The Application of Mastery Criterion to Individual Operants and the Effects on Acquisition and Maintenance of Responses
Khan Academy’s built-in 100% mastery gate quickly lifted math accuracy for three typical elementary students.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three elementary students used Khan Academy math modules at school.
The program required 100% mastery before the next lesson unlocked.
Researchers tracked accuracy before and after the online sessions.
What they found
All three children solved more problems correctly after the module time.
Gains showed up right away—no extra teacher drills were needed.
How this fits with other research
Fuller et al. (2018) also tested mastery rules, but with autistic learners in discrete trials. They saw stronger skill upkeep when the pass bar was set at 90%.
Kirk et al. (2017) looks like a clash: their attention-training app gave almost no quick math boost to kids with IDD. The gap fades when you note they trained attention, not math, and the learners had developmental delays.
Spaniol et al. (2021) backs the target: their twice-weekly computer sessions raised math scores for autistic students and the gains lasted three months.
Dunham (1972) did the same idea fifty years ago—mastery pacing produced near-perfect pass rates in college students, hinting that the rule, not the device, drives the lift.
Why it matters
You can drop Khan Academy into class tomorrow as a warm-up or homework station. Let the built-in 100% gate do the work—kids keep practicing until they hit it, then move on. No extra grading for you, and the data say accuracy rises fast.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
UNLABELLED: Evaluating online educational platforms requires studying the design, development, and implementation of the learning environment as well as the learning materials, learners, and learning process to facilitate improvements in teaching and skill acquisition. The accelerated growth of online educational tools has prompted a need for systematic evaluation of online educational platforms. Khan Academy has experienced immense popularity and is used by students worldwide. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of Khan Academy at the individual level. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Khan Academy in teaching elementary math to three participants using objective methods. Participants completed worksheets prior to and following Khan Academy to determine its effectiveness in teaching targeted math skills. Results indicated that Khan Academy was effective for all three participants. Thus, Khan Academy may be an effective tool for acquisition of elementary math. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-024-00982-6.
Journal of Behavioral Education, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s10864-020-09420-3