First Principles of Instruction: An Overview

Dr. David Merrill, professor emeritus at Utah State University, introduced the First Principles of Instruction as a set of fundamental principles of instruction that can lead to effective, efficient, and engaging instruction. Merrill's purpose was to identify the prescriptive principles common to various design theories and models, such as:

Star Legacy by the Vanderbilt Learning Technology Center,
4-Mat by McCarthy,
Problem-based learning by Clark and Blake,
Whole Task Practice in 4C/ID Model by van Merrienboer,
Cognitive apprenticeships by Collins, Brown and Newman,
Instructional episodes by Andre,
Multiple approaches to understanding by Gardner,
Collaborative problem solving by Nelson,
Constructivist learning environments by Jonassen, and
Learning by doing by Schank

Although these instructional theories and models used use a wide variety of terms to describe their approaches, Merrill concluded that the underlying principles were similar. As depicted in the figure below, the principles include activating prior knowledge, using specific portrayals to demonstrate component skills, application of newly acquired knowledge and skills, and integrating the new knowledge and skills into the learner’s world.

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Purpose of Each Principle

Problem-Centered: Learning is promoted when learners are engaged in solving real-world problems.
Activation: The purpose of the activation phase is to create activities that build on existing knowledge before exposure to new information. Activating prior knowledge prepares your learners to connect new incoming information with existing knowledge.
Demonstration: The purpose of the demonstration phase is to create activities that demonstrate your learners the steps and procedures. Demonstrating knowledge requires the learners to be mentally active, but they are not participating physically.
Application: The purpose of application phase is to create activities that give your learners opportunities to apply what they are learning. Application of new information provides the learners opportunities to do something, such as practice a procedure, play a game, answer a question, etc.
Integration: The purpose of integration phase is to create activities that help your learners select and express what they learned and how they may use it. Integrating new knowledge helps the learners connect what they are learning to their work or their lives.