Switching on

The popular justification for programmed texts is that students can work at their own rate but this does not mean that increased efficiency can be taken for granted. For instance, it has been suggested that the time spent on a programme may not correlate with retention test results. Also it has been noticed that children who take a long time to complete their work on a programme seem to gain low marks on the final test. And it is claimed that, with some children, the time spent with the teacher is badly utilised.