Individualized Instruction, What the Research Tells Us.

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 time, perform better on examinations, and feel improvement in self-concept and self-confidence. Withdrawals appear to be about the same as in traditional courses, but great variability is suggested. Student attitudes are favorable; they like self-pacing, although lack of discipline and motivation cause difficulties. Learning modules and study guides are helpful and well liked; the value of lectures is uncertain. Learning objectives produce significant increases in learning, while proctors can improve the rate of student progress. Retention of learning is improved by individualized instruction and mastery learning reduces forgetting. Students like self-grading but feel more is learned with proctor-grading. Test anxiety and grade pressure are reduced with individualized learning, and increased student-staff interaction results in higher student appraisals of staff. Cost benefit studies are infrequent and assessments are imprecise. As materials used in individualized instruction increase in number, researchers continue to investigate their effectiveness and benefits. (CWM)