In education, cramming is the practice of working intensively to absorb large volumes of informational material in short amounts of time. It is often done by students in preparation for upcoming exams. Cramming is often discouraged by educators because the hurried coverage of material tends to result in poor long-term retention of material (see spacing effect

Spacing effect

In psychology, the spacing effect refers to the fact that humans and animals more easily remember or learn items in a list when they are studied a few times over a long period of time , rather than studied repeatedly in a short period time .The phenomenon was first identified by Hermann Ebbinghaus;...

).

Cramming usually occurs during the revision week, also known as swotvac

Swotvac

Swotvac, or sometimes stuvac refers to a period preceding examinations in high schools, higher education institutions, and military colleges, chiefly in Commonwealth countries.-Etymology:...

 or stuvac (student vacation) in some Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 countries.

The pressure to excel academically has led to cramming behavior among students as young as five years old.

Cramming as a study technique

H.E. Gorst stated in his book, The Curse of Education, “as long as education is synonymous with cramming on an organized plan, it will continue to produce mediocrity.”

Generally considered as a negative study technique, cramming is becoming more and more common among students both at the secondary and post-secondary level. Pressure to perform well in the classroom and engage in extracurricular activities in addition to other responsibilities often results in the cramming method of studying. Cramming is a widely-used study skill performed in preparation for an examination or other performance-based assessment.

Most common among high school and college-aged students, cramming is often used as a means of memorizing large amounts of information in a short amount of time. Students are often forced to cram after improper time utilization or in efforts to understand information shortly before being tested. Improper time management is usually the cause for last-minute cramming sessions, and many study techniques have been developed to help students succeed instead of cramming.

Research

Criticism for this study mechanism has long been a difficult topic to address and overcome for administrators and teachers of all ages, and numerous studies have been conducted researching the effectiveness of cramming. In a 2007 study conducted by University of South Florida psychologist Doug Rohrer, it was determined that last minute studying reduces retention of material and may hinder the learning process in the long term. Additional studies in rote learning

Rote learning

Rote learning is a learning technique which focuses on memorization. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition by which students commit information to memory in a highly structured way. The idea is that one will be able to quickly recall the meaning of the material the...

, or memorization, have shown that relying solely on memorization techniques reduces the overall retention of information.

Cramming and school performance

Teaching students to avoid last-minute cramming is a large area of concern for education professionals and profit for educational corporations and businesses. Learning and teaching study techniques that enhance retention as opposed to learning for a single examination is one of the core issues that plagues colleges and university academic advisors, and also adds to the stress of academic success for students. Ideally, proper study skills need to be introduced and practiced as early as possible in order for students to effectively learn positive study mechanisms.

According to W.G. Sommer, students in a university system often adapt to the time-constraints that are placed upon them in college, and often use cramming to perform well on tests. In his article, Procrastination and Cramming: How Adept Students Ace the System, he states “Many students outwardly adapt to this system, however, engage in an intense and private ritual that comprises five aspects: calculated procrastination, preparatory anxiety, climactic cramming, nick-of-time deadline-making, and a secret, if often uncelebrated, victory. These adept students often find it difficult to admit others into their efficient program of academic survival.”

Active learning

Active learning

Active learning is an umbrella term that refers to several models of instruction that focus the responsibility of learning, on learners. Bonwell and Eison popularized this approach to instruction . This "buzz word" of the 1980s became their 1990s report to the Association for the Study of Higher...

 and critical thinking

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...

 are two methods which emphasize the retention of material through the use of class discussions, study groups and individual thinking. Each has been cited as a more effective means of learning and retaining information as compared to cramming and memorization.

China

Mainland China has a test-driven system. Education department set many entrance examinations to stream students into schools with different levels. The examinations like National Higher Education Entrance Examination (gaokao) are cruel and vital. It decides the academic future of the participants. This education system cultivated the cramming style of teaching. Schools and teachers regard the grades as the first goal. Teachers give the exam skills instead of knowledge and inspiration. But as the population of students decrease each year and expansion of admission of domestic universities, the pressure of the Entrance Exam starts to reduce.

Hongkong

Cram schools in Hong Kong are famous because of the stresses from Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

The Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination was a standardized examination between 1974 and 2011 after most local students’ five-year secondary education, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority . The examination will be discontinued in 2012...

 (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

The Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination , or more commonly known as the A-level, conducted by the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority , is normally taken by senior students at the end of their matriculation in Hong Kong. In 2010, 39,772 candidates entered for the examination...

 (HKALE). These cram school teaching includes practicing exam questions and grammar drills. Moreover, they provide model essays for English language exam. However, some schools are not licensed, and few educators have teaching qualifications. Their education is fun to appeal to the students but little useful for these students.

Taiwan

Taiwan is well-known for its cram school. Nearly all students have some kinds of cram school to improve their skills. The meritocratic culture, which requires some skills testing for passports to college, graduate school, and even government service, is dominant on Taiwan’s policy.

Korean

Usually, in Korea, the education system method is memorization. In Korean school, students are staying in one classroom, and teachers are going around classrooms. Each teacher crams each student’s head with knowledge. Korean students learn Korean history, World History, Korean, Math, Science, and foreign languages. Korean students only have midterms and finals. They just have written tests with those subjects. Distinct feature of cramming teaching method in Korea is extra curriculum for tests. After school, generally, most of the students are going extra tutors which are call as “Hakwon” in Korean. Teachers just provides knowledge to students and students are memorizing for tests and going to “Hakwon” for good grades.

External links

• Cramming on wikiHow
  WikiHow
  wikiHow is a web-based and wiki-based community, consisting of an extensive database of how-to guides. wikiHow's mission is to build the world's largest and highest quality how-to manual. The site started as an extension of the already existing eHow website, and has evolved to host over 127,000...
  
  
• Cramming Techniques on TestTakingTips.com
• The dangers of cramming for exams, Penn State University
• Cram My Brain provides free cramming software and offers foreign language support (requires Adobe Flash)