KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW: INVESTIGATING THE BENEFITS OF PRETESTING DURING VIDEO LECTURES

Abstract

The surge in popularity of online educational resources challenges educators to optimise online content. However, in online settings, students are highly susceptible to the effects of mind wandering (shifts in attention away from the task towards unrelated thoughts). This research investigates the effectiveness of pretesting (taking tests on to-be-studied material) in mitigating this issue and improving learning during video lectures — relative to other methods that also involve engagement with the lecture, and using latest research methodologies to measure mind wandering. In two experiments, participants viewed a 22-minute online video lecture that was paired with either a pretest activity (answering multiple-choice questions about the lecture) or a time-matched control activity (reading a paragraph about the lecture). In Experiment 1, the control group outperformed the pretest group in the final test. After changes to the methodology, Experiment 2 found that taking pretests improved final test performance and encouraged on-task thoughts, but had no statistically significant effect on mind wandering. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of pretesting in improving attention (by encouraging lecture-related on-task thoughts) and enhancing learning. It also highlights the importance of detailed instruction when pretesting is applied in real-world contexts.