Repeating Something Familiar

Abstract

Segments are a structured presentation style that is commonly used on late-night talk and variety television shows. Research has shown that shows that contain segments with both entertaining and informative content (e.g., The Daily Show) have increased students’ political knowledge. This study investigated how the structure of segments could be adapted to present material in classroom lectures to promote recall of both learning events and course content. For the first two units in a three-unit child development course, students experienced segments along with traditional lecture activities. Although performance varied across measures, results indicated that segments are a useful teaching tool to promote retention of material and recall of learning events. The use of segments in other types of courses is discussed.