Effects of Omitting Branches and Questions From a Scrambled Text

S ummary . Three versions of a programmed book (The Waterloo Campaign) were studied by groups of 15–16‐year‐old boys. The versions were: the original branching programme; prime path frames only (branches omitted); continuous text (multiple choice questions and branches omitted). The continuous text was associated with slightly superior immediate post‐test scores and slightly inferior delayed post‐test scores, compared with the other two versions. These differences were not statistically significant; nor were differences in attitude to the three versions. Study time was less in the prime than in the branching version and less than either of these in the text version. Study time differences were substantial and statistically significant. With all three versions the correlation between intelligence and attainment was statistically significant: it was highest in the text version and lowest in the branching version

Branching (polymer chemistry) · Combinatorics · Correlation · Geometry · Prime (order theory) · Statistics · Test (biology) · Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills · Mathematics · Psychology · Psychometric Methodologies and Testing · Reading and Literacy Development