Facilitation of learning and retention of oral instruction using advance and post organizers.

Gave 270 5th-, 6th-, and 7th-grade students oral instruction in social studies (multicultural content). In conjunction with the oral instruction, students were also randomly assigned to 1 of 5 organizer treatment conditions, including a control condition in which no organizer was presented. Treatment conditions consisted of either an advance or a post organizer presented visually or orally; the control condition involved no organizer, but augmented exposure to the oral instruction. Ss in each of these treatment conditions were tested on the oral instruction to measure learning; 2 wks later, Ss were again tested for retention. It is concluded that nonwritten cognitive organizers facilitated both the learning and the retention of oral instruction. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' aptitudes and their reports of cognitive processes during direct instruction.

72 5th- and 6th-grade students were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 classes using a factorial assignment of ability level crossed with attitude. Each class was taught a 2-day unit on probability, using the direct instruction model. Ss were videotaped during the lesson and afterward were interviewed about their thought processes using a stimulated-recall procedure. Independent of ability, Ss' reports of their understanding of the lesson were significantly related to achievement. Also, Ss who reported using specific cognitive strategies, such as relating the information being taught to prior knowledge, did better on the achievement test than those who did not report such strategies. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generalization from categorical memory tasks to prose by learning disabled adolescents.

Investigated how 60 learning disabled ([LD] aged 12 yrs to 14 yrs 5 mo) and 20 age-matched nondisabled (NLD) Ss would transfer the use of 4 study rules from instructed materials (pictures) to a prose recall task. Four phases spread over a 3-wk period were involved: pretest, informational phase (2 lessons), individualized training (3 lessons), and posttest. Results show that LDs performed poorly relative to NLD peers at pretest on categorical picture and prose recall tasks. 20 LD Ss who received rule-only instruction and 20 LD Ss who received rule-plus-prose examples instruction surpassed 20 LD Ss in the control condition at posttest on the picture task in rule use and in recall. On the prose task, a majority of the instructed LD Ss demonstrated transfer of the instructed rules. As a group, the instructed LD Ss no longer differed observably from NLD Ss in recall or in the strategies they employed to study and to retrieve. The clinical view that LD Ss are characterized by a failure to generalize was not supported by these findings. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of mnemonic instructions on paired-associate recognition memory for faces or names.

96 undergraduates (4 experimental and 2 control groups) learned 2 lists of 10 pairs of number-faces or number-names. Experimental Ss learned the 2nd list under a mnemonic rhyme condition. 1/2 of the experimental Ss used imagery as a mediator while the remainder were given verbal mediation sets. Ss took longer to learn faces than names and longer to learn under mnemonic than control conditions. On recognition tests, faces evoked slower latency responses than names, whereas mnemonic sets, in particular imagery as opposed to verbal, reduced response time. Names were recognized better than faces, mnemonics improved recognition scores, and recognition of faces but not of names was facilitated by the mnemonics. Control-group data show that results are not attributable to practice effects. Questionnaire reports of learning strategies are also examined. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self- versus instructor-pacing: Achievement, evaluations, and retention.

Student procrastination is an important concern in personalized systems of instruction. The present study compared progress made on course work by 2 groups of students—one self-paced (75 Ss) and one instructor-paced (74 Ss)—in a course taught using the personalized system of instruction. Ss were also compared on measures of course achievement and evaluations and a 9-mo content retention test. Results show that even though the self-paced group procrastinated while the instructor-paced group did not, both scored similarly on pre-, post-, and retention tests and were equally satisfied with the course. Moreover, no differences were found in the number of units completed, final grade distributions, or course withdrawal rates. The withdrawal rate data and the tendency for the self-paced group to score better on the retention test are discussed in terms of educational objectives. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-reinforcement: A continuum of external cues.

Investigated the role of external influences in children's self-regulatory behavior under stringent-demand (SD) and lenient-demand (LD) conditions. The abilities of the SD condition (in the form of stringent instructional sets and criterion setting), the LD condition (in which lenient instructions were provided), and a control condition to maintain 33 male and 29 female 3rd and 4th graders' performance on an arithmetic task were examined. Following 5 trials in which Ss self-administered prizes, all Ss in the SD group performed significantly better, during both the incentive and the extinction conditions, on all 3 dependent variables than did Ss in both the LD and control groups. Factors contributing to the differential performances of Ss under the LD and SD conditions are discussed in light of the self-reinforcement literature. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Persistence of inaccurate beliefs about the self: Perseverance effects in the classroom.

52 high school students were first exposed to either highly effective or thoroughly useless filmed instruction, leading, respectively, to their consequent success or failure. No-discounting (ND) Ss received no assistance in recognizing the relative superiority or inferiority of their instruction. Discounting (DS) Ss, by contrast, were subsequently shown the other instructional film, highlighting the obvious differences in instructional quality. Subsequent measures revealed that all Ss recognized the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of their instruction, although this contrast was clearer for DS Ss. Nevertheless, both DS and ND Ss continued to draw unwarranted inferences—in line with their initial outcomes—about their personal capacities. Dissociated and disguised measures of academic preferences and perceptions completed weeks later showed that the continuing impact of initial outcomes was generally greater for DS than for ND Ss. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learner control and achievement in science computer-assisted instruction.

Theorists and researchers have suggested that some degree of individual control is an important and necessary instructional component. Students may better learn how to learn through making instructional choices and may feel more intrinsic motivation for learning, which ultimately results in better performance. In this study, learner and program control of content review were provided in science computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The instruction was completed by 98 eighth-grade students. Results indicate that students under learner control scored higher on the posttest than those under program control. Reading ability accounted for the highest proportion of variance in posttest scores. No differences were noted in time to completion between treatment groups. The overall results suggest that students given limited control over instruction can adjust their study behaviors appropriately and achieve greater learning in the same amount of time than can students not given such control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of imagery on explicit and implicit tests of memory in young and old people: A double dissociation.

Examined the effect of imagery on implicit and explicit tests of memory in young and old adults. 48 undergraduates (mean age 21 yrs) and 64 adults (mean age 72.48 yrs) in Canada were presented with 2 separate word lists in a random order and were assigned to imagery or no-imagery instruction conditions. Ss in the imagery instruction condition read the words to themselves, formed a mental image of it, and rated their ability to do so. Ss in the no-imagery instruction condition simply read the words. All Ss were tested on explicit or implicit memory tests and asked to describe the mnemonic strategies used. Results show that imaging the referent of a visually-presented word improved the performance of the young Ss on the explicit memory test, but reduced their performance on the implicit test. Results of the elderly Ss showed a similar trend but did not reach the level of significance observed for young adults. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instructional control strategies and content structure as design variables in concept acquisition using computer-based instruction.

Studied 135 undergraduates to investigate 2 instructional design variables directly related to concept learning. The 1st variable, management strategy, tested the hypothesis that advising Ss of their learning need in relationship to acquisition of a task at a given criterion would be more effective than adaptive control or learner control strategies. Data analysis showed that the advisement condition resulted in better performance than the learner control condition and needed less instructional time and fewer instructional instances than the adaptive control condition. The 2nd variable contrasted 2 forms of content structure used in learning coordinate concepts. Ss given concepts simultaneously performed better on the posttest and needed less instruction than those who received concepts successively. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contract teaching of academic skills.

Studied 92 college students enrolled in a study-skills course. An individualized contract requiring students to identify nonproductive study behaviors and agree with their instructors on appropriate strategies for desired change was examined for effects on attitudes to study and subsequent academic achievement. Two instructors each taught a contract and a noncontract group. A group of 18 Ss taught by a 3rd instructor acted as a control to check for experimenter effect. Contract Ss improved significantly more on self-reported attitudes toward study (Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes) than either noncontract or control students. A follow-up study showed that contract students gained better GPAs and maintained this improvement for 2 yrs. Results are discussed in terms of the demands made on both student and instructor by this method of instruction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mnemonic instruction, with a focus on transfer.

The authors conducted 4 experiments to examine mnemonic transfer in the form of knowledge generalization, in the context of an artwork-learning task. In each experiment, college students first studied a set of painting–artist name pairs using an adaptation of the face–name mnemonic technique. Immediate and 2-day delayed performance measures consisted of (a) tests over the studied paintings (memory) and (b) new tests over sets of nonstudied, yet thematically or stylistically similar, paintings by the same artists (transfer). In all 4 experiments mnemonic instruction produced memory benefits on a direct test over the studied paintings. Moreover, Experiments 1–3 indicated that on the transfer task mnemonic students who were directed to focus on the general theme or style of the artist outperformed both nonmnemonic control students and mnemonic students who focused on details of the paintings. Finally, the results of Experiment 4 further suggested that even when mnemonic-detail students are specifically informed about the nature of the forthcoming near-transfer task, their transfer performance is not facilitated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of biracial learning teams on cross-racial friendships.

Investigated biracial learning teams and cross-racial friendships in desegregated junior high schools. Ss were 294 7th- and 8th-grade students in 12 English classes (170 Whites, 124 Blacks). Each of 5 teachers taught 1–2 experimental classes and 1–2 control classes for 10 wks. Experimental Ss studied worksheets in 4–5 member biracial teams and received regulation based on the sum of members' quiz scores. Controls studied alone and received individual quiz scores only. Results indicate that experimental Ss increased more than controls in the number of cross-racial friendship choices made on a sociometric instrument, and in the percentage of cross-racial choices over all choices. A follow-up of a subsample of 2 classes 9 mo after the project showed the effects of the experimental treatments maintained over time. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving conditional syllogism performance of young normal and gifted students with discovery and rule instruction.

34 7–11 yr old gifted students (WISC or Stanford-Binet IQs of at least 130 or 132, respectively) and 24 normal 6th-grade students (mean age 12 yrs) received 2 sessions of instruction of 16 variants of conditional syllogisms using objects, a logic board consisting of 2 intersecting sets (circles), an attribute label above each set, and premise rule cards, all designed to operationally define the meaning of antecedent and consequent term attributes (whether positively or negatively stated), and the resulting areas of inclusion, exclusion, and intersection. Ss receiving rule instruction had the rule card displayed during each syllogism; Ss receiving discovery instruction initially had to generate the rule on the basis of correctly placing objects. Both forms of instruction increased variability of performance and average performance on written syllogistic reasoning tests given approximately 1 day or 1 wk following instruction. Discovery instruction was generally more effective than rule instruction, with both forms substantially increasing solutions to the 2 invalid syllogisms, which were, as typically found, most difficult for noninstructed control Ss. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual characteristics and children's learning in large-group and small-group approaches.

Investigated aptitude–treatment interactions (ATI) in 100 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students learning in large-group and small-group teaching approaches. Each of 2 elementary teachers taught a 2-wk fractions unit to 2 classes of randomly assigned Ss. Each class received only 1 approach. Students completed aptitude measures (Raven Progressive Matrices and Sequential Test of Educational Progress, Series II) at the beginning of the study and achievement, attitude, and retention measures (including the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire, the Math Anxiety Scale, and a test of attitudes towards math) at the end. Regression analyses showed significant ATI for preference for approach and for ability. Students who initially preferred small groups actually did worse in that approach than in the large-group approach. High-ability Ss and low-ability Ss did better and had more positive attitudes in the small-group and large-group approaches, respectively. High-ability Ss benefited by "teaching" their peers in the small group. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-directed study skill programs for students on probation.

Paid 19 college students on probation $5.00/hr to participate in a project designed to improve grades. All Ss were taught (a) how to monitor their own study behavior; (b) the survey, question, read, recite, and review study strategy; and (c) the recommended amount of study time for different course loads. In addition, half of these Ss were given 3 hrs of instruction in principles of self-control and were shown how to set up self-administered behavior-modification programs to improve study habits. Self-control Ss succeeded in almost doubling both total study time and estimated effective study time. Overall GPAs also increased for self-control Ss. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning botany concepts mnemonically: Seeing the forest and the trees.

Sixty-one college students read a passage that described a plant classification system and the distinguishing characteristics of the plant groups within that system. There were three experimental conditions: taxonomic, which included a standard figural taxonomy (boxes connected by lines) as an instructional aid; mnemonic, which included pictorial mnemonic (memory-enhancing) representations of classification and characteristics information; and free study, in which the students were instructed to use their own best method(s) to master the passage content. Students were tested on a variety of learning measures immediately after reading the botany text, 2 days later, and 2 months later. Mnemonically instructed students statistically outperformed free-study students on every measure taken and performed better than taxonomically instructed students on almost all of the measures. These findings (a) establish the versatility of mnemonic strategies by extending their benefits from simple factual memory tasks to tasks requiring the manipulation of knowledge in novel problem-solving contexts and (b) points to the potency, durability, and educational utility of mnemonic techniques, relative to other instructional strategies, on tasks that involve remembering and creatively applying both factual and structural information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-instructional use of programmed creativity-training materials with gifted and regular students.

Investigated the effects of the self-instructional use of programmed creativity materials for gifted and regular students. Programmed creativity-training materials were used on an individualized basis. The Purdue Creativity Training Program was made available for self-instruction for 12 wks by half of the 648 4th-, 5th-, and 6th-grade students; the other students comprised the control groups. Pre- and posttests of creative thinking (5 subtests of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking) were administered. Experimental Ss attained significantly greater gains on verbal fluency. It is concluded that creative thinking abilities can be improved through self-instructional progammmed materials for gifted and regular students. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching elementary school students to identify story themes.

An instructional program focused on story theme was administered to 2nd and 3rd graders (high-, average-, and low-achieving students, including some with disabilities) in a high-poverty school. Compared with more traditional instruction, the program improved theme comprehension and the identification of instructed themes when they appeared in new stories. However, the program did not help students apply a theme to real-life situations or identify and apply noninstructed themes. Findings indicated that at-risk children (at all achievement levels, including those with disabilities) were able to achieve some degree of abstract, higher order comprehension when given instruction that combined structured lessons, a strategy, and discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students with severe learning disabilities can learn higher order comprehension skills.

An instructional program designed to help middle-school students with severe learning disabilities learn about story themes, and focused on enhancing ability to generalize to themes not included in the instruction, was evaluated. Ten small-group special education classrooms were randomly assigned to receive either the Theme Identification Program or a series of lessons with a traditional instruction framework. The program classrooms scored higher on concept of theme, identification of instructed themes, application of instructed themes to real-life situations, and identification of themes that were not included in the instruction. These findings indicate that students with severe learning disabilities can profit from instruction geared toward abstract higher order comprehension when it is designed according to their particular instructional requirements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)