EFFECT OF QUESTION LOCATION PACING AND MODE UPON RETENTION OF PROSE MATERIAL

A FACTORIAL DESIGN WITH 128 COLLEGE SS WAS USED TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF QUESTION LOCATION, QUESTION PACING, LOCATION OF RELEVANT CONTENT, AND QUESTION MODE UPON THE RETENTION OF QUESTION-RELEVANT AND INCIDENTAL PROSE MATERIAL. RETENTION WAS HIGHEST WHEN QUESTIONS WERE PLACED AFTER PARAGRAPHS. RETENTION INCREASED WITH THE FREQUENCY OF POSTTREATMENT QUESTIONS, BUT IT DECREASED WITH FREQUENT PRETREATMENT QUESTIONS. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT FREQUENT POSTQUESTIONING EITHER SHAPED OR ELICITED APPROPRIATE READING SKILLS WHILE FREQUENT PREQUESTIONS INTERFERED WITH PROSE STRUCTURE. FREQUENT QUESTIONING, EITHER PRE- OR POSTTREATMENT, YIELDED PRECISE DISCRIMINATION BETWEEN RELEVANT AND INCIDENTAL MATERIAL WHICH TOOK THE FORM OF LOWERED INCIDENTAL LEARNING WITHOUT A CORRESPONDING INCREASE IN RELEVANT LEARNING. QUESTION MODE (MULTIPLE-CHOICE OR CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE) HAD NO EFFECT. RELEVANT MATERIAL WAS RETAINED BETTER THAN THE INCIDENTAL, BUT INCIDENTAL RETENTION WAS RELATIVELY HIGH IF THE INCIDENTAL MATERIAL FOLLOWED THE QUESTION-RELEVANT MATERIAL. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.