Effects of Quantity of Instruction on Time Spent on Learning and Achievement

ABSTRACT This article evaluates the extent to which quantity of instruction influences time spent on self‐study and achievement. Data on both time variables and achievement were collected in a problem‐based medical curriculum. The results suggest that time spent on self‐study is primarily a function of the degree of time allocated to instruction. The association between these time variables may be described as a trade‐off mechanism. A considerable amount of variance in achievement, 25%, is accounted for by the ratio of time spent on self‐study to quantity of instruction. Hence, instruction time proved instrumental in influencing time spent on self‐study and achievement. The present investigation demonstrates that raising instruction time is only effective to the extent that students spend an increased amount of time on self‐study.