FEEDBACK PROCEDURES IN COMPUTER-ASSISTED ARITHMETIC INSTRUCTION

Summary. A computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system can provide detailed and immediate feedback following every student response. Two such procedures, labelled ‘active’ and ‘passive’ were designed for helping children to multiply two- and three-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. The active feedback procedure required an overt response to be given to each element in the procedure for computing the answer. The ‘passive’ procedure merely printed a feedback message. Two experiments are described which had treatment conditions of (i) no feedback, (ii) passive, and (iii) active feedback. As well as on-line performances being recorded in detail by the computer, pre-and post-tests were given. Substantial gains on pre-and post-tests were recorded for the feedback groups, and a regression analysis showed that greatest effects were with pupils whose initial level of achievement was low. Overall differences between the two feedback groups did not reach significance. Finally, a simple model to account for multiplication performance is proposed.