Can the Place Where a Child Learns Affect What They Remember?
This is why I find the idea of having a familiar learning space at home quite interesting.
For some children, there is a particular table where homework is done, books are opened, questions are asked and conversations about school happen. Over time, that space can become associated with learning. A child may sit there on a particular evening while a parent explains fractions, return to the same spot the following day to practise, and perhaps weeks later find that the memory of that conversation comes back when they encounter a similar question.
There is actually some psychological basis for thinking about learning this way.
Our Memory Does Not Work in Isolation
The encoding specificity principle, associated with the work of Endel Tulving and colleagues, proposes that retrieval is influenced by the relationship between the conditions present when information was learnt and the cues available when we try to remember it. In simple terms, the circumstances surrounding learning can sometimes become part of the information that helps us retrieve what we learnt.
This idea is closely related to context dependent memory, which has been studied extensively in cognitive psychology. One classic study by Godden and Baddeley (1975) found that divers who learnt information underwater recalled it better underwater than on land, and those who learnt on land showed the reverse pattern. The finding became one of the classic demonstrations of the possible role of environmental context in memory.
However, there is an important caution here. Later research has shown that the effect of physical context is not always strong or consistent. A replication of the Godden and Baddeley study, for example, did not reproduce the original same context advantage, reminding us that we should be careful about turning an interesting psychological finding into an educational rule (Senn et al., 2021).
So, no, I would not tell a parent that a child must study in the same room where they will eventually write an examination, because, that would be taking the evidence too far.
What I would say is that the environment in which meaningful learning happens can sometimes provide useful cues for remembering, and there are other learning strategies that are much more consistently supported by research.
Sometimes, It Is More Than the Table
Think about what happens around a child's study time.
🔶 It's usually around dinner time.
🔶 Mum sits beside the child.
🔶 Dad explains the difficult parts.
🔶 The child writes in a particular notebook.
🔶 There is a certain way the concept is explained.
🔶 Maybe there is laughter when the child finally gets the answer right.
🔶 Maybe there is frustration before understanding eventually comes.
All these details can become part of the learning experience.
This is where the idea becomes particularly interesting for parents and teachers. We sometimes focus so much on the content we want children to remember that we forget that learning is also an experience.
A child may not remember a definition because they memorised it ten times, but they may remember it because the teacher explained it using a story that made everyone laugh. They may remember a mathematical process because their father drew it on the whiteboard at home; or remember a science concept because they actually saw it demonstrated.
The more meaningful the learning experience becomes, the more opportunities there may be for the learner to connect new information with existing knowledge and experiences.
But We Should Not Make Learning Dependent on One Place
If a child can only remember what they learnt when they are sitting at their usual study table, then we may have created a different problem. Children eventually have to retrieve knowledge in places that are unfamiliar, including examination halls. Therefore, while a consistent study environment can provide comfort and useful cues, children should also have opportunities to recall what they have learnt in different environments (generalisation).
🔶 Let them answer questions at the study table.
🔶 Then ask them a few questions while travelling.
🔶 Discuss the topic during a walk.
🔶 Give them a problem to solve in another room.
🔶 Occasionally recreate examination conditions.
🔶 Ask them to explain the concept to you without looking at their notes.
This is where retrieval practice becomes particularly valuable.
One of the most interesting findings in the science of learning is that retrieving information from memory can itself strengthen learning 🤩.
Roediger and Karpicke (2006) found that taking tests was not simply a way of measuring learning, it could actually improve later retention. Their work contributed to what is commonly called the testing effect, and subsequent research has continued to demonstrate the value of retrieval practice for long term retention.
This means that instead of asking a child to read the same page five more times, we might sometimes close the book and ask:
"Tell me what you remember."
"What were the three things we discussed?"
"Can you explain this to your younger sister?"
"Can you solve a similar question without looking at your notes?"
The struggle to retrieve the information is not necessarily a sign that learning has failed.
Sometimes, that effort is part of the learning.
Familiarity Can Build Confidence, But Transfer Matters
There is another reason a familiar learning environment may be useful.
🔶 Children can feel safe there.
🔶 They know what to expect.
🔶 They know where their books are, who they can ask for help, and even the routine that signals, "It is time to learn."
That predictability can support engagement.
However, our ultimate goal should not be to make children comfortable only in one learning environment; We want them to become capable of using what they know in different situations.
A child who understands fractions should be able to use that knowledge in the classroom, during homework, while solving a practical problem at home, and eventually in an examination where nobody is sitting beside them to provide reassurance.
That is the difference between remembering information and being able to retrieve and use knowledge.
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So, What Can We Do Differently
The ultimate goal is to make learning more meaningful.
🔶 Create a consistent space where children can concentrate, ask questions and associate learning with positive experiences.
🔶 Talk about what they are learning outside that space.
🔶 Ask them to explain concepts in their own words.
🔶 Use examples from everyday life where possible.
🔶 Let them retrieve information without looking at their notes.
🔶 Give them practice questions.
🔶 Vary the environment occasionally.
And most importantly, don't interpret every moment of forgetting as evidence that a child has not learnt.
Sometimes the child simply needs a different cue, a little more time, or another opportunity to retrieve what is already there.
References
Godden, D. R., & Baddeley, A. D. (1975). Context-dependent memory in two natural environments: On land and underwater. British Journal of Psychology, 66(3), 325–331. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1975.tb01468.x
Roediger, H. L., III, & Karpicke, J. D. (2006a). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
Roediger, H. L., III, & Karpicke, J. D. (2006b). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(3), 181–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00012.x
Senn, M., Stevenson, C. M., & Hannon, E. M. (2021). The Godden and Baddeley (1975) experiment on context-dependent memory on land and underwater: A replication. Royal Society Open Science, 8(11), 200724. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.200724
Tulving, E., & Thomson, D. M. (1973). Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory. Psychological Review, 80(5), 352–373. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0020071
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