Research Foundations

New Century Education has been and continues to be a pioneer in the field of original research in learning behavior and in interactive learning systems. Through company funded research and participation in research projects, New Century has tested and refined the original research in elements of its Integrated Instructional System software, including…

Sequencing Instruction to Maximize Learning

The foundations of New Century’s individualized instruction model are the result of a federal research partnership with the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC) and its chief researcher, Dr. Robert Glaser. New Century participated in a mathematics research project called Individualized Instruction in Mathematics and implemented the resulting product, IPI Math. This validated approach to the controlled sequencing of instructional content for self-paced learning is applied very effectively by the New Century Integrated Instructional System software.

New Century (then Appleton-Century-Crofts publishers) supported B.F. Skinner’s research on the behaviors of readers and learner motivation (Verbal Behavior) and applied the research to its curriculum products. The New Century Integrated Instructional System’s integrated and highly effective motivational point system, audio and visual feedback, and learner support tools are derived from Skinner’s principles.

The demonstration of the significance of audio instruction to improved achievement was a by-product of New Century’s research and development efforts under sub-contract with The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). The New Century Integrated Instructional System software incorporates audio at all levels of all curricula, for direct instruction, feedback, and help and to support reading fluency and vocabulary development. A side benefit is that New Century also is proven as a highly developmental solution for LEP students.