The Distribution of Practice
In attempt to put up effective practice schedule, instructors are faced with the decision of how to space the time in which learners are actually engaged in practice. And their concerns have prompted these questions:
- Should the practice within individual sessions be spread out over longer periods of time, with more time devoted to rest, or should it be packed together more closely in time?
- Should individual practice sessions be shorter but more frequent, or should there be fewer but longer sessions?
Such salient questions concern the distribution of practice.
Distribution of practice, by definition, is the balancing of periods of rest and work within a practice schedule.
Research Opens in new window concerning the effects of practice distribution has a long history across various areas of skill acquisition, with the period between 1930 and 1960 witnessing the greatest interest and number of studies (Adams, 1987).
Since that time, however, partially because of shifting theoretical perspectives and the emergence of new topics of research interest (and also perhaps because many scholars thought little new was left to discover), few research studies have been directed toward further extending our understanding of practice distribution effects. There is, though, some evidence that this situation may be changing and a new era of research interest beginning (e.g., Dail and Christina, 2004; Shea et al., 2000; and Utley and Astill, 2008).
Table X: Results of Baddeley and Longman Study of Postal Workers
| Practice Schedule | Hours to Learn Keyboard | Hours to Type 80 Keystrokes/Min. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hr. session, 1 session/day, 12 weeks | 34.9 | 55 |
| 1 hr. session, 2 sessions/day, 6 weeks | 43 | 75 |
| 2 hr. session, 1 session/day, 6 weeks | 48 | 67 |
| 2 hr. session, 2 sessions/day, 3 weeks | 49.7 | 80+ |
| Achieved only 70 keystrokes/min, after 80 hours. Source: “The influence of length and frequency of training sessions on the rate of learning to type”, Baddeley, A.D., and Longman, D.J.A. Ergonomics, 21, 627–635. Reprinted by permission of the publisher (Taylor & Francis Group, https://www.informaworld.com) | ||
