Retrieval-based learning: The need for guided retrieval in elementary school children

•Three experiments examined retrieval practice of educational materials with elementary school children.•Children struggled with unsupported free recall and concept mapping activities known to be effective with college students.•Activities with more support, including a question mapping task, improved children's retrieval success.•The results highlight the need for guided retrieval practice methods for young children.

Three experiments were aimed at adapting retrieval practice techniques that are effective with college students to work with elementary school children. Children participated in their classrooms and completed activities with educational texts selected from the school curriculum. In Experiment 1, when children were asked to freely recall the texts, they recalled very little of the material (about 10%) and showed almost no improvement after rereading. In another condition that involved creating concept maps, the children produced only about 20% of the ideas on their maps, even though they viewed the texts during the entire activity. Experiments 2 and 3 explored ways to provide support during retrieval activities. In Experiment 2, children were very successful at retrieving knowledge on concept maps that were partially completed. In Experiment 3, a question map activity, where questions were displayed in a relational map format, was effective for guiding retrieval practice and improving learning relative to repeated studying. The results demonstrate the importance of examining strategies that work with college students with young children in educational settings using authentic materials. The results also highlight the need for guided retrieval practice in young children.