The Big Five-Factor personality traits are examined in the present review. Individual characteristics and personality types may contribute differently to choices of learning strategies and overall cognitive performance. The purpose of this paper is twofold: (1) to provide a brief overview of consistent research findings on personality constructs…

Despite progress toward gender equity, troubling disparities in mathematical problem-solving performance and related outcomes persist. To investigate why, we build on recurrent findings in previous studies to introduce a new construct, "bold problem solving," which involves approaching mathematics problems in inventive ways. We introduce…

This study compared the effect of two notetaking strategies (Cornell Notes vs. REAP) on EFL secondary school students' critical reading skills. The Alternative Treatment Design with Pretest was used where three intact classes of first-year EFL secondary school students were randomly assigned as a control group and two experimental groups. All…

The purpose of this study was to explore the motivational characteristics and learning behaviors affecting at-risk college students. To explore how motivation and learning behaviors are related to academic achievement, the relationships between (a) self-efficacy; (b) learning and study strategy indicators; and (c) academic outcomes were assessed.…

A review of 13 years of research into antecedents of university students' grade point average (GPA) scores generated the following: a comprehensive, conceptual map of known correlates of tertiary GPA; assessment of the magnitude of average, weighted correlations with GPA; and tests of multivariate models of GPA correlates within and across…

Undergraduates entering science curricula differ greatly in individual starting points and learning needs. The fast pace, high enrollment, and high stakes of introductory science courses, however, limit students' opportunities to self-assess and modify learning strategies. The University of Washington's Biology Fellows Program (BFP) intervenes…

Many undergraduate institutions are dealing with less-than-prepared students entering the biology major. When the biology department at College of Notre Dame of Maryland analyzed data from five past cohorts of prospective biology majors, it was evident that there was a significant correlation between their success in the introductory course in the…

Studies in education often report the differences between participants' and non-participants' test scores, course grades, retention, and other criteria. When participants' average performance is higher, it can be difficult to attribute the improvements to participation. Comparing participants and non-participants on other measures can strengthen…

This insightful and practical guide for parents shows how they often undermine rather than encourage their teens' success on one of the most stressful standardized tests--the SAT--and what strategies will remedy the problem. In recent years this test has taken on fearsome proportions, matched only by the growing competition for slots at major…

Although research over the past 20 years has examined the dynamics of student learning, most initial studies focused on how scholastic aptitude tests and teacher rating scales predicted academic success. This study attempts to determine the relationship between scholastic aptitude and three approaches to learning: (1) presage; (2) process; and (3)…

Whether male and female high school students of high mathematics ability use different solution strategies on problems whose responses had previously shown gender differences was studied with 25 males and 22 females. Females were more likely to use conventional problem-solving strategies, and the use of conventional strategies was associated with…

The educational community needs to ensure that children have developed learning strategies before they are expected to develop subject or task proficiency. The low achievement of poor children is due to their lack of preparation. The stratification of American society is the major problem with education. (BJV)

Self-directed, or independent study activities were studied in adolescents, as well as their antecedents and consequences. The interrelationships, across age and grade, of several variables were described; i.e.: course requirements and conditions, student characteristics, study activities, and school achievement. First, autonomous learning…

This study investigated the strategies subjects adopted to solve STEM-equivalent SAT-Mathematics (SAT-M) word problems in constructed-response (CR) and multiple-choice (MC) formats. Parallel test forms of CR and MC items were administered to subjects representing a range of mathematical abilities. Format-related differences in difficulty were more…

Fifty-four high aptitude undergraduates and 46 moderate-to-low aptitude undergraduates were divided into four treatment groups and were given a pretest during which they learned and recalled a map of a small town in five successive trials. Two weeks later, each group was given a different treatment with a varying degree of explicitness of…