Co-authored by Laura Janakiefski, Ph.D.
In the education realm, we’re constantly bombarded with new products promising to revolutionize our classrooms and improve student outcomes. While many products can show evidence that they work in classrooms, there’s a deeper consideration we should examine: whether the program’s fundamental design is grounded in research about how students learn. This distinction between evidence of effectiveness and research-based design is crucial for making informed decisions that truly benefit our students.
Building on Solid Ground: How Research Informs Educational Program Architecture
Research-based program design means the product was built from the ground up using established learning sciences, cognitive psychology, and educational research. Think of it like building a house—while evidence might tell you if a house stays standing, research-based design ensures it was built following architectural principles and engineering knowledge from the start. When a program’s core features and instructional approaches align with what research tells us about how students learn, remember, and apply new knowledge (combined with evidence that it works in the classroom), we can be more confident in its long-term value beyond just short-term results.
Adaptability Through Understanding: Research as a Guide for Program Modifications
This foundation in research becomes particularly important when we need to adapt programs for different contexts or troubleshoot challenges. When you understand the research principles behind why certain instructional approaches were chosen, you can make informed decisions about modifications while preserving the core elements that make the program effective.
For instance, a vocabulary program built on research about spaced repetition and active recall will help you understand not just what activities to do, but why they’re structured in a particular sequence and how to maintain their effectiveness even if you need to adjust the timing.
The Practice Gap: Where Many Reading Programs Fall Short Despite Science Alignment
Indeed, despite abundant evidence of the importance of continued practice over time (e.g., Carpenter et al., 2022; Dunlosky et al., 2013; Fazio & Marsh, 2019; Latimier et al., 2021), students are often still not getting enough opportunities to practice the skills and reinforce the knowledge that they have built during the lessons they complete in the classroom. Consider the case of the movement towards aligning with the ‘science of reading.’ Despite so many programs now drawing from what we know specifically about the components of skilled reading and how those pieces come together, students are still reeling from the lapse in instruction during the pandemic and struggling to build the necessary foundational skills (State of Student Learning, 2024). What’s more, although many programs are now recognizing what elements they need to teach in order to build skilled readers, many are still missing the mark when it comes to broader learning design principles and important instructional elements that are well-known in the realm of cognitive science and cognitive development. One piece that is still missing in many cases is too little emphasis on practice. More specifically, there isn’t enough built-in time for spaced practice where students come back weeks or months later to previously learned material in order to solidify their understanding, despite the vast evidence that spaced practice can benefit learners of all different ages and abilities, boosting students’ performance across many different subject areas and educational contexts (Dunlosky et al., 2013; Latimier et al., 2021).
Core Cognitive Principles: The Building Blocks of Effective Learning Design
When programs intentionally embed broader cognitive learning principles as core components of how the program works, they create a foundation for more robust, adaptable, and sustainable learning experiences that can work across different contexts and student populations, rather than just replicating success in a specific setting or circumstance. Below we outline just a few of the cognitive principles related to overall learning:
Minds-on Learning: Activating Student Engagement for Better Outcomes
- Student learning outcomes improve when they actively participate through hands-on exploration and practice, rather than passively receiving information through observation or listening (Chi et al., 2018).
- Students strengthen their executive function capabilities when given opportunities to engage in planning, goal-setting, decision-making, and pursuing their own interests (Yanier et al., 2021).
- Monitoring one’s own learning progress and adjusting study strategies accordingly is positively linked to improvements in a variety of learning outcomes (Dent & Koenka, 2016; Dignath & Büttner, 2008; Panadero et al., 2017).
Connecting New to Known: The Power of Prior Knowledge Activation
- Students learn more effectively when they can link new information to existing knowledge and can engage their metacognitive awareness to understand how to apply their learning in new settings (Kostons & van der Werf, 2015).
- In order for prior knowledge activation to be effective and support learning, the activated existing knowledge needs to be both applicable to and aligned with new content (Brod, 2021).
Structured Practice and Feedback: The Engine of Skill Development
- Practice and self-testing strengthen the retention of learned material (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006; McDaniel et al., 2013).
- Children benefit significantly from retrieval practice, with optimal results occurring when the practice is challenging yet achievable (Fazio & Marsh, 2019).
- Gauging student learning through assessment helps teachers provide specific, clear, and effective feedback as needed (Fyfe et al., 2023; Wisniewski et al., 2020).
- Students have been found to learn at remarkably consistent rates, regardless of their initial skill levels or backgrounds, with the amount of practice as a key driver of learning (Koedinger et al., 2023).
Beyond Memorization: Designing for Knowledge Transfer and Application
- Students develop stronger conceptual understanding when they practice applying their knowledge to novel situations and real-world contexts (Pan & Agarwal, 2020; Barnett & Ceci, 2002).
- When students verbalize their learning process, they achieve deeper understanding by connecting new information with existing knowledge and applying their learning across different contexts (Rittle-Johnson et al., 2017).
Beyond Trends: Why Research-Based Design Stands the Test of Time
Programs designed with a strong research foundation also tend to be more future-proof. Rather than chasing the latest trends, they’re built on enduring principles about how learning occurs. This research basis helps us evaluate new features or updates more critically—we can ask whether they align with established research about learning, rather than just looking at implementation evidence alone. While evidence of classroom success is certainly important, starting with a research-based design helps ensure we’re building on solid ground rather than just hoping for positive outcomes.
Coming Next: Navigating Educational Program Certifications and Standards
There are several organizations that review programs and certify that a product is solidly designed based on empirical research about what makes for effective learning in the classroom. In the following blog series, we’ll outline what the different organizations are, the key criteria for each, and what their certifications mean for educators.