Carroll's Model of School Learning

John Carroll (1963, 1989) has synthesized much of the research on learning theory into his model of school learning. According to this model, there are five elements that contribute to the effectiveness of instruction:

1. Aptitude refers to the students' general abilities to learn. 2. Ability to understand instruction refers to the students' knowledge of prerequisite skills and information needed to understand a unit of instruction.
3. Perseverance refers to the amount of time students are willing to spend actively participating in the learning process.
4. Opportunity refers to the amount of time available for learning. It could include homework time as well as time in class.
5. Quality of instruction refers to the effectiveness with which the unit of instruction is actually delivered.

Carroll combined these elements into a model focusing on time as the key determinant in learning.
 
The five elements described above contribute to either time needed to learn or time spent in learning. Carroll stated that the degree of learning can be described as a ratio between (a) time needed to learn and (b) time actually spent on learning. For simplicity, the exact ways in which each element makes its contribution are not discussed in this textbook. In specific mathematical terms, this ratio can be stated as a formula:
Degree of learning = f(Time Spent/Time Needed)
Carroll's insights and formula provided the foundation for the theory of mastery learning, which has been further developed by theorists such as Bloom (1968, 1976) and Block & Anderson (1975).

Review Quiz 1 - Carroll's Model of School Learning
Match each of the descriptions below with the appropriate element in Carroll's model of school learning. Choose from the following list:

a. aptitude b. ability to understand instruction
c. perseverance
d. opportunity
e. quality of instruction

1.____ Jane is having trouble in math. This is largely because she never does her homework.
2 _____ Art is having trouble in math. His mother thinks that this is because the teacher never assigns homework.
3 _____ Maria is having trouble in math. The special education teacher says this is because Maria has a learning disability that interferes with learning math.
4 _____ Michael is having trouble in math. This is probably because he didn't pay much attention last year, and this year's instruction builds upon what was learned last year.
5 _____ Gene is having trouble in math. He does well on the homework, but the homework appears to be unrelated to what goes on in math class. If the homework were more closely related, Gene would probably do better.

  

Examine the following description of classroom activity and use the preceding list of elements in Carroll's model of school learning to answer questions that follow it:

Marta wants to learn to use the computer for word processing. She thinks she should be able to do this, because she has succeeded at comparable activities and she already knows how to type and how to use the computer for other purposes. She decides to learn from a computerized tutorial that enables her to learn to use the word processing program at the computer. She sets aside an hour a day, five days a week; and she works industriously at the tutorial during most of this time. The only exception is that she sometimes talks to her boyfriend on the phone instead of working at the tutorial during the designated time period.

6 _____ Marta thinks that she can succeed at word processing partly because she has succeeded at comparable activities. This insight focuses on what element in Carroll's model of school learning?
7 _____ Marta thinks that she can succeed at word processing partly because she already knows how to type and to use the computer for other purposes. This insight focuses on what element in Carroll's model of school learning?
8 _____ If the computerized tutorial was actually an effective way to learn to use the word processing program, this would exemplify what element in Carroll's model of school learning?
9 ____ When Marta set aside an hour a day to practice word processing, she was focusing on what element in Carroll's model of school learning?
10 ____ When Marta used most of the hour she set aside each day to practice word processing, she was focusing on what element in Carroll's model of school learning?
11 ____ When Marta spent time talking to her boyfriend instead of working on the tutorial, she was detracting from what element in Carroll's model of school learning?