Individual differences in time needed for learning: A review of literature

Although it has been established that students differ in the amount of time needed for learning, time to learn (TTL) is a variable that has not been adequately researched, accurately measured, or effectively used in educational practices for either diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. Resting on the thesis that time is an important factor in school learning, this article reviews research dealing with time in both laboratory and school‐based learning, summarizes major theoretical conceptualizations of time and learning, evaluates methods by which TTL has been measured, discusses learner and task characteristics that correlate with TTL, and, finally, suggests some implications of using a TTL measure to predict achievement and to modify schooling practices.