Finding practical ideas about college reading and learning strategy programs that have been drawn from theory and research is difficult for most veteran instructors but is even more difficult for those instructors new to the field. Over a decade ago the authors reviewed the literature and generated a list of their own "best ideas" as a way of…

Notes that in order to help students with the rigors of the first year of college, many postsecondary institutions offer some form of academic assistance. Describes a program evaluation study, which aimed to determine if students changed in their personal beliefs about an academic discipline and if they changed in the strategic behavior they…

Two experiments involving 114 college students were conducted to determine the potential of elaborate verbal rehearsal (EVR) as a learning strategy for high-risk college students. EVR-trained subjects performed significantly better on immediate and delayed tests, which suggests that EVR is a powerful learning strategy for high-risk students. (SLD)

This study examined the effectiveness of PLAE (Preplan List, Activate, and Evaluate) in training students to have executive control over their learning strategies. Subjects, 56 at-risk students enrolled in four separate sections of an upper-level study strategies course at a major southern university, received intensive, direct instruction in…

Argues that instructors involved in academic assistance must become familiar with the academic demands their students face in different content courses. Discusses four methods to gather such information, and shows how to identify relevant strategies for students to practice with actual course texts. (SR)

Discusses a textbook annotation strategy. Examines the effectiveness and efficiency of the strategy. Finds that training students to annotate text enables them to perform effectively over time. Presents practical teaching suggestions for working with different types of students. (RS)

Evaluates the effectiveness of the PORPE (Predict, Organize, Rehearse, Practice, Evaluate) integrated study strategy system in increasing college students' learning in an actual classroom setting. Finds that PORPE is a practical, durable strategy for learning content area concepts. (RS)

Reviews research investigating strategies for reading and studying at the college level. Examines 5 generalizations that emerged: (1) task understanding is critical to strategic learning; (2) beliefs about learning influence how students read and study; (3) quality instruction is essential; (4) a variety of research-based strategies should be…

Investigates the effectiveness of PLAE (Preplan, List, Activate, and Evaluate), a model designed to characterize the operations and processes students must perform to control and regulate their learning. Concludes that the ability to construct, implement, and evaluate a study plan as defined by PLAE's stages improves students' test performances…

Offers three explanations for why students lack the strategies for independent learning and follows that with five practical recommendations for improving study strategies. (HOD)

This book is about widening life and career options for students in the middle and upper grades through literacy. The book's one overarching assertion is that teachers of all subjects can create engaging learning environments where readers and learners use literacy for personal pleasure and as a tool of mind expansion. It seeks to empower teachers…

Describes a planning model (PLAE--preplan, list, activate, evaluate) that provides a practical and flexible guide in how to determine one's own learning tasks, how to select and schedule the most appropriate study strategies for those tasks, and how to activate and evaluate a plan in terms of its efficiency and effectiveness. (HOD)

Reports on a study to determine the effectiveness of an integrated study strategy system that uses self-assigned writing as a means of learning psychology content. Concludes that the PORPE (Predict, Organize, Rehearse, Practice, and Evaluate) system can be a potent, durable, and efficient independent study strategy. (JAD)

PORPE, a comprehensive strategy system utilizing writing, was originally created for students who wanted to know how to study for essay examinations in their college courses. With PORPE, students are involved in (1) predicting potential essay questions to guide subsequent study; (2) organizing key ideas using their own words, structure, and…

Offers seven suggestions academic assistance professionals can adopt in order to evaluate strategic models, such as study strategy courses or paired courses. Reports that a 1997 study found that only 25% of four-year institutions complete ongoing and systematic evaluation of their academic assistance programs. (Contains 32 references.) (NB)