A research study compared two methods for individualizing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) training and evaluated the effect of providing a lesson narrative before training. A 2x2 factorial design was used with 96 Navy trainees in the Basic Electricity/Electronics School. The two pretraining conditions were: 1) a narrative overview read before each CAI lesson, and 2) a non-narrative control condition; the two instructional strategies employed as training conditions were: 1) student selection of training, and 2) program control of training. A CAI AC Circuits and Resonance Module with 11 lessons was presented on an IBM 1500 Instructional System. The narrative groups read overviews prior to the CAI lesson and the program control groups were pre-tested and branched to appropriate lessons while the student selection group chose their own lessons; otherwise, training was identical. No significant differences in post-test performance or training time were found. Students reported favorable attitudes toward self-selection and the pre-training materials; it was recommended that the significance of these factors as motivators in longer programs of study should be investigated. (Author/PB)