Retrieval Practice and Distributed Practice: Cognitive Science Strategies to Enhance Exercise and Health Sciences Education

Retrieval practice and distributed practice are two evidence-based learning strategies that have tremendous potential to enhance education across disciplines, including exercise and health sciences. The key component of retrieval practice is actively recalling information from memory, rather than passively restudying it; this approach has been shown to substantially increase long-term retention, transfer of learning, and higher-order thinking. Distributed practice means spacing learning sessions over time rather than massing them together; it produces more durable memories that persist far longer than those gained through cramming. Both strategies are grounded in substantial evidence from more than a century of cognitive science research. Additionally, a growing body of work demonstrates their effectiveness with health and exercise science content, including physiology, anatomy, clinical reasoning, and clinical motor skills. Despite considerable and consistent evidence, many students continue to utilize less effective learning strategies such as rereading and massed practice, partly because these strategies create less cognitive load and, therefore, feel more productive in the short term. This review summarizes cognitive science evidence for both strategies, reviews their benefits in exercise and health sciences education, presents a conceptual framework for their synergistic effect on retention, and offers practical, evidence-based recommendations for educators and students.