Mastery Learning in the Context of University Education

Abstract

Developed by Benjamin Bloom in the 1970s, Mastery Learning (ML) is a pedagogical approach that aims to circumvent the problems of conventional group-based teaching and one-to-one individual tutoring, so that better academic performance can be achieved in a more realistic and cost-effective manner. While ML has consistently produced positive effects on the students’ academic and affective outcomes, the amplitude of its benefit has been the subject of frequent contentions. The discrepancies are primarily due to the interplay of multiple extraneous factors that can either diminish or promote the success of ML. Bearing in mind the numerous factors capable of inf luencing the overall effectiveness of ML, is ML still amendable for university education in the 21^st century? This review will first provide background to ML, followed by the merits and issues associated with its use. Different factors that can affect the effectiveness of ML will subsequently be examined. Lastly, modifications to better tailor ML for university education will be suggested and discussed. It was found that several unique features of the university curriculum promote the use of ML. ML can be further modified to better suit university education by combining with modern information technology and other effective teaching methods.