Aspects of programmed instruction: a comparison of covert versus overt response modes under two conditions of paired associate learning, employing hearing impaired and normal subjects

Abstract

Current interest in programmed instruction and teaching machine technology dates from the publication in 1954, of B.F.Skinner's article on 'The Science of Learning and the Art of Teaching' Although simple teaching devices had been constructed as early as 1915, and practical trials undertaken in the decade following by S.L.Pressey and others, Skinner's article appeared at a favourable time when technological advances favoured the development of sophisticated hardware, and when interest in new teaching methods was at its peak. Because the programmed learning situation could be highly controlled the technique was amenable to enquiry by the use of objective methods. Partly for this reason, the amount of research generated by this topic remains unprecedented in the field of educational enquiry.