"Horace's Compromise" by T. Sizer is one of several studies that emerged from a 1981-82 investigation sponsored jointly by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and the National Association of Independent Schools. "Horace's School" revisited the issues with practical advice for educators. Sizer advocated…

Teachers often maintain that there is very little classroom time available for student inquiry which leads to in-depth questioning of subject matter, and improves performance levels. In addition, teachers often assert that there is little time for unit planning. To examine these problems, a group of teachers (n=24) were involved in a study…

This research compares two popular mastery-based instructional programs: Programmed Student Achievement and Total Mastery Learning. The primary objective is to determine which mastery technique results in the best classroom performance of college students in an introductory psychology course. (Author/RM)

In order to assess educators' beliefs about individualization of instruction and/or mastery learning, the School Climate Assessment Learning Environments (SCALE-I) was developed. SCALE-I is an attitude-type instrument consisting of 30 positive Belief Statements. Subjects were three groups of educators from the Department of Defense Dependents…

Individual differences in same-aged children's reasoning about effort and ability, as well as the consequences of different forms of reasoning in actual achievement situations, were investigated. It was hypothesized that different forms of children's reasoning would be related to different (helpless versus mastery-oriented) motivational patterns.…

In December of 1986, the Texas State Teachers Association commissioned Educational Evaluation Services, Inc., to conduct a descriptive research study on the appraisal process and mastery learning among teachers in Texas. Data were gathered in each of five representative school districts in five areas: (1) Dallas-Fort Worth; (2) West Texas; (3) San…

The purposes of this study are (1) to identify the relationship between play and achievement in preschool and kindergarten students and (2) to compare academic skill mastery levels between two types of school groups: play curriculum and direct teacher instruction. A total of 48 preschool and kindergarten students, half enrolled in a curriculum…

Proposed is a comprehensive instructional design model which (1) suggests a systems-based approach to preparing, implementing, and evaluating instruction at the program syllabus, course syllabus, and instructional unit levels; (2) subsumes those various dimensions of a mastery learning strategy which encompass preconditions, operating procedures,…

Midlands Technical College has developed a model for a developmental science program which offers assistance to students through a three-phase "spanning for success" approach in which the transition from developmental to curriculum course work is gradual; and the developmental instructor works closely with the student from the time that s/he…

Is mastery learning an effective strategy in the teaching of vocational agriculture? Instructional Management Problems, the individualized instruction approach, and performanced based curriculum are topics investigated in answering this question. (MW)

The Chicago Public Schools have been developing and implementing a citywide instructional program of continuous progress/mastery learning in reading. It includes the delineation of a K-8 continuum of instructional objectives; a criterion-referenced testing program which serves as the basis for instruction, promotion, and administrative monitoring;…

The relationship between classical discrimination indices (CDI) and criterion-referenced discrimination indices (CRDI) and the appropriateness of each for use on criterion-referenced tests are investigated. A CRDI is proposed that attempts to separate those who master material from those who do not master material. A 26 item multiple-choice…

The educational deficiencies of disadvantaged secondary students can be realistically overcome through a comprehensive program. First, the educational package must include an individualized educational plan that focuses on resolving each student's specific difficulties. Second, the package must include a mastery-based instructional program. The…

The role of attributions in achievement situations is examined, as well as whether attributions can be altered by the implementation of specified instructional conditions. One hundred eighty nine students from four campuses of a city consolidated community college system were divided into two groups and taught over an 18-week semester by: (1)…