Sitting and surviving exams

Examinations remain a common tool of assessment for many courses within universities. What assistance can teachers provide to students to enable them to develop effective study skills and what has research shown to be effective revision strategies for students prior to the examination itself?

There is a correlation between deep processing and effective studying (Dahlgren and Marton, 1978)*.

Is it enough to provide a revision study for students to follow? Robinson (1946)* developed the SQ3R method requiring a student to survey an assignment, generate questions, read, recite answers to questions and review. While students taught this method may achieve better quality learning, a review of empirical research into study strategies and tactics since 1989 suggests that there is "meager support for approaches like SQ3R" (Hadwin & Winne, 1996, p. 694).

Among the studies reviewed by Hadwin and Winne (1996), which were empirical investigations that taught study strategies within a syllabus, three strategies emerged:

• Concept mapping - visual representations of material studied with information nodes and links between the nodes. "Students who used concept mapping reported that it affected their learning style by increasing integration, organization, understanding, and retention, while it did not affect their tendency to memorize. They also reported having to study less for the final examination and that concept mapping helped more in the long run than the short run" (p.701).
• Self-questioning - drawing on prior knowledge to generate questions about what is to be learned or done. Evidence suggests that this strategy may improve "comprehension for students learning from text" (p.702).
• Time spent studying - students record dates and times of study, compute amount of study and classify as either reading, reviewing or organising. "Students who reported more time spent studying received higher course grades" (p.702).

Hadwin and Winne suggest that there is little empirical research available to justify recommendation of specific study strategies and that various tactics may be effective for achieving a student's goal. They do note that study strategies which contribute directly to grades in their courses are more likely to be adopted.

• Hadwin, A. & Winne, P. (1996) Study Strategies Have Meager Support. Journal of Higher Education Vol. 67 No. 6 pp 692 - 715.

* cited in Hadwin & Winne (1996)

Previously published as Sitting and Surving Exams (1997). Issues of Teaching and Learning, 3(8).