A Practical Review of Mastery Learning.

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Curriculum Development
• Pharmacy Education

Background:

• Mastery learning, developed in the 1960s, aims to ensure all students achieve a defined level of competency.
• It involves acquiring knowledge/skills, followed by formative assessments, with progression to enrichment or corrective activities based on performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles and evidence base of mastery learning.
• To provide recommendations for implementing mastery learning within competency-based curricula, particularly in pharmacy education.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of mastery learning principles and empirical evidence.
• Analysis of theoretical underpinnings, including motivation, testing, and feedback.
• Formulation of recommendations for modernizing mastery learning for specific educational contexts.

Main Results:

• Students in mastery learning models demonstrate superior academic performance compared to traditional models, with moderate effect sizes.
• Key theoretical components contributing to improved performance include enhanced motivation, strategic testing, and timely feedback.
• Mastery learning provides a structured approach to ensure consistent competency attainment.

Conclusions:

• Mastery learning is an effective pedagogical strategy for enhancing student academic outcomes.
• Modernization recommendations for pharmacy education include integrating cumulative testing and baseline knowledge/skills assessment.
• The application of successive relearning models can further optimize mastery learning within pharmacy curricula.