TY  - UNPB
UR  - http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.238500
TI  - An evaluation of a general model for individualizing instruction
N1  - Thesis: PhD  CDEP University of London Institute of Education, 1981.
ID  - discovery10020101
AV  - public
EP  - 368
N2  - The purpose of this study was to develop, implement and assess the
effectiveness of a general model for individualizing instruction in terms of
its effects on:
(i) students' academic achievement
(ii) students' attitudes towards a subject
(iii) teachers' attitudes towards students
The need to develop a general model for individualizing instruction
was deduced from an analysis of current models and procedures of individualization.
The model is aimed at understanding individualized teaching and at
the same time catering to individualized learning. Its purpose is to provide
teachers with the opportunity to exercise their particular strengths in
teaching and a chance to compensate in some way for their individual
weaknesses and this without being prejudicial to the individual learner.
The approach selected to achieve this purpose was to provide
teachers with a flexible guide allowing them to design and administer
individualized learning programmes according to their individual
requirements, and above all according to the particular situations in which
they are placed.
An experiment was carried out in order to assess the effectiveness
of the general model. The samples for the study consisted of 187 students
and eight teachers in the fifth grade distributed in three Schools, in School
District Number Thirteen, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. In a first
step, the teachers in the experimental group were provided with appropriate
training in the design and administration of an individualized learning
programme according to the proposed general model. At the same time, the
teachers in the control group were provided with a weekly seminar dealing
with subjects related to the teaching-learning process in general. In a
second step, the teachers in both the experimental and control groups
administered their own instructional programmes; individualized learning
programmes for the teachers in the experimental group and traditional
instruction programmes for the teachers in the control group. Four major instruments were used to collect data for the study: a
Mathematics achievement test developed by the Montreal Catholic School
Commission; the Subject Perception Test Developed by the author; the
Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory developed by Cook, Leed and Callis
(1951); and the Teaching Strategies Inventory also developed by the author.
The major findings of the study indicate that:
(i) The Mathematics academic achievement of students who
have been involved in individualized learning programmes designed
according to the new general model proposed in this study is higher than
that of students involved in more traditional programmes.
(ii) The students who have been involved in individualized learning
programmes designed according to the new general model have more
positive attitudes towards Mathematics than the students involved in more
traditional programmes.
(iii) The teachers who have been involved in individualized learning
programmes designed according to the new general model have more
positive attitudes towards students than the teachers involved in more
traditional programmes.
M1  - Doctoral
Y1  - 1980///
PB  - Institute of Education, University of London
A1  - Boulet, A. E.
ER  -