A systematic review of Stimulated Recall (SR) in educational research from 2012 to 2022

Stimulated Recall (SR) has long been used in educational settings as an approach of retrospection. However, with the fast growing of digital learning and advanced technologies in educational settings over the past decade, the extent to which stimulated recall has been effectively implemented by researchers remains minimal. This systematic review reveals that SR has been primarily employed to probe the patterns of participants’ thinking, to examine the effects of instructional strategies, and to promote metacognitive level. Notably, SR video stimuli have advanced, and the sources of stimuli have become more diverse, including the incorporation of physiological data. Additionally, researchers have applied various strategies, such as flexible intervals and questioning techniques, in SR interviews. Furthermore, this article discusses the relationships between different SR research items, including stimuli and learning contexts. The review and analysis also demonstrate that stimulated recall may be further enhanced by integrating multiple data sources, applying intelligent algorithms, and incorporating conversational agents enabled by generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of SR studies in the realm of education and proposes a promising avenue for researchers to proactively apply stimulated recall in investigating educational issues in the digital era.