JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.Springer is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Educational Technology Research and Development. Although many instructional technologists have suggested that teachers should be trained in using instructional design models, few studies have been conducted to determine if teachers can be successful in acquiring and applying these models. The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teacher success in acquiring and applying principles of learning and instructional design. Preservice teachers enrolled in a professional teacher preparation program were taught the essentials of learning and competency-based instruction and were required to plan a lesson using these concepts. Results indicate that most of the preservice teachers were successful in acquiring and using the principles of learning and instructional design. It is unclear whether teachers who are trained to use systematic planning models will actually use these models. Neale, Pace, and Case (1983) found that experienced teachers who were trained to use systematic models indicated positive attitudes toward the models; however, many teachers use systematic models only informally while planning instruction or as part of mental planning. Experienced teachers believe that systematic planning models are useful for student teachers and inexperienced teachers, but even preservice teachers who are trained to use these models don't always follow them (Neale et al., 1983). In contrast, in a case study on teacher planning by Cain (1989), it was found that a preservice teacher trained to use a systematic planning model used this model extensively while planning a month-long unit of instruction.The purpose of the current study was to examine preservice teacher success in acquiring and applying principles of learning and instructional design. The study was conducted to ensure that the preservice teachers had these skills before they left their training program. While studies have been conducted to determine preservice teacher success in learning isolated skills of systematic planning models (Higgins & Sullivan, 1982), little research has been done to examine preservice teachers' ability to use planning models such as the competency-based instruction model. In addition, few studies have examined teacher knowledge of the principles of learning that underlie instructional design models. According to Blumenfeld, Young, and Pokay (1991), knowledge of learning principles might help teachers develop comprehensive learning plans.
METHOD
SubjectsParticipants in the study were 105 preservice teachers enrolled in their first semester of a professional teacher preparation program at a large southwestern university...