James P. Lalley is an Assistant Professor of Education at D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo (B.A., 1984, in History; and M.A., 1995, and Ph.D., 1997, in Educational Psychology). He has taught at the State University of New York, College at Buffalo and Canisius College. His previous publica tions have been in the areas of educational technology and child development. In addition to mastery learning, his profes sional interests include how affective factors influence motivation and learning, methods of teaching, and children at risk.