Practicing retrieval of vocabulary items from memory (e.g., with flashcard software or practice tests) is an effective study strategy to remember vocabulary over time. Retrieval practice is often implemented in digital learning environments that increasingly include multimedia (i.e., combining textual and pictorial information). However, it is…

In an effort to identify effective instructional practices for teaching writing to elementary grade students, we conducted a meta-analysis of the writing intervention literature, focusing our efforts on true and quasi-experiments. We located 115 documents that included the statistics for computing an effect size (ES). We calculated an average…

Investigates whether 8-year-olds can be taught a mental imagery strategy to improve their memory of prose they read. Results of the study showed that the children taught the strategy answered more questions than the group who did not receive those instructions. (Author/DEP)

In agreement with prior studies, syntactic order produced better recall, and recall errors were semantically related to the narrative. The more vivid versions of the paragraphs produced higher recall suggesting that imagery may play a role in recall. (Authors)

From evidence of this study it appears that a person will learn more from a prose passage if he forms images of the things and events described in the passage. (Authors/MB)

1,000 words were rated for imagery by adults. 63 first graders and kindergarteners were then taught to read 756 of these words. Results showed that this imagery rating was significantly related to the subjects' ability to read (learn) the words. The word list with imagery ratings is presented. (RC)

The role of prior knowledge in elaboration strategies was examined in 3 experiments involving 304 college students.. Elaborative interrogation was most effective when learners were able to draw on a rich knowledge base. When the knowledge base was low, imagery-based strategies were more potent than elaborative interrogation. (SLD)

The principal finding of this study is that supplementing verbal description with graphic analogies results in better learning and more positive student attitudes than presenting only verbal descriptions, which supports the view that external imagery also can facilitate complex concept learning. (Author/DEP)

Experiments showed that in verbal discrimination learning imaging the referent of the correct item was more facilitative than vocalizing the correct item, as long as the imagery structure was executed in the company of relevant motor activity. No difference between the two strategies was found in pictorial discrimination learning. (Author/BJG)

The effect of passage illustration training on reading comprehension in third and fourth graders is examined. Results show that standardized test scores were not improved due to this training. (Author/DEP)

Results lend partial support to the proposition that the effectiveness of a particular rehearsal strategy depends on the degree to which it provides a discriminative cue for the materials on hand: With homonym pairs, imagery constituted such a discriminative cue, while vocalization did not; with synonym pairs, the converse was true. (Authors/CB)

Findings were that imagery instructions for picture pairs were generally more facilitative than imagery instructions for word pairs, with children at this age exhibiting little variability in their capacity to utilize a visual imagery strategy when pictures comprised the learning materials. (Authors)

In three experiments on the effects of word imagery, length, and frequency on reading difficulty, high-frequency words were found to be easier to read for both good and poor readers. High-imagery words were easier to read for poor readers only. Word length had little effect on reading difficulty for either group. (Author/MV)

Representational and transformational visual imagery instructions were manipulated within two passage types (name and occupation), along with no-strategy control instructions for each passage type. Transformational imagery instructions were effective on the more difficult to remember name passages. Representational imagery instructions were not…