Journal of Global Research in Education and Social Science

Learning retention is essential for sustained academic achievement, particularly at the junior high school level, where students build foundational knowledge and skills for subsequent learning. Retention may be influenced by pedagogical practices, including active learning, instructional multimedia, formative assessment, and differentiated instruction, as well as student-related factors such as prior knowledge, intrinsic motivation, study habits, and attention span. Understanding these determinants from teachers’ perspectives can help identify classroom-based factors that support or hinder students’ ability to retain and apply learning over time. This study examined teacher-perceived pedagogical and student-related determinants of learning retention among junior high school students and used the findings as the basis for a Learning Retention Enhancement Program. A mixed-methods design was employed using a researcher-developed questionnaire completed by 84 of 95 teachers, representing an 88.42% response rate, together with open-ended responses on implementation challenges. Teachers reported frequent use of active learning strategies (M = 4.12), instructional multimedia (M = 3.79), formative assessment (M = 4.17), and differentiated instruction (M = 4.09). Among student-related determinants, prior knowledge (M = 3.70) and intrinsic motivation (M = 3.95) were rated positively, whereas study habits (M = 3.35) and attention span (M = 3.21) received neutral ratings. Perceived learning retention was neutral for knowledge recall (M = 3.23) and conceptual understanding (M = 3.35), while application of skills in new contexts was rated positively (M = 3.41). Spearman correlations indicated significant positive associations between the pedagogical determinants and the three retention dimensions. Attention span and study habits showed particularly strong associations with knowledge recall and skill application. Kruskal-Wallis tests showed no significant differences in perceived determinants across teacher age, gender, teaching experience, educational attainment, or subject specialisation (p > .05). The findings support a school-wide enhancement programme centred on retrieval practice, differentiated instruction, formative feedback, attention-supportive pacing, and structured study habits.