A Test of an Hypothesized Relationship between Learning Time and Amount Learned in School Learning

AbstractIt has been hypothesized that the degree of learning, other things being equal, is a simple function of the amount of time during which the pupil engages actively in learning. This hypothesis was tested with forty-eight students in an introductory psychology course. Classroom examinations were used to indicate amount learned; intelligence tests were used to indicate learning ability, and hours of study time reported by students were used to indicate learning time. When learning ability was controlled, statistically, the correlation between amount learned and learning time was statistically significant, r = .30, a result which provides support for the original hypothesis. Considering the attenuating effect of indicants, it was concluded that learning time is a highly important variable which should be taken into account in investigations of classroom learning.