who participated in the note-taking group took a significant increase in the amount of time they spent reading the article compared to those who in the 3R group and the reread only group. In the results provided, we see that in the free-recall testing, the 3R group performed better than the note-taking group and the rereading groups. In the 3R group, we see that the use of recall was more effective than the other two study strategy groups. Comparing the note-taking groups and the rereading groups, there is no significant difference between the two.
In the multiple choice portion, we see that the 3R group better than the reread-only group after the week period. However the note-taking group and the rereading group did not differ in results. In the problem-solving portion, the 3R and note-taking groups did much better than the reread only group. Immediate testing showed that the relationship between time of testing and scores was not significant. Discussion Reading this journal, I saw that the correlation between time and the study methods very interesting. The use of the 3R method is somewhat effective.
If you look at the results of average scores in the first table, the multiple choice students had the best scores, followed by the 3R method, with the rereading only strategy at the end. The 3R method has its flaws. With low scores in the multiple choice portion in experiment one and low scores in problem solving portion in experiment two, there are improvements needed for the 3R method to truly succeed. This information proves that though the 3R strategy is effective and portable, it may not be the best use of time when it comes to studying..
One could say that an improvement could be the addition provided in the SQ3R, but the use of survey and questioning is a waste of time in regards to studying. Pairing the two strategies (note-taking and the 3R), we could probably see the best test results when it comes to the long run. Bibliography McDaniel, Mark A. , Daniel C. Howard, and Gilles O. Einstein. “The Read-Recite-Review Study Strategy: Effective And Portable. ” Psychological Science 20. 4 (2009): 516-522. Print.
