Comparing the Effects of Blocking and Interleaving Schedules on Student Learning of the Imperfect and Preterite Spanish Grammar Tenses

Abstract

The preterite and imperfect past tenses, which do not have exact English equivalents, exemplify grammatical nuance in the Spanish classroom. These nuances evoke questions regarding effective ways to present this material to students. Some evidence suggests that interleaved schedules of practice, in which material is presented in a mixed order during learning, benefit learning of grammar in a non-native language (Nakata & Suzuki, 2019; Pan et al., 2019); however, other evidence suggests that blocked schedules of practice benefit pronunciation learning (Carpenter & Mueller, 2013). Given these mixed outcomes, I compared blocked and interleaved schedules of practice on learning of the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish. Participants were randomly assigned to interleaved or blocked practice, in which they classified verb constructions as imperfect or preterite (when conjugated to Spanish) and were given feedback following each item. Participants then completed multiple tests assessing their grammar learning. The interleaved and blocked groups did not significantly differ in their test performance; however, both groups showed significantly improved performance compared to a pre-test, indicating that learning did occur. These outcomes can inform pedagogical practice. Future research should consider time processing feedback, and extend these outcomes to Spanish language learners, with materials translated into Spanish.