The Effects of Review Session Format on Quiz Performance and Study Group Attendance in a College Course

Cihon, Dwiggins, and Neef (2005) compared two formats for optional study sessions offered to students in two sections of a research methods course; although there were no differences between game and question and answer (Q & A) formats on student attendance or quiz performance, most students reported a preference for the Q & A format. We replicated and extended the Cihon et al. (2005) study by assessing and controlling for opportunities to respond across sessions, and by using different games that allowed all students to actively participate (rather than simply observe). Review sessions alternated between a game format (e.g., Behavioral Jeopardy, Behavioral Squares, etc.) and a Q & A format, presented in counterbalanced order across the two sections. The alternating treatments design permitted analysis of: (a) differences in quiz performance (involving questions over recent versus previous material) as a function of participation in review sessions; (b) differences in quiz performance as a function of review session format (Q & A vs. games), and (c) preference between the two formats as measured by attendance at the review sessions.