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3.Carroll’s Model and Mastery Learning
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◆Mastery Learning and Formative Tests◆

Mastery Learning is an instructional method proposed in the late 1960s by B. S. Bloom, and his followers, Block and Kim. According to the Carroll's Model of School Learning, since each learner has a different learning pace, it is impossible for all the learners to study at the same speed. It seems natural that every student should learn at his/her own pace, and that the materials prepared individually for him/her. Then, everyone can proceed to the next learning objective after he/she completely achieves the current objective. It can be done easily if you have only one student, but it also can be done if you have twenty students in your class.

Bloom and his followers implemented the Carroll's Model so that it can be pursued even under a scheme of classroom instruction. Under the Carroll's-Model-based approach, a test is given to students for diagnostic purposes at an appropriate time in a lesson, and such tests are called Formative Tests. Based on the results of the tests, therapeutic instruction is given to learners according to their levels of achievement of the target objectives. They believed that this method could enable all the learners to satisfy at least a minimum standard and successfully proceed to the next unit when they are ready to go on.

In order to proceed with Mastery Learning based on the idea mentioned above, it is necessary to prepare information which meets the conditions below (Kajita, 1983, pp.184-185).
  1. To clarify a group of objectives to be achieved in a learning unit
  2. To establish a minimum standard (mastery standard) to be achieved by all the children
  3. To prepare and use Formative Tests to clarify which objectives are already achieved and which are not by each of the children
  4. To prepare materials and therapeutic instructions to give when an objective is not achieved; to give them to learners according to their levels of achievement revealed in the results of the Formative Test

 This method is practiced in a large scale in South Korea by Kim Hogwon, a Bloom follower, and has achieved significant results which demonstrated its effectiveness and practicality. The results were introduced to Japan and translated into Japanese by Eiichi Kajita, who is also a Bloom follower (Kajita, 1983; Kim, 1976).

 According to Kajita (1983), there are four kinds of activities that can be given after a Formative Test is given.
  1. Re-learning:
    To make students do the same assignments, or to provide deeper learning for those who do not need re-learning
  2. Supplementary learning:
    To give students supplementary learning for some parts of the objective, which they could not achieve, or to provide deeper learning for those who do not need supplementary learning
  3. Learning adjustments:
    To adjust speed or direction of the development of instruction and learning activities
  4. Learning separation:
    To group students according to their aptitude, basic ability, etc., and to give them different assignments (basic or advanced learning)
    References
  • Eiichi Kajita, Educational Evaluation (Yuhikaku, 1983). [In Japanese]
  • Kim Hogwon, The Principle of Mastery Learning, translated by Eiichi Kajita (Bunka-kaihatsu-sha, 1976) . [In Japanese]