*Retention Studies, Student Ability

Based on the broader needs for long-term studies of the efLects of instructional treatments, for behavioral objectives, and for learning hierarchies, this research investigated differences in the effect on learning and rate of forgetting when students are informed of the behavioral objectives and learning hierarchy. It was expected that students who were informed of the behavioral objectives of an activity would perform higher on achievement and retention posttests. Nine null hypotheses were tested, using 88 elementary education majors divided into four groups. Students were classified according to their ability levels'and each group received different information concerning the use of the self-instructional text material. Posttests were administered immediately on completion of the unit to compare the degree of learning, and after 2 weeks to compare the rate of forgetting. Analysis of variance was used i