Classes in introductory psychology and statistics were used to study mastery and content acquisition. During the course of a ten-week term, structured, objective testing traced the acquisition and maintenance of course content. Evaluation measures traced the development of attitudes toward each course. Content measures were three midterms during the quarter and again in a comprehensive final. An area of controlled content, which was not taught, was also tested in pretest and final.
The goals achieved by this approach include the demonstration of acquisition of content separate from previous knowledge. Thus, a student who goes from 0% to 50% mastery is shown as a bigger success than a student who goes from 90% to 90% mastery.
Measures of emotional tone and evaluation of the class show the changes that occur during the class. Study time was self-recorded by the students and is studied in relation to performance on exam and class attitudes.
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