Introducing new concepts to learners in an order of increasing complexity appears to be beneficial for learning, but typically introduction of concepts does not always adhere to this principle. We examined whether introducing new algebra concepts in a contrasted manner or in an order of increasing complexity instead of a different more typical…

The strategy variables investigated were: 1) sequence, a presentation of instances according to a defined relationship of the stimuli--organized versus random; and 2) analytical explanation, a verbal statement presented with each instance which analyzed the presence or absence of the critical attributes. Concept learning implications were…

Educational psychology undergraduates were taught in alternating instructional sequences; one sequence was a conceptually oriented lecture followed by a factually oriented self-study, the other sequence was a factual self-study followed by a conceptual lecture. Results more closely supported the predictions derived from the educational set…

For college students learning concepts, the advisement condition resulted in better performance than the learner control condition and needed less instructional time than the adaptive control condition. Results also indicated that students given concepts simultaneously performed better and needed less instruction than those who received concepts…

Senior high students who were given concepts simultaneously learned more than those who received concepts successively. A second variable, instructional control strategy, contrasted an adaptive (computer-assisted) control strategy with learner control. Performance was above the criterion level for the adaptive condition, but below it for learner…