Time Variability in Mastery Learning

Two studies were conducted to examine time factors of mastery learning. According to mastery learning theory, between-student variability of learning time will progressively decrease under conditions of mastery learning. The first study was an experiment in which four classes of elementary school students learned 10-unit sequences of typical school material under mastery learning conditions. The second study was a post hoc longitudinal evaluation of students who learned arithmetic in a mastery procedure from grades 1 to 4. In contrast to mastery claims, student time differences did not decrease across the 10 days of the first study or the 4 years of the second. Rather, learning time variability remained stable or increased. It may be necessary to modify mastery learning theory in light of these results.