Abstract
Research into the effectiveness of learner control in tutorial computer assisted instruction has produced equivocal results. In order to analyze these results, learner control is defined within a general model of decisions and information in instructional systems. When the research is categorized according to this model, the effectiveness of learner control is confirmed and a preliminary conclusion concerning the importance of information is reached. A case is made for an instructional design focus in learner control research based on model building rather than hypothesis testing.