This paper analyzes how weekly study plans can increase student achievement in developmental mathematics courses at a four-year public institution of higher education. Quantitative data were collected regarding student completion of weekly study plans through an experimental methodology. Results show that students in the experimental group earned…

Adult proficiency in numeracy in the United States lags that of other developed nations, and the nonselective institutions that dominate the higher education sector struggle to address the learning needs of the sizeable proportion of students who enroll in their institutions and are deemed academically underprepared in mathematics. Research on…

Research has consistently found that college students, especially freshmen, are not independent learners. To help students become self-regulated learners, reading and study skills courses as well as academic assistance programs should be designed to address this concern. Students must develop an inventory of study strategies that can be…

The effectiveness of two academic achievement courses in improving quality point averages (QPAs) of educationally disadvantaged students was compared. One of the voluntary study skills courses taught specific study skills (study orientation skills--SOS), while the other purported to teach students to think like achievers (achievement motivation…

Examined the effects of goal instability on performance of students enrolled in learning skills courses (N=60). Results showed students with high goal instability had lower grade point averages than students with low goal instability. (BH)

Discusses a study conducted at California State University, Dominguez Hills to develop data regarding the reading skills of a sample of upper-division students. Reports that 52-57% of those students who participated in all phases of the study presented reading skills below the expected college level. Recommends that more attention be paid to…

Some of the common characteristics of remedial students are described and their relation to difficulty in mastering course content and completing course requirements are discussed. Teaching techniques are suggested that will afford students a greater opportunity to succeed. (MLW)

Investigates the utility and predictive validity of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) as a means of measuring college students' cognitive and affective growth following a study strategies course. Finds cognitive and affective growth in both regularly admitted and developmental studies students. Finds that LASSI cannot yet be used…

Seventy-four students from basic reading courses were surveyed to determine if the courses helped them with the reading and studying they had to do in other areas. In addition, 58 "regular" students were asked to assess their reading abilities and reading and study skills needs. Results indicated that most basic reading students were satisfied…

An approach to teaching students how to develop ideas, a major learning and study problem found among college students, is described. The strategy is a practical one that teaches the process of ordering concepts and data, and then how to use this process to solve problems and think critically. (MSE)

A study investigated how persistence in an academic self-management course related to self-control. Results indicate that the students dropping out had a limited repertoire of general learned resourcefulness skills. However, both high- and low-resourceful students who completed the course used the skills they learned and achieved comparable final…

A study investigated study habits of 154 educationally disadvantaged engineering students enrolled in developmental studies programs in 3 South African universities. Aspects examined include entry skills, study patterns throughout the first year, and characteristics of students whose study habits changed over time. Implications for admission and…

Compares the self-reported study behaviors of developmental students to those of regular admission students. The virtually identical self-reported study skills between the groups may be an artifact of using a Likert study skill measure. Discusses the rationale and evidence from other studies that substantiate the threat to validity posed by using…

The question of whether basic skills courses belong in higher education is examined through a review of the literature. The following issues are discussed in terms of opposing and supporting positions: (1) economic concerns (recruitment of a wider pool of students necessitate basic skills courses but preserve enrollment levels); (2) academic…

A project was undertaken by three faculty members at Northern Kentucky University (a history teacher, a reading specialist, and a composition teacher) to apply their own experiences and the research of others into a systematic and comprehensive mastery learning program for developmental classes in the spring of 1980. The program was designed to…