Effect of instructional design on academic success of adult basic education learners: Individualized versus group design

Many adult basic education (ABE) programs do not achieve a high success rate in meeting student academic needs. Rooted in Knowles' theory of andragogy and Bandura's theory of modeling, this quantitative causal comparative study examined the effects of individualized instruction (IGI) and of facilitated, participatory group programs (SPOKES) on the achievement of ABE students in reading and mathematics. A sample of 360 participants was drawn from a population of 6,266 English speaking ABE students, with the sample proportionally divided into IGI and SPOKES groups. Paired t tests were used to analyze pretest and posttest changes within groups by subject area. Results indicated statistically significant gains for both groups from pretest to posttest. However, independent t tests for reading and mathematics between groups did not support the alternative hypotheses that there was a significant difference in the mathematics or reading scores of adult learners who attended individualized group instruction adult literacy programs as compared to adult learners who attended facilitated, participatory group designed programs. Based on the data, it is reasonable to conclude that both types of instructional design (IGI and SPOKES) positively impacted the reading and mathematics achievement of adult ABE student, with neither instructional design emerging as superior. This study has implications for social change because it provides information program planners and designers can use to develop ABE programs that allow adult learners to achieve academic success.