A Field Experimental Study of Programmed Instruction on a Manipulative Task

摘要

Approximately 1300 basic military trainees were used in a 3 x 7 factorial study of modes and content of training on a manipulative performance task, the assembly and disassembly of the M1 carbine. The modes of training included lecture-demonstration, a printed linear program with or without an answer sheet, and an audio-visual program presented by an audio-visual device or by a printed booklet. Also evaluated was a condition in which the trainees tried to perform the final task and were assisted as required. The content of the training was varied by providing training on assembly only, or disassembly only, or both. The final criteria were the time and the number of assists required to disassemble and assemble the M1 carbine. Although the modes of training differed significantly, the rankings were very different on the two criteria. No mode of training seemed clearly superior to the other modes. The audio-visual program presented in the printed booklet seemed womewhat inferior. Training on only the assembly of the carbine resulted in as good performance as training on both assembly and disassembly. The findings probably can be generalized only to relatively simple procedural type tasks. Replication of the study with more complex performance tasks is recommended. (Author)