Resumen de Motivation, step size and selected learner variables in relation to performance with programmed instruction
Val Ann Morris, Stanley S. Blank, Douglas McKee, Fred C. Rankinet
252 fifth‐grade students, categorised into anxiety‐ability levels, were exposed to one of three forms of pre‐program experience in an attempt to manipulate achievement motivation: (a) a pre‐test followed by a satisfactory report, (b) a pre‐test followed by no report, and (c) a pre‐test on material other than that covered by the program. After the pre‐program experience students completed either a large or small step (SS) version of an English money program. Using four criteria (immediate post‐test, delayed post‐test, time, and program errors) ability was significant for all but time (p<0·01), anxiety was significant only for errors and only on the SS program (p<005), and the Treatment X Anxiety interaction was significant for the delayed post‐test on the SS program (p<0·01). This interaction was such that high‐anxious students performed better, without a pre‐test while low‐anxious students did better with a pre‐test. Discussion centred on the explanation of this interaction and why the SS program produced more differentiation than the large step.
