The evidence behind Savant

Every part of Savant is built on learning research. Here are the main ideas, in plain words, with some of the best-known studies behind each one.

This is only a small part of our research. Behind this page is a full review of every one of the hundreds of mechanisms in Savant, backed by over 500 verified studies and official standards: more than 20 times the sources shown here. We are keeping that work private until Savant launches, so it cannot be copied before release.

1. It finds your level before it teaches

   A short adaptive placement measures what you already know, so you start where you are. Re-teaching what someone has mastered wastes their time and can even get in the way of learning.

   [1] [2]

2. You master each step before moving on

   Topics are proven before the next ones build on them, and gaps are repaired as they appear. Mastery learning and one-to-one tutoring are among the most effective approaches ever measured.

   [3] [4]

3. You learn by remembering, not rereading

   Lessons and practice ask you to recall answers, with feedback, instead of reading them again. Retrieving knowledge makes it last far longer than restudying it.

   [5] [6] [7] [8]

4. Skills come back just before you would forget them

   Savant tracks each skill and brings it back for review on a schedule set for you, sooner when it starts to slip. Spacing practice out, timed to the person, is one of the most reliable findings in learning research.

   [9] [10] [11] [12]

5. Practice mixes topics together

   Once a topic has been taught, practice mixes it with earlier ones, so you learn to tell problems apart and choose the right method.

   [13] [14]

6. Clear explanations and useful feedback

   New ideas start with worked examples, and every answer explains why it is right or wrong.

   [15] [16] [17]

7. It adapts to how you are actually doing

   Savant shapes each lesson from your own answers and interests, like a personal tutor. It does not sort people into "learning styles", because research does not support teaching to them.

   [18] [19] [20]

8. Games where they help, in moderation

   Learning games appear where they support practice, not as a reward that replaces the reason to learn. Research finds games help, with mixed results for points and badges, so Savant uses them with care.

   [21] [22] [23] [24]

What research can and cannot show. Research tells us which methods work. Whether Savant puts them together in the best way for each person is something we measure with real learners, which is what the beta is for.

Sources

1. Weiss DJ, Kingsbury GG (1984). Application of computerized adaptive testing to educational problems. Journal of Educational Measurement. Read it
2. Kalyuga S, Ayres P, Chandler P, Sweller J (2003). The expertise reversal effect. Educational Psychologist. Read it
3. Kulik CLC, Kulik JA, Bangert-Drowns RL (1990). Effectiveness of mastery learning programs: a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research. Read it
4. Bloom BS (1984). The 2 sigma problem: the search for methods of group instruction as effective as one-to-one tutoring. Educational Researcher. Read it
5. Roediger HL, Karpicke JD (2006). Test-enhanced learning: taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science. Read it
6. Karpicke JD, Roediger HL (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science. Read it
7. Rowland CA (2014). The effect of testing versus restudy on retention: a meta-analytic review of the testing effect. Psychological Bulletin. Read it
8. Adesope OO, Trevisan DA, Sundararajan N (2017). Rethinking the use of tests: a meta-analysis of practice testing. Review of Educational Research. Read it
9. Cepeda NJ, Pashler H, Vul E, Wixted JT, Rohrer D (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: a review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin. Read it
10. Cepeda NJ, Vul E, Rohrer D, Wixted JT, Pashler H (2008). Spacing effects in learning: a temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science. Read it
11. Latimier A, Peyre H, Ramus F (2020). A meta-analytic review of the benefit of spacing out retrieval practice episodes on retention. Educational Psychology Review. Read it
12. Lindsey RV, Shroyer JD, Pashler H, Mozer MC (2014). Improving students’ long-term knowledge retention through personalized review. Psychological Science. Read it
13. Rohrer D, Dedrick RF, Stershic S (2015). Interleaved practice improves mathematics learning. Journal of Educational Psychology. Read it
14. Brunmair M, Richter T (2019). Similarity matters: a meta-analysis of interleaved learning and its moderators. Psychological Bulletin. Read it
15. Sweller J, Cooper GA (1985). The use of worked examples as a substitute for problem solving in learning algebra. Cognition and Instruction. Read it
16. Hattie J, Timperley H (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research. Read it
17. Shute VJ (2008). Focus on formative feedback. Review of Educational Research. Read it
18. VanLehn K (2011). The relative effectiveness of human tutoring, intelligent tutoring systems, and other tutoring systems. Educational Psychologist. Read it
19. Kulik JA, Fletcher JD (2016). Effectiveness of intelligent tutoring systems: a meta-analytic review. Review of Educational Research. Read it
20. Pashler H, McDaniel M, Rohrer D, Bjork R (2008). Learning styles: concepts and evidence. Psychological Science in the Public Interest. Read it
21. Wouters P, van Nimwegen C, van Oostendorp H, van der Spek ED (2013). A meta-analysis of the cognitive and motivational effects of serious games. Journal of Educational Psychology. Read it
22. Clark DB, Tanner-Smith EE, Killingsworth SS (2016). Digital games, design, and learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research. Read it
23. Sailer M, Homner L (2019). The gamification of learning: a meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review. Read it
24. Deci EL, Koestner R, Ryan RM (1999). A meta-analytic review of experiments examining the effects of extrinsic rewards on intrinsic motivation. Psychological Bulletin. Read it