Teacher Responses to Student Time Differences in Mastery Learning

Abstract

A model to assist in the analysis of teachers' time allocation procedures is presented. An instructional technique, mastery learning, is analyzed within the context of this model. A qualitative analysis of 10 elementary school teachers who implemented short sequences of mastery learning is presented to illustrate possible ways teachers adjust various conditions that are formulated in the model. A major concern of teachers was the differential time students need to achieve mastery. Teachers appear to adjust instructional timing to slower students.