✅ Yes, Combining Is Recommended
Students should not restrict themselves to only one strategy. The use of elaboration strategies together is not only possible but desirable because the strategies are very good at complementing one another.
🔗 Natural Strategy Overlap
Elaboration strategies have a considerable degree of overlap which is quite advantageous. They are not supposed to be independent and are much stronger when integrated together.
🎯 Multiple Pathways Strengthen Memory
If you employ a lot of elaboration strategies at the same time, you will make a lot of connections between the new information and your previous knowledge, create different paths for retrieval that will greatly improve your memory and understanding.
🧩 Practical Combination Examples
Elaborative interrogation can be combined with dual coding by drawing pictures while answering "why" questions, or one can use concrete examples along with analogies to explain concepts.
🚀 Enhanced Learning Outcomes
Research indicates that combined strategy use results in superior learning outcomes. Students employing constructive retrieval along with elaboration have shown a greater increase in both factual knowledge and comprehension than those using the strategies separately.
⚙️ Additive Benefits Exist
The application of strategies together with retrieval practice is the most productive. Memory-based example creation, dual coding with self-questioning, and elaboration during retrieval are the most effective approaches with the least isolated use.
📊 Quality and Quantity Matter
The number of learning strategies applied is the main predictor of test performance, especially when the strategies employed are deep processing ones like elaboration, organization and self-generated examples intermingled systematically.