Bretscher, N;
Hodgen, J;
Anders, J;
(2019)
Statistical Analysis Plan: SMART Spaces: Spaced Learning Revision Programme.
Education Endowment Foundation: London, UK.
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Abstract
This statistical analysis plan sets out the planned analysis for the evaluation of SMART Spaces: Spaced Learning Revision Programme (SMART Spaces Revision), an efficacy trial funded by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), to investigate the effect of the intervention on the chemistry element of the GCSE double award science. The SMART Spaces revision programme uses spaced learning within chemistry revision for the AQA GCSE double award science examinations. Evidence from neuroscience and cognitive psychology (e.g. Fields, 2009) indicates that including spaces – time intervals - between learning sessions can improve factual recall. It is anticipated that improved factual recall will have a positive impact on the application and analysis as well as knowledge elements of the chemistry score in GCSE double award science. An earlier pilot study (O’Hare, Stark, McGuinness, Biggart & Thurston, 2017), also funded by the EEF, suggested that a combination of short (10 minute) and longer (approximately 24 hour or night-time sleep) spaces provides a promising model of spacing. The intervention comprises both continuing professional development (CPD) and support for teachers to deliver the SMART Spaces revision programme and teacher implementation of the programme in Year 11 science lessons. The programme consists of six lessons delivered over two weeks and is designed to space the revision of content both between and within lessons. The chemistry topics for AQA Paper 1 are covered in one SMART Spaces lesson. This lesson is repeated three times in the same week, with spaces which allow pupils a nighttime sleep between lessons. After at least one further night-time sleep, but ideally the following week, the process is repeated for content associated with AQA Paper 2. Within lessons, chemistry topics are revised using the SMART spaces materials in three short ~12- minute sessions with 10-minute spaces between each topic. During the 10-minute spaces, pupils take part in a sensorimotor activity (such as juggling). The evaluation is structured as a two-armed school-level cluster randomised controlled trial involving 125 secondary schools. Fifty-four schools were allocated to receive the intervention and 71 to a business as usual control group. Recruitment occurred in Spring-Autumn 2018 with the aim of initiating training for teachers in intervention schools in November 2018. The evaluation will look at the impact of the programme on pupils’ performance on the chemistry element of the AQA GCSE double award science.
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