Proposal of experiential lessons incorporating spaced repeated retrieval-based learning strategies to promote metacognition in high school students

This study aimed to preliminarily develop and evaluate an experiential classroom lesson designed to promote metacognitive awareness of effective learning strategies, with a focus on repeated retrieval practice.A total of 113 second-year high school students from three liberal arts classes participated in a 50-minute lesson, in which they experienced three learning conditions: spaced repeated retrieval, repeated encoding, and single retrieval.Immediately after the lesson, students completed free recall tests and subsequently received feedback on their performance, followed by a short lecture highlighting the advantages of repeated retrieval.The results indicated that spaced repeated retrieval significantly enhanced retention compared with repeated encoding and single retrieval.Furthermore, post-lesson surveys revealed that students not only acquired metacognitive knowledge of effective strategies but also demonstrated changes in their metacognitive activities.These findings suggest that the experiential lesson developed in this study can foster both cognitive performance and metacognitive awareness.Implications include the adaptability of repeated retrieval practice to heterogeneous classrooms, including those with students with developmental disorders, as previous research has shown its effectiveness across individuals with varying cognitive profiles.Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, including the need for delayed testing and application across different school subjects.