Carroll model of school learning

Draft

Definition

In 1993, John Carroll proposed a model for school learning. Learning was defined as function of efforts spent in relation to efforts needed.

According to Huitt ([1]): “{{{1}}}”

The Model

According to Reeves (1997) Carrol's model include six elements with one output variable, one input variable and 4 intermediate variables.

• Academic Achievement is the output (as measured by various sorts standard achievement tests)

• Aptitude is the main explanatory variable defined as the "the amount of time a student needs to learn a given task, unit of instruction, or curriculum to an acceptable criterion of mastery under optimal conditions of instruction and student motivation" (Carroll, 1989: 26). This definition of aptitude very much reminds the principle behind mastery learning.

• Opportunity to learn: Amount of time available for learning within the curriculum or other contexts.

• Ability to understand instruction: relates to learning skills and language comprehension.

• Quality of instruction: good instructional design, e.g. like it is usually defined in behaviorist frameworks like nine events of instruction

• Perseverance: Amount of time a student is willing to spend on a given task of set of objectives.

Links

Huitt, Overview of Classroom Processes / Carroll's Model of School Learning, HTML (retrieved 16:20, 23 May 2006 (MEST)).

References

• Carroll, J. B. (1968). On learning from being told. Educational Psychologist, 5, 4-10.

• Carroll, J. B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64, 723-733.

• Reeves, TC, & Reeves, PM (1997). A model of the effective dimensions of interactive learning on the World Wide Web. PDF. (This paper provides a good introduction to the Carroll Model and adds its own [[Reeves model of WWW-based learning).