During a lesson, I overheard a conversation between two Year 10 history students as they prepared for an upcoming exam. One student lamented, "I just can’t remember all these dates and names. I thought I understood it, but when I try to write it down, it all goes blank." This moment encapsulated the struggles many students face in history revision, where the integration of knowledge often eludes them despite their efforts. Such observations prompted this inquiry, which seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of student-generated flashcards on Quizlet in improving the retrieval practices of underperforming Year 10 history students. The impetus for this study arose from identified deficiencies in students’ revision practices, characterized by the poor quality of their revision materials, a lack of specific factual details, and persistent misconceptions that hindered their performance on assessments. Notably, students in the lower quartile continued to struggle with revision techniques and knowledge retention despite receiving explicit instruction and modelling. How does the creation of digital flashcards on Quizlet influence students' retrieval ability for historical facts? In what ways do self-generated flashcards affect students' comprehension and reduction of misconceptions within historical contexts? To what extent do improvements in knowledge retention correlate with enhanced academic performance in history assessments? Recognizing the centrality of retrieval practice in history learning, this study posits that the structured creation of digital flashcards through Quizlet not only enhances students' ability to recall and apply historical information effectively but also leads to observable improvements in their overall knowledge retention, which translates into better attainment in assessments.
Literature Review
The relationship between digital technology and academic performance in history has been extensively studied. Toktamysov et al. (2022) examined the impact of digital technologies like Quizlet and Virtual Reality in history education, finding no significant differences between students using digital tools and traditional illustrative materials. This suggests that the efficacy of digital tools depends on implementation strategies rather than the technology itself. Busch (2024) highlights the advantages of self-created flashcards over pre-made ones, emphasizing cognitive processing benefits such as the Generation Effect, which enhances memory retention through active learning. Similarly, Pan et al. (2023) demonstrated that user-generated digital flashcards yield better long-term retention and conceptual understanding than pre-made flashcards. The study found that the act of creating flashcards fosters engagement and deep processing, reinforcing the retrieval strength of stored knowledge. Xodabande et al. (2022) explored the use of digital flashcards in vocabulary acquisition, revealing that students who actively engaged with digital flashcard creation showed greater improvement than those using static lists. Taken together, these studies suggest that self-generated flashcards on platforms like Quizlet can improve long-term memory retention and retrieval efficiency. However, there is a gap in understanding their application in history education, particularly for underperforming students. This study aims to address that gap by implementing and evaluating a structured intervention.
Intervention
To enhance students' ability to extract and retain specific historical evidence from information-dense textbook passages, a structured intervention was implemented, integrating Quizlet-based digital flashcard creation into the learning process. This approach aimed to address common revision deficiencies, including factual inaccuracies, conceptual misunderstandings, and ineffective note-taking strategies.
A dedicated lesson was delivered to systematically teach students how to distil key evidence from dense historical texts, transforming them into effective digital flashcards. The session began by identifying challenges in students' revision methods, particularly the tendency to revise passively rather than engaging in active recall strategies. Drawing on research that emphasises the cognitive benefits of self-generated learning materials (Busch, 2024; Pan et al., 2023), students were introduced to structured approaches for identifying and extracting essential information from historical texts. A step-by-step method was introduced for breaking down textbook paragraphs using guiding questions, including:
Key terms – Identifying historically significant vocabulary.
New concepts – Recognising novel ideas or frameworks.
Key historical developments – Tracing cause-and-effect relationships within historical narratives.
Exam relevance – Predicting how the extracted information could be assessed in different question formats.
Following the modelling session, students engaged in supervised practice, generating initial flashcards using Quizlet. The process included peer and instructor feedback on factual accuracy, clarity, and relevance. Research suggests that when students create their own flashcards, they engage in deeper cognitive processing, enhancing long-term retention through the ‘Generation Effect’ (Busch, 2024). To reinforce this, students were required to include at least one specific historical detail per bullet point and construct responses in formats mirroring exam question requirements (e.g., 4-mark descriptive responses and 6-mark explanatory responses). Over the subsequent two weeks, students continued to create their own flashcards as part of their homework, integrating them into their study routines. The use of Quizlet facilitated collaborative learning, as some students shared their flashcard sets with peers, reinforcing retrieval-based learning (Toktamysov et al., 2022). Additionally, students were encouraged to revise using Quizlet’s active recall features, such as ‘Learn’ mode and ‘Test’ mode, to enhance memory consolidation.
Results and Discussion
Post-intervention assessments revealed a notable improvement in students’ ability to recall precise historical details, including dates, names, and locations. The initial assessment (L1 CA) demonstrated significant gaps in knowledge recall, particularly in integrating specific evidence into structured responses. This aligns with cognitive load theory (Sweller, 1988), which suggests that novice learners struggle to encode and retrieve information effectively when confronted with complex content. However, following the structured Quizlet-based flashcard intervention, students demonstrated measurable progress in extracting and retaining key factual details, supporting the Generation Effect (Slamecka & Graf, 1978). This effect posits that self-generated content enhances memory retention by encouraging deeper cognitive engagement. The findings are consistent with Busch (2024) and Pan et al. (2023), who highlight that active recall techniques, particularly self-created flashcards, facilitate stronger memory consolidation and comprehension.
A critical outcome of the intervention was a reduction in factual inaccuracies within students’ responses, suggesting an improved grasp of historical content. Pre-intervention assessments indicated that students frequently misrepresented events or omitted crucial evidence, leading to lower attainment scores. The structured approach to flashcard creation encouraged elaborative rehearsal, a process in which students actively make connections between new and existing knowledge, reinforcing memory traces (Craik & Lockhart, 1972). Pan et al. (2023) similarly argue that user-generated digital flashcards outperform pre-made alternatives by fostering metacognitive engagement, as students must assess the relevance and accuracy of their own material. This aligns with constructivist learning theories (Piaget, 1950; Vygotsky, 1978), which emphasise the importance of active participation in the learning process to develop deeper understanding.
Student reflections further highlighted the motivational benefits of self-generated study materials. Many reported a greater sense of ownership over their revision, leading to increased engagement and the development of structured study habits. This finding resonates with self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), which posits that autonomy in learning enhances intrinsic motivation. Additionally, Tes Magazine (2020) notes that digital flashcard tools like Quizlet facilitate personalised learning experiences, allowing students to adapt study strategies to their own needs. The ability to manipulate content, reorganise information, and engage with material actively turns passive learners into self-directed participants, reinforcing deeper learning (Busch, 2024).
However, despite overall improvements, some lower-performing students continued to struggle with identifying and selecting key historical information for their flashcards. While high-performing students quickly adapted to the structured revision method, others required additional scaffolding to construct effective revision materials. This aligns with findings by Toktamysov et al. (2022), who argue that while digital tools like Quizlet support history learning, their efficacy varies based on students’ ability to engage independently. According to Vygotsky’s (1978) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), students benefit most when instructional support is gradually withdrawn as they gain proficiency. To address this, additional scaffolding—such as guided questioning techniques, peer collaboration, and teacher-led modelling—may be necessary to ensure equitable access to the intervention’s benefits. Future iterations of this approach could integrate more structured peer review sessions to enhance the metacognitive aspects of flashcard creation, ensuring that all learners develop the skills necessary to curate and apply historical knowledge effectively.
Implications for Teaching Practice
1. Scaffolded Digital Flashcard Creation as a Core Revision Strategy: Explicitly teaching students how to construct effective flashcards can improve their ability to distil and retain key historical information. Teachers should integrate this practice into regular classroom activities.
2. The Need for Iterative Feedback: The peer review and revision process helped refine student flashcards and reduced misconceptions. This suggests that ongoing feedback loops should be embedded in digital study practices.
3. Balancing Depth and Breadth in Revision: While digital flashcards improve factual retention, teachers should encourage students to contextualise these facts within historical arguments to prevent rote memorisation.
4. Addressing Student Resistance: Given some students’ reluctance to engage with the process, future interventions should explore gamification elements or collaborative creation to increase motivation.
5. Further Research on Long-Term Retention: While short-term test performance improved, further study is needed to assess whether these benefits persist over longer periods.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that modelling flashcard creation on Quizlet can significantly improve the retrieval practices of underperforming Year 10 history students. The findings align with existing literature on the benefits of active learning and retrieval-based study techniques. However, the study also highlights the need for structured scaffolding and differentiated support to ensure all students benefit from digital flashcard use. Moving forward, integrating retrieval-based strategies into routine classroom practice and leveraging digital tools for personalized learning will be key to enhancing historical understanding and retention among students.
References
Busch, B. (2024, November 22). Should students write their own flashcards? | InnerDrive. InnerDrive. https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/student-written-flashcards/
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