Planning promotes studying – the higher the plan quality the better: a micro-randomized trial
Year: 2024
Type: preprint
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Implementation intentions could be a promising metacognitive strategy for self-regulated learning. They could help students increase the likelihood of studying by planning when and where to study. In a 42-day micro-randomized trial in an authentic real-world setting, we examined the effectiveness of planning prompts to increase children’s engagement with a vocabulary learning app. Children (N = 357) received mobile prompts in the evening asking them to formulate appropriate implementation intentions for the next day, that is, if-then plans specifying when and where they would like to study vocabulary.Results indicated that planning prompts were not effective per se; rather, the effectiveness of planning depended crucially on the quality of the plan. Using a newly developed rubric to classify plan quality based on the specificity, saliency, and contextual aspects of the plan, we show that the higher the plan quality, the more likely children were to study the next day. These findings suggest that well-formulated if-then plans are a useful metacognitive strategy for action control, helping to increase the likelihood of studying.For children to use this metacognitive strategy to plan their own studying, researchers and teachers need to ensure that they explain it carefully, provide examples of high-quality plans, and preferably scaffold the creation of plans by providing feedback.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4404561908