Testing as a learning tool in special education

The present study examined retrieval-based learning in a sample of 38 students with a diagnosis of general learning disability attending a special school in Germany. The learning material comprised items representative of everyday teaching (foreign language vocabulary). Three experimental factors were manipulated. Retrieval practice was compared with restudy, English items were compared with Swahili items, and performance in a posttest was compared with performance in a follow-up test one week later. Results show that participants did benefit from alternating study opportunities with retrieval practice as compared to repeated study trials only. Moreover, individual differences regarding confidence in testing situations moderated this benefit. Higher confidence was associated with a stronger testing effect. Implications of these findings pertain to how students with general learning disabilities are typically taught. The observed benefit of retrieval-based learning suggests reconsidering the role tests can play in special education.