THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK AND INCENTIVES ON ACHIEVEMENT IN COMPUTER-BASED INSTRUCTION

The effects on learning of three feedback strategies (Answer Until Cor rect, Knowledge of Correct Response, and Delayed) were compared to two control strategies (No feedback and No questions) under two condition s of incentives. Task incentives rewarded subjects for successful task completion regardless of level of achievement while performance incen tives based subjects' actual grades on level of achievement. Results s howed an overall effect favoring performance incentives across all lev els of learning and feedback conditions. KCR and Delayed feedback stra tegies were advantageous for lower-level learning only, that is, where post-test questions were similar to original practice questions. AUC feedback, however, was not effective on any learning measure. Results are interpreted with regard to the interaction of feedback form and le arner dispositions to process feedback information ''mindfully'' rathe r than in a surface manner. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.