Direct Instruction Microcomputing in Primary Schools: manipulation of critical instructional variables

This article reports on a study carried out into the relationships between the component skills involved in practical work assessment. The skills concerned are observing, manipulating, planning, interpreting, reporting and self‐reliance. The literature relating to inter‐skill relationships is reviewed. Data derived from the study suggest that interpretation and planning skills are strongly related to one another, whereas performance on reporting, observation and self‐reliance skills are relatively distinct, both from one another and from all other component skills.