The purpose of this narrative is to describe and explain the function of learning centers in American colleges and universities. Since the early 1960's nearly every four-year institution has created or increased support for some kind of learning center with the ostensible aim of improving the academic performance of its enrolled students. In…

The last three decades have been marked by significant expansion of music education within higher education, the outcomes of which can be seen in the increased numbers of students studying music and in the diversity of activity and purpose within music courses. This article interrogates the relationship between stylistic diversity and music…

Tests the existence of a structural shift between above- and below-average students in the econometric models that explain students' grades in principles of economics classes. Identifies a structural shift and estimates separate models for above- and below-average students. Concludes that separate models as well as educational policies are…

Discusses a group intervention for college freshmen who are academic underachievers. Notes that the intervention also serves the purpose of training beginning, graduate-level group counselors. (Author/KS)

Analyzes student performance on solution calorimetry problems in an introductory university chemistry class. Includes data from written classroom exams for 207 students and an extensive longitudinal interview with a student. Indicates learning difficulties, most of which appear to originate from failure to understand, that net increases and…

Purpose was to identify some outstanding problem areas related to poor academic performance of students in lower-level college courses, specifically attitudes, work habits, and academic deficiencies that contribute to poor performance, as perceived by faculty members. The 10 most prominent characteristics that contribute to poor performance are…

Retention and transfer of motor tasks was greater for high interference (random) acquisition groups than for low interference (blocked) acquisition groups. This effect was most notable when transfer was measured for the transfer task of greatest complexity. Results support Battig's conceptualization of contextual interference effects on retention…

Despite the fact that increasingly large percentages of Hispanic individuals are being admitted into college programs, the academic success of the students admitted is considerably lower than their non-minority peers. This study focused on the examination of possible causes for the differences in academic performance at the college level for…

Minorities have for some time faced underrepresentation in the technical professions. However, recent statistics indicate that many more minorities are enrolled in higher education than ever before. This report centers on identifying the particular difficulties that bilingual Hispanic students majoring in technical subjects have in performing…

An examination is made into the possible reasons for underachievement in higher education, on the theory that personological variables such as persistence and diplomacy may contribute as much to success as I.Q. points. Various lists are provided of the salient factors, and their explanations, that contribute to underachievement, as proposed by…

Minorities have for some time been underrepresented in the technical fields, such as engineering and computer science. This development is known to be caused by a variety of factors, but the primary purpose of this report is to help identify those factors that adversely affect the cognitive development of the technical bilingual student in terms…

Studies were conducted to identify critical barriers which could impede the progress of Hispanic undergraduates enrolled in science and engineering programs. The underlying theme in most studies was the interplay of language in various problem-solving tasks. Studies examined: (1) predictors of academic achievement (as measured by grade point…

Tutoring has been widely accepted as a remedy for academic deficiencies, yet actual short and long range results of tutorial programs are seldom examined. In this study 201 students from four associate degree nursing programs received tutorial assistance in freshman courses. Results indicated that students and tutors perceived tutoring as helpful…

The many dimensions of individual differences that make each learner a challenge to the foreign language teacher are discussed. The teacher must interpret the information and provide differentiated environments to "match" these differences. Emphasis is placed upon learning styles and learning strategies. An historical perspective of adapting…

A study investigated Japanese college students' perceptions and assessments of their college English classes, and to what factors they attribute difficulty in acquiring oral English. Subjects were 189 students from a junior college and a university, in first- through third-year English conversation classes. Most were English majors required to…