This investigation examined middle-school students' attitudes toward and abilities to benefit from small group computer-based instruction (CBI) as a function of their academic aptitudes, gender, and learning situations. Two studies were conducted with different tasks. Seventy-six seventh graders (39 high aptitude and 37 low aptitude) from a suburban school completed a task designed for individual performance; while a group of 56 students from an inner-city middle school completed a task designed for small group performance. After completing the tasks designed for individualized performance, higher ability students preferred individualized CBI and lower ability students preferred small group CBI; while the opposite set of values was found for the small group learning task. It was concluded that an aptitude-by-treatment interaction (ATI) seems to exist between students' preferences for small group or individualized CBI and their academic abilities, and that this ATI effect appears to be a function of the learning situation rather than any inherent predisposition for small group or individualized CBI. (18 references) (Author/BBM)