Helping others study can help your own academic success

Many students (and their parents) seem to think that competing with their peers can lead to academic success. However, there may be more benefits in helping a friend out instead of leaving them in the dust. A new study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology highlights research that shows students who teach other students learn more (as measured by better understanding and knowledge retention) compared to students who simply spent time revising. This may be due to the process of retrieval practice — the process where stored information is retrieved and used repeatedly through each instance of teaching, allowing this to be rehearsed and retained to the benefit of the teacher.