Term Paper on "PSI System and Other Educational Methods Personal"

/>Upon closer examination, it appears that the explanation for the ways that the Keller/PSI approach improves learning may relate more to other underlying aspects of learning to which the Keller/PSI method is more conducive to improving than necessarily to the Keller/PSI methodology in particular. While removing the external temporal pressures associated with traditional academic education and professional training definitely provides a measurable benefit, it is likely that it does so substantially indirectly, such as by allowing students greater flexibility in learning methods even though this is not one of the designed purposes of the PSI/Keller educational approach.

Chapter One

Introduction

The growth of the study of the biological roots of human psychology and behavior contributed to changing assumptions about human cognitive learning throughout the middle and late 20th century ( ). Skinnerian Behaviorism in particular generated interest in different approaches to academic instruction as well as adult learning such as in connection with vocational training. The Keller personal system of instruction (PSI) in particular, introduced a Skinner-based approach based on the importance of mastery of smaller "chunks" or "segments" of academic course material into smaller units capable of being presented, studied, and tested individually instead of within the framework of an entire course evaluated by performance on a final exam scheduled to coincide with a designated date of course completion. The Keller/PSI method also relies heavily on the use of teaching assistants (TAs) for supplemental instruction and student guidance for students ( ).

According to empirical research, the Keller/PSI approach to education and adult learning dramatically increases the course completion rates ( ) and also corresponds to higher rates of long-term subject matter retention ( ). On the other hand, the Keller/PSI method still relies heavily on reading material; meanwhile other modern educational theories strongly suggest that one of the keys to improving contemporary education is to expand the range of the types of delivery systems for academic material to include media that are more conducive to learning in students whose primary learning styles are not necessarily linguistic ( ).

Background of Study

There is also a volume of prior research establishing the educational value of adapting teaching methods to different types of learning styles ( ).

Specifically, Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory ( ), the Inquiry-based learning method ( ), and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory Model ( ) all increase learning by tailoring instructional methods to the natural strengths of learners. Therefore, while the Keller/PSI approach seems to improve learning, it may very well be that other modern theoretical approaches to teaching may explain some of the underlying ways that the Keller/PSI method actually increases learning more indirectly than directly.

The literature documenting the effectiveness of alternative educational approaches such as the Multiple Intelligence, Inquiry-based and the Learning Style Inventory concepts may provide evidence explaining the basis of the benefits associated with the Keller/PSI instructional method. In that regard, the computer assisted (CAPSI) version of the Keller method significantly improves learning over the original PSI method (

), conceivably, precisely because it expands the range of material presentation and review in comparison with passive lecture-based PSI programs of instruction.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to consider the ways that the benefits associated with the Keller/PSI approach to modern education might be indirect functions of the manner in which that system introduces fundamental elements of other educational concepts. To the extent those fundamental elements are responsible for the success of the Keller/PSI educational method, this study will enable educators to incorporate those elements without necessarily relying on implementing the Keller/PSI system.

Personal Statement

In my experience, the passive lecture and textbook-based learning model that has been the predominant educational method in American education since its inception more than two centuries ago is not conducive to maximizing learning for many students. It strongly favors those students whose principal intellectual strengths happen to lie within the linguistic areas to the comparative exclusion of many other students who learn more easily through different aspects of human intelligence.

During the course of my educational career and professional training, I have had the opportunity to review the existing literature on the many different types of intelligence that are not adequately addressed by contemporary education. The empirical evidence is entirely consistent with my anecdotal experiences both as a student and as an educator. Specifically, it seems almost obvious, at least with the benefit of hindsight, that practical methods of instruction such as typically used in a more limited capacity in conjunction with the physical sciences would likely increase student interest and learning if they could be applied more generally to other academic subjects generally taught exclusively through the traditional passive lecture and textbook method of academic instruction.

My research into Gardner's Multiple Intelligences concepts revealed a conceptual similarity to other academic instructional methods that have also proven successful, such as the hands-on inquiry-based approach and the use of Kolb-like learning style inventories of preferred learning approaches. In that regard, the fact that adding the computerization component to the original Keller/PSI concept in CAPSI programs further increased the benefits associated with Keller/PSI only reinforced my belief that the principal benefits of the Keller/PSI method have as much to do with the way that broadening the range of teaching media (such as through computer simulations, mixed presentations of verbal narratives and visual representations, and one-on-one instruction from TAs) as they have to do directly with the design of the Keller/PSI method in particular.

Research Questions

1. Is the success of the Keller/PSI teaching method substantially attributable to the temporal aspect of eliminating firm deadlines or is it substantially attributable to the indirect changes in teaching and learning methods that are coincidental to the Keller/PSI approach?

2. Is it possible to identify the other specific elements of change associated with implementation of the Keller/PSI approach that could be replicated entirely outside of the main framework of the Keller/PSI concept?

3. How might the evidence of the ways that the Keller/PSI approach indirectly benefit students be incorporated into contemporary education more generally?

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is that the Keller/PSI program is difficult to implement smoothly within the academic curricula requirements and term schedules of most higher institutions of education. If the underlying elements responsible for the success of Keller/PSI academic programs could be identified and incorporated into contemporary educational systems without the comparative difficulties of establishing a Keller/PSI program, those concepts could be use to improve the quality of instruction and contribute to more efficient learning and subject matter retention of students.

Limitations

The principal limitation of this study is the difficulty of differentiating the specific contributions of the temporal design focus of the Keller/PSI program of academic instruction from the other (non-temporal, incidental) contributions of other ways that the Keller/PSI approach changes lesson delivery. In that regard, the literature documenting the success of Keller/PSI programs only provides empirical evidence of the relative success of that model without any more detailed evidence of the ancillary benefits of the changes it introduces to the system of instruction in particular. Likewise, another limitation is the unavailability of empirical research into exactly how the Keller/PSI program works and the exclusive focus of prior literature about that system on the question of whether or not the Keller/PSI approach to education is beneficial to students.

Delimitations

This study consists only of a literature review of the success of the Keller/PSI education method and separate reviews of the literature documenting the importance of some of the other aspects of education that seem to be implicated in the possible underlying reasons that Keller/PSI-based programs improve learning and student performance. In the absence of empirical studies directly connecting Keller/PSI with Multiple Intelligence theory, hands-on inquiry-based learning, or Kolb-based learning style inventories, this study… READ MORE