Individual Differences and Individual Difference

Abstract

The current aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) approach to accommodating individual differences has not proved instructionally useful. In this paper, reasons for this failure are identified and considered, and the desirable characteristics of an alternative model are identified. Formative evaluation is offered as a promising alternative that addresses individual uniqueness rather than dimensionalized individual differences. The notion that the failure of ATI research to be practically useful in designing instruction justifies ignoring individual difference is rejected.