DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF FIXED‐ AND VARIABLE‐TIME FEEDBACK ON PRODUCTION RATES OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Abstract

The performance of 26 third‐grade students who worked on individual weekly academic tasks was compared under fixed‐ and variable‐time “home reports”. During fixed‐time home reports, each student was given a report to take home on Friday that indicated the quantity of work the student had completed that week, contained comments concerning the quality of the work, and had a space for parental remarks and signature. The same report was given during the variable‐time reports, except that seven to nine students were randomly selected each day to receive a home report During variable‐time reporting, students completed more assignments and completed assignments on a greater percentage of available workdays than during fixed‐time reporting. The teachers' preference for the variable‐time reporting was one additional advantage for the variable system.