Identifies, in a case study, a gifted student who, in consideration of previous academic achievement, should be performing exceptionally well, but has a four-year history of withdrawing from and failing courses, avoids studying, and occasionally rallies at the 11th hour for an average performance. Proposes a learner-centered intervention, in a…

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…

Explores how a developmental framework can be used in teaching college students learning strategies. Suggests that a developmental framework can add to educators' effectiveness in assessing students' needs and providing appropriate instruction, as well as in showing them how to help students acquire academic literacy and learning strategies that…

Presents a brief report that follows up earlier work in which the authors showed that most students complete their study question assignments and that non completion of study questions was related to poor performance on chapter quizzes. Suggests that instructors should add factual study questions to the list of helpful learning aids for…

Considers how many students come to hold mistaken beliefs about the learning process, thus depriving themselves of the opportunity to reason out their difficulties and discover their capabilities. Explores how students, through developing metacognitive skills, can examine misconceptions about learning and begin to acquire new habits of thoughts…

Presents Part II of a two-part article on developmental students' self-regulatory deficiencies. Suggests four teaching guidelines for selecting specific activities that structure and promote self-regulation, based on documented self-regulation deficiencies or needs in the areas of: preparing, organizing, monitoring, and evaluating. (SR)

Theories of epistemological beliefs focus on individuals' perceptions about what knowledge is and where knowledge comes from. These beliefs are part of, and may in fact direct, the cognitive processes involved in learning. Research stemming from these theories offers varied explanations as to how beliefs relate to student learning and academic…

Suggests that using K-W-L as an active learning strategy in a traditional lecture classroom setting can facilitate interaction between professor, students and subject matter. Considers how this method fosters a sense of community between professor, the discipline, and students even in large classes. Concludes that one of the advantages of active…

Investigates (1) the differences in deep and surface strategy use of students in an introductory biology class and (2) the differences between the strategies students reported using for test preparation and those they would suggest a friend to use. Finds high performing students used more deep and domain-specific strategies for learning than…

Finds that students in a comprehensive developmental studies program (study skills course and required attendance of tutoring sessions) exceeded their predicted grade point average significantly more than the comparison groups, and that instructors reported a greater number of positive behaviors on the part of these students in their classes.…

Investigates effectiveness of three training programs for English as a Foreign Language university students in reading and listening comprehension. Finds that: students who learned rhetorical patterns of written expository texts and text mapping strategies demonstrated better comprehension of lectures than students who performed other activities;…

Drawn from the proceedings of the 1985 Western College Reading and Learning Association, as well as articles submitted for juried selection, the papers in this journal issue focus on reading, learning assistance, developmental education, and tutorial services at the college level. Titles and authors of the papers include (1) "Reaching New Heights:…