Issue 23, Fall 2002

William A. McEachern, Editor

Studying Out of Context

What do you tell students who ask for study tips after they botched the first exam, though they claim to have studied hard? One reason students have difficulty with exams is that questions are usually posed out of context. But students tend to study in context, following the sequential flow of their class notes and their textbook. The out-of-context problem is especially severe when it comes to diagrams. When an exam question requires knowledge of a diagram, many students have trouble figuring out which of the various diagrams covered in the material is most relevant.

As a way of studying out of context, I suggest to students that, in addition to their usual review, they prepare a flash card for each diagram they will be responsible for on the exam. On one side, they should carefully draw and label the diagram and, in a sentence or two, summarize the central point (a task instructive in itself). On the flip side, they merely title the diagram, such as "The effects of an increase in demand on price and quantity." Once they have done this for all diagrams, they should shuffle the cards and try to draw and explain each one based solely on the title prompt. Students who have done this tell me they understand the material better and improve their test scores. Studying out of context helps students answer exam questions that are out of context.

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