This document presents achievement results of a study conducted to determine the effects of diagnostic tests administered to provide immediate feedback and to serve an organizing function in the study of course material. Thirty-three first year college students in biology classes comprised experimental and control groups. Results from the first…

In recent years, higher education has been subject to the criticism that the pervasive lecture method is impersonal and ineffective. The individualization of instruction using instructional technology can help to answer that criticism by facilitating the optimal combination of professor-determined objectives and processes with student-determined…

This second edition contains descriptions of 29 diagnostic-prescriptive reading programs (K-12) for which some success has been demonstrated in the classroom as shown by statistical evidence of significant improvement of student learning. A four-page program profile matrix provides the reader with easy identification of the salient features of…

This paper discusses six instructional techniques for strengthening strategies of comprehending written language: the language experience approach to develop awareness of the sensible nature of language; story-division to strengthen semantic prediction; reader-illustrations to develop thought units; paragraph-analysis to reduce uncertainty;…

Described are assessment procedures, scheduling techniques, and the use of the prescriptive model employed by the diagnostic/prescriptive specialist for educating severely disturbed children. Assessment areas are noted to include medical problems, specific fears or apprehensions, pertinent reinforcers, length of attention span, level of…

The initial chapters of this textbook on individualizing instruction address the issues of humanism in education and self-development through personalized approaches to instruction. Following a discussion of how individualized instruction accommodates differences in educational needs and learning styles, later chapters consider in detail: (1)…

The purpose of this study was to field test sixth-grade pupils' reading growth when prescriptive instruction was based on Diagnostic Tests for Word Analysis. The study used a population sample of 613 pupils--half were assigned to an experimental group and half to a control group. The pupils, distributed in twenty-four classrooms, were given…

This program, included in "Effective Reading Programs...," was begun in 1971 and serves about 300 students in kindergarten through grade 6. Three or four children from each class, who are identified by test results and/or evaluation by a teacher or a reading consultant as those most in need of remedial reading instruction, are selected…

The technique of force field analysis represents a method for bridging the gap between diagnostic data and learning prescriptions and objectives. Through the use of this technique the teacher is able to delineate the strengths and weaknesses of the individual and to generate strategies for meeting specific objectives. A force field refers to a…

A compilation of 16 abstracts and their descriptive terms pertaining to educational diagnosis and diagnostic teaching includes a subject and author index. Information is provided on using the information and on purchasing available documents individually or the document as a whole. (JM)

A self-evaluation of Individually Prescribed Instruction (IPI) in mathematics made by Friends School (Wilmington, Delaware) is justified and presented in this report. First, the establishment of six objectives (student independence, mastery of basic skills and concepts, achievement rate and level; teacher diagnostic functions, prescriptive…

Presented in booklet and chart form is the Behavioral Characteristics Progression (BCP), part of the Santa Cruz Special Education Management Project, consisting of 2400 observable traits grouped into 50 behavioral strands. The BCP is seen to be a nonstandardized criterion referenced tool which replaces conventional age and disability labels with…

The aims of the study were to explore the effects of teaching heuristics in a calculus course and to generate hypotheses about related changes in heuristic usage and problem solving performance. Thirty college students in two classes participated and a Solomon four-group research design was used. Students from one group in each class were…

The guide for teachers of handicapped children offers a system of corrective teaching to bring children not being effectively taught up to the level of the normal programing range. It is recommended that the following basic principles of instruction be applied to maximize pupil progress: readiness, motivation, active learner participation,…

The author describes a diagnostic-prescriptive approach in which teachers use observation skills to identify visual, auditory, and behavioral deficits in learning disabled students. Teachers are advised to ask themselves seven questions, including whether a real learning disability exists; where the student is currently functioning in reading,…