Reported are the results of an eighteen-month study of junior college students using programmed algebra materials. Of the 118 students tested at the beginning of the study, only 77 completed the course. When the students were divided into three subgroups based on either their entering mathematics ability or reading ability, the highest group performed significantly better (.01) than those in the lower groups. There was no significant difference between the lower groups. All students were most successful with problems involving manipulation of algebraic terms, but had difficulty with recall or with verbal problems. There was no significant difference between students' pre- and post-attitudes. The author concluded that a motivation factor might have influenced the research results. (RS)