Exploring Cramming

Cramming for finals is common on college campuses, and many students seem to cram for their final in the Principles of Marketing course. This article addresses the question of defining and measuring a “cramming study strategy.” Scales are developed to assess (a) cramming for courses in general and (b) cramming specifically in the Principles of Marketing course relative to two other study strategies. Several research questions about cramming are addressed, including (a) How widespread is the practice? (b) How effective do students perceive it to be? (c) How effective is it actually, both in the short and long term, for students' GPA and grade in the Principles of Marketing course? and (d) Is there a deterioration in retention, as measured by a master test, of content learned in the Principles course from using more of a cramming study strategy? Implications are discussed, particularly in light of various pedagogical approaches to combating learning decay, and areas for future research are suggested.

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