Keller's Personalized System of Instruction dominated the literature in the teaching of psychology and behavior analysis in the 1970s and 1980s. After this brief flourish of interest, PSI research trickled off to a nearly imperceptible stream in the 1990s. However, with the increasing availability and ease of use of computers and the internet,…

This study tested the hypothesis that self-regulation of writing is a multifaceted modular construct and that students would perceive different goal orientations for writing as involving the application of different writing strategies. Two hundred eleven Jewish Israeli high school students engaged in a writing assignment and then reported on their…

While there are theories about how to close the achievement gap between black students and their white peers, what you need is the real low-down from frontline educators who know what works. Here's a book that gives you that plus a whole-school plan for raising the achievement of these chronically underserved students. Drawing from her work with…

A continuity principle is suggested for scaling of assessment scores from different levels of a multilevel mastery training program. In such training programs students are self-paced and work at levels of tasks appropriate for their levels of performance. The problem addressed in this report concerns the scaling of assessment scores at different…

Seen in its strictest sense, mastery learning is a recent phenomenon. Viewed in terms of its constituent elements, however, it has roots deep in the Western tradition of education. Elements of mastery learning theory can be found in the work of the Sophists; early Jesuit educators; John Amos Comenius, a Moravian pastor; John Locke; Johann Heinrich…

The authors stress mastery criterion as the most important component of the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI). (DE)

Using 68 students in professional education coursework, the study determined whether accomplishment of performance objectives determined by satisfactory performance on unit tests during instruction was related to the student's performance on an end-of-course retention test. Evidence supported the assignment of grade credit based on objective…

Discussion of the use of computers in instruction includes the relationship of theory to practice, the interactive nature of computer instruction, an overview of the Keller Plan, cost considerations, strategy for use of computers in instruction and training, and a look at examination procedure. (RAO)

The author contends that the mastery learning model should be eyed cautiously as a risky way to teach reading and writing. (Author/MLF)

Highlights the research available on mastery learning, discusses the problems still existing, develops a prospectus for future research, and reflects on the implications of the available knowledge for the educational administrator. (Author/IRT)

Discusses modifications made to an undergraduate geography course taught in a mastery learning format. Provides comparative data on final exam performance and later course achievement between students who took the mastery learning course and those in traditional instruction. Results show little difference in students' performance in later courses…

Highlights the need for occupational literacy programs and provides brief guidelines for reading specialists interested in helping to develop such programs. (Auth/ARH)

Six studies are reviewed which indicate that direct instruction tends to produce higher academic gains for handicapped children than traditional approaches. They also suggest that some subtle principles of direct instruction--such as insistence on complete (rather than partial) mastery of each step in the learning process--are important.…

In a study involving 25 physically handicapped and 44 nonhandicapped preschoolers, two aspects --persistence and curiosity-- of mastery motivation were assessed with structured tasks. Free play was also observed to assess motivation in an unstructured setting, and mothers' perceptions of motivation levels were assessed. Results indicated that a…

The Exemplary Center for Reading Instruction (ECRI) teaches teachers to use proven instructional strategies and a management system to prevent reading failure and enhance language skills through an approach featuring stress on quality instructional time, teachers' use of positive reinforcement, and expectations of high mastery levels. (Author/CL)