This volume reviews literature and current practices in both the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) and adult education that are pertinent to development and implementation of a PSI program for nontraditional adult learners. Chapter 2 provides a review of literature and current practices of PSI, especially that research providing evidence of…

An examination of any school curriculum would reveal the existence of "basic" subjects such as reading, writing, and computation. Therefore a "return to basics" is not needed but rather a change in methodology in teaching these subjects. The following methodological changes are suggested: (1) Test each child to ascertain the level of achievement…

A study was undertaken to evaluate how a mastery approach to teaching history on the high school level influenced student achievement and attitudes. Mastery learning is interpreted to include assumptions regarding student learning capability as well as specified curricular/instructional/evaluative procedures. Essential to mastery learning strategy…

A summary and discussion of a series of studies considered the dilemma that equal educational treatment of all children in public schools appears likely to increase the spread of differences among them in educational achievement. Longitudinal studies of pairs of identical and of fraternal twins in Sweden from 10 to 18 years of age considered the…

This study guide, designed for use at Oklahoma State University, contains lists of activities for students to perform based on the "mastery of learning" concept. The activities include readings, problems, self evaluations, and assessment tasks. The units included are: Functions, Exponential and Logarithmic Functions, Trigonometric…

Literature on individualized learning appearing in the past three years includes many reports which are rewritings from the same data; however, generalizable results do exist for the practitioner. Individualized instruction systems work as well or better than traditional, conventional instruction. Students learn more, make higher grades, save…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between exploratory children and cautious children as they functioned in open classrooms over a period of time and to document some general aspects of child behavior in open educational settings. Sixty children were observed through the course of the school year in their first grade open…

A mastery learning program called MTARSH (Multisensory Teaching Approach for Reading, Spelling, and Handwriting) was used with 282 remedial students and 144 nonremedial students in grades 1-6. Subsequent California Achievement Test scores in reading and spelling improved over baseline scores for students in both remedial and nonremedial classes.…

"Instructional Patterns: Strategies for Maximizing Student Learning" examines instruction from the learners' point of view by showing how instructional patterns can be used to maximize the potential for students to learn. This book explores the interactive patterns that exist in today's classroom and demonstrates how teachers can…

Teacher education programs in 63 New York state colleges and universities were surveyed to determine which elements of competency-based teacher education have been adopted and the degree of participant satisfaction. Results reveal that concepts such as mastery learning, criterion-referenced assessment, and performance-based measures that evaluate…

A general model for a quantitative description of individual growth in learning was developed. Published data in a variety of areas and data on learning sequences in a classroom were processed through the model. Findings suggest that the general growth model governs growth phenomena. (Author/RD)

This study compared the impact of three forms of evaluation on the mastery of course content by special education majors. Results indicated higher levels of mastery were achieved by students during short- and long-term formative evaluation conditions, relative to summative evaluation. Students also viewed formative evaluation formats more…

Discusses results from studies reported from 1958-86 examining the different methods of teaching calculus. Alternatives to lecture presentations to supplement and enhance learning include discovery and group learning, self-paced classes, programed materials, and use of computers. (over 50 references) (MDH)

Explores Total Quality Management (TQM) philosophy, its industrial achievements, and its promise for education. Key elements of TQM include establishing a strong sense of school vision, promoting personal mastery learning for all organization members, focusing strategy on customer-driven values, developing outrageous goals, working effectively…

Study examined the ways 117 low-socioeconomic third graders interacted during acquisition of new mathematical skills. The effects of cooperative-mastery-learning (CML) strategies on their mathematics achievement were investigated. Two experiments indicated that students exposed to CML performed better than those given more traditional instruction.…