Critical Chunk, Physical Length, and Number of Words per Chunk in Programmed Instruction
James M. Furukawa · The Journal of Educational Research · 1972
Posttest performances on chunks which were either required or not required within the program revealed that both high and low short-term memory Ss did better (p < .001) with required chunks. The scores on the required-response chunks were reanalyzed in terms of long, medium, and short information frames and found to be insignificant, although low Ss had poorer scores (p < .05) and showed signs of overloading, The conclusion drawn was that required-response chunks and not physical length of frames determines difficulty level of programmed instruction. A further analysis of the required-response chunks revealed that the number of words in a chunk did not affect performances. The implication of the study: identifying and matching the chunks necessary to respond correctly within a step of the program with a S’s short-term memory can result in maximal learning.