The Effects of Pre‐Test Difficulty on Post‐Test Performance Following Self‐Instruction

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that doing a pre‐test before instruction sometimes enhances learning. In this experiment, the effects of varying the difficulty of the pre‐test were examined. Four pre‐tests were constructed which varied in difficulty, and subjects, allocated at random to one of the pre‐test conditions, were tested after self‐instruction on a post‐test composed of the four tests. There were no significant differences in post‐test performance.