THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF STUDIES DESIGNED TO INVESTIGATE THE SUITABILITY OF INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS WITH REGARD TO LEVELS OF DIFFICULTY IS REPORTED. THE STUDY ATTEMPTED TO DETERMINE WHETHER SOME RANGE OF DIFFICULTY MAXIMIZED THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION STUDENTS GAIN AS A CONSEQUENCE OF READING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS. IN ORDER TO FORM 129 PAIRS…

As part of the Articulated Instructional Media (AIM) program at the University of Wisconsin which is intended to extend higher education to people who would not otherwise have opportunities for study, the Library School program was conducted to develop independent study courses for the four beginning core areas of librarianship. The purpose of…

The concept of self study method in community development is discussed as it relates to anthropology, and a program conducted in Cairo, Illinois in 1956-57 is examined to determine if the self study goals were met. The ecological, historical, and geographical setting is given, along with attitudes and concerns of residents, ascertained from…

This report describes a Federally-financed project to improve the self-image of disadvantaged pupils living in two institutions for neglected children. After a week of orientation the children were exposed to 3 weeks of camping environment. Program activities included small group counseling, independent study, physical education, and music, drama…

This study investigates the relationship between selected student characteristics and an indicated preference for self-directed study. Additional relationships between academic achievement, self concept, cognitive style, and teacher ratings are also examined. Subjects for the study were 58 students from grades five through eight in a large county…

This monograph is a report on an international discussion of the desirability of autonomous work on the part of students. The rationale for autonomous work is twofold. First, this approach should lead the pupil to think about the learning process and take an active and responsible share in it. This will promote the development of personality by…

An Individualized Instructional Systems Program is a proqram that enables students to: (1) have available in writing the behavioral objectives they try to attain; (2) progress at their own individual rate while completing the required tasks, activities, and objectives of the course; (3) spend as much time as needed to complete the objectives of…

Multiple linear regressions were employed to determine the relative contributions of cognitive and affective variables accounting for variance in college students' achievement and amount of time taken to complete a self-paced, individualized course. Study habits and attitudes (SSHA) made greater relative contributions to explaining total course…

One hundred seventy-five first-year community college students enrolled in a course called "Developmental Writing 090" participated in this study. Some students were enrolled in an experimental group which was divided into two subgroups: one group was involved in independent study and the other in small group instruction. Other students in the…

Hauppauge High School has a number of alternatives to educate and motivate seniors. Among these are minicourses in business, industrial arts, and home economics; elective courses; half-day enrollment at the area vocational and technical school; after-school driver education; early graduation programs; work-study programs; and independent study and…

The development of education parallels the growth patterns in technology and science. The three stages of growth in education are characterized by: (1) class teaching, (2) group teaching, and (3) independent study. Stage 1 is teacher-dominated. At stage 2 the instructor is more passive in the control of a group. Stage 3 is the most meaningful…

Each self-teaching unit is designed to teach a specific concept or skill. A unit consists of: (1) a stated performance or behavioral objective, (2) activities to enable the student to achieve the objective, and (3) a test to determine whether or not he has succeeded. This booklet begins with a description of the performance objective, and several…

The Mid-Career Teacher Education Study (MTES), funded by the New York State Department of Education to find ways of alleviating the teacher shortage, has developed an elementary teacher education program called Mid-Career Training for Partnership Teaching (MTPT), which recruits college educated housewives who want to help children participate in…

The reflections of 79 participants attending a national conference on special adult degree programs are synthesized. The central theme of the first session was the identification of the most appropriate content for a liberal studies curriculum. Session 2 expressed concern over major problems: the transient nature of man; the role of accrediting…

This final report presents the chronology of planning and operating a Title III grant. The following activities in the Abington School District, Abington, Pennsylvania, were financed in part by the Title III grant: (1) inservice training--teachers learned new approaches and techniques for individualizing instruction involving the use of different…