Student and Teacher Perspectives on the Effects of Mastery Learning on the Academic Achievement of Secondary Students
Abstract
Mastery learning techniques have regained popularity in the last ten years as one possible
way of meeting the different educational needs of students within the same classroom, helping
all to succeed. Mastery learning strategies are being used in current classrooms as a way to meet
the demands of No Child Left Behind ,Common Core State Standards, and the Race to the Top
Initiative. These strategies include a 4.0 grading scale, tracking by objectives, allowing multiple
attempts to demonstrate proficiency, and opportunities to demonstrate knowledge beyond the
realms of the classroom instruction. This study examined the topic of mastery grading through a
qualitative research design, in which students and teachers were interviewed and observed to
examine their feelings and experiences concerning mastery learning strategies. This thesis is a
small snapshot of one district’s efforts at implementing a new grading paradigm that aligns with
contemporary mastery learning ideas. The findings of this study revealed that an overall negative
perception of mastery grading existed in the school district used for this study. Through the acts
of working towards consistency, creating reasonable expectations, reducing class sizes,
providing more time to teachers, and allowing more opportunities to reflect and collaborate on
mastery, the perception can shift to an effective instructional strategy where students can reach
their optimal level of performance.