A Comparison of a Microcomputer Progressive State Drill and Flashcards for Learning Paired Associates.

The effectiveness of learning paired associates from a computer-based drill strategy known as the progressive state drill was compared in this study with the effectiveness of having students use their own strategies with flashcards. Characteristics of the progressive state drill which make it a potentially effective drill and practice strategy for learning paired associates include: (1) the use of a small working pool of items; (2) increasing ratio review; (3) dynamic adjustment of the drill based on student performance; and (4) recordkeeping from session to session. The 96 high school sophomores who acted as subjects were placed into matched pairs on the basis of a pretest which measured their ability to remember word-number pairs, and one member of each pair was randomly assigned to the flashcard or microcomputer group. The treatment consisted of three 20-minute sessions, i.e., one session each day for three consecutive days. Although the results failed to show any superiority on a posttest achievement measure for the progressive state drill over the flashcard approach, the microcomputer group demonstrated a significantly more positive attitude toward the instruction. A discussion of the implications of these findings for design and use of microcomputer drills such as the progressive state paradigm conclude the paper. Statistical analyses and a list of 26 references are appended. (MES)