To address deficiencies in basic skills, a Florida middle school is piloting a program that immerses 75 students in a mastery-learning curriculum centered around reading, writing, basic language arts, and functional math. The program covers science and social studies thematically and has a social/personal skill development unit. The principal's…

Findings of positive effects of mastery learning on experimenter-made measures can be interpreted as supporting the view that this technique may help focus teachers on a given set of objectives. The claim that mastery learning can accelerate achievement, in general, in elementary and secondary schools is still awaiting evidence. (SLD)

A project explored university students' reactions to various lesson design features in computer-assisted French lessons. Results indicated that drill-and-practice software could incorporate mastery-level learning goals when supported by adequate learner assistance, and that computer quizzes had a useful function. (Author/CB)

A study involving 176 secondary school students was undertaken to determine how specific motivational processes are related to the salience of mastery and performance goals in classroom settings. Findings suggest that classroom goal orientation may facilitate maintenance of adaptive motivation patterns when students adopt salient mastery goals.…

This study examined the effects of mastery learning on college students' achievement in a nonsequential course in curriculum and instruction. Students participated in either classes with conventional teaching, enhanced cognitive entry behavior plus conventional teaching, or feedback/corrective procedures plus the other methods. Using a combination…

A total of 153 preschool children with disabilities were observed. Social interaction with peers and teachers, strategies employed in attempts to master tasks, and use of classroom time were recorded, using a modified time sampling procedure. Analysis indicated significant relationships between the children's classroom behavior and their degree of…

A developmental model for collaborative learning at the college level, based on the notion of the development of expertise, is outlined. Five stages are described: (1) the learning of rules, techniques, and strategies; (2) applying the techniques and strategies to the particular teaching context; (3) developing competence; (4) becoming proficient;…

Discusses six steps backward in public elementary schooling: behavior modification, decoding skills, individualized instruction, mastery learning, grouping, and teaching basics. (SR)

Directions for future research on goal theory are suggested. The need for greater specificity in construct definition and the possible contributions of constructivist perspectives on learning and instruction are considered. An investigation is proposed of the way social goals interact with mastery and performance goals. (Author/SLD)

Offers a critical review of eight articles and two journal issues dealing with school indicators of student success or failure; state models for school improvement and accountability; teacher burnout as an outcome of paperwork burdens; the impact of reform efforts; class size; trends in educational evaluation; mastery testing; departmentalization…

Discusses the use of multimedia techniques in computer-assisted learning (CAL) to help dyslexic children with spelling. An evaluation study that tested rule-based versus mastery-based approaches to spelling remediation is reported; problems that dyslexic children have with traditional CAL are discussed; and software that uses synthesized speech is…

Computer managed instruction (CMI) based on the principle of mastery learning has been cost effective for job training in the tax division of Arthur Andersen & Company. The CMI software system, which uses computerized pretests and posttests to monitor training, has been upgraded from microcomputer use to local area networks. Success factors at…

Reasons for not using generative learning or inquiry-oriented strategies in teaching include the fact that it takes too much time to develop appropriate materials and the instructional pace is too slow. This research studies the thinking of elementary teachers concerning a generative learning model of instruction as they developed unit plans for…

A quality education means that all students are achieving at high levels in all curricular areas. A former principal of a Colorado elementary school explains how he and his staff substantially improved student achievement among even the most disadvantaged students by maximizing three educational fundamentals: academic instructional time, mastery…

Describes ways that British teachers, supported by university lecturers, attempted to secure effective learning for students through use of the mastery learning model in two short units of subject-specific work. Presents responses from participating teachers and students. Offers insights into processes of change in secondary schools. (DSK)