Asking questions before reading beats listing learning goals, two experiments find

In two preregistered experiments, students given unanswerable questions before reading a textbook excerpt learned more than those who just read or who first saw learning objectives, with small to medium Bayesian effects favoring prequestions.

Illustration of a student at a library desk with glowing question-shaped lanterns lighting up spots in her open textbook.
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Hand students a few questions they cannot yet answer before they read a textbook passage, and they learn more from it. A new study finds that this “prequestion” trick beats not only plain reading but also the common classroom practice of listing learning objectives up front.

The study, Do prequestions support learning from text more than learning objectives?, by Judith Schweppe, Philipp Radloff and Alexander Fenzl, was published online in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied on November 17, 2025, and appears in the September 2026 issue.

A tougher comparison

Prequestions are known to help, a benefit usually explained by focused attention or by the extra boost of trying to answer. But most earlier studies compared them only with students who simply read the text, which makes it hard to tell which explanation is right.

The authors added learning objectives as a second control. Like prequestions, objectives should steer attention to the important material, but they do not prompt students to attempt an answer.

In two preregistered experiments conducted between 2022 and 2024, participants saw open-ended questions or learning objectives before reading a textbook excerpt, or just read it. A final multiple-choice test covered material tied to the prequestions or objectives as well as new material.

More than focused attention

Bayesian analyses showed small to medium-sized effects in favor of prequestions over both reading alone and reading with learning objectives, in both experiments. Standard significance tests found clear differences in the second experiment and in a combined analysis of both.

Because learning objectives also focus attention, the authors conclude that prequestions offer a benefit beyond attention alone, most likely from the act of trying to answer before reading.

Study Details:

  • Title: Do prequestions support learning from text more than learning objectives?
  • Authors: Judith Schweppe, Philipp Radloff, Alexander Fenzl
  • Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied
  • Publication Date: November 17, 2025 (online); September 2026 issue
  • DOI: 10.1037/xap0000558