When to Quiz in Instructional Videos? Effects on Learning and Self-Regulated Learning in Secondary Education

Abstract

Quizzing before (pretesting) or after (posttesting) studying is effective for learning, but via different underlying mechanisms: Posttests require students to actively recall information; pretests highlight knowledge gaps about the material. Instructional videos allow for studying these strategies because, unlike text-based materials, they are generally delivered at a fixed pace. Hence, this study investigates when pretesting, posttesting, and corrective feedback are most effective when learning from instructional video. Employing a between-subjects design, 223 secondary school students watched a video and completed no quiz (control) or a quiz before (pretest) or after (posttest) viewing, with half of them receiving immediate feedback. Students' retention performance and self-regulated learning (monitoring and regulation) were assessed. Results showed that quizzing enhanced learning from instructional video only for quizzed items and primarily when incorrect responses were followed by feedback. Quizzing improved regulation but not monitoring. These findings underscore the importance of carefully implementing quizzes in video-based instruction.