This article reports on a study investigating the relationship between university students' self-reported use and application of learning and study strategies and student success indicators (timeframe and student type, namely low-performing, average-performing, or high-performing). Participants were 1,439 engineering students enrolled for academic…

South African higher education is plagued by low academic success rates. Academic development and support units can play an important role in addressing low academic success rates by assisting students in developing appropriate learning and study strategies. Limited information is available on students' learning and study strategy profiles and…

This article reports on a mixed methods study that evaluated the efficacy of a study counselling intervention programme at a South African university. Quantitative data, collected by means of the Learning and Study Strategy Inventory, indicated that the study skills intervention programme brought about statistically significant improvements in…

An association between attachment and academic performance appears to be consistently found in children; however, reports on such an association in adolescents are contradictory. This study aimed to determine whether the attachment dimensions of anxiety or avoidance significantly correlate with a student's academic performance at university.…

Self-regulated learning (SRL) skills are crucial to improving learner achievement, to supporting effective lifelong learning, and to developing the capability to overcome learning difficulties arising from a disadvantaged environment. However, only a few South African studies address the development of SRL skills of secondary school learners. By…

Introduction: The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST Short Version) was used to better understand the students' approaches to learning in a mathematics classes. Method: Quantitave method was used in this study. Participants were 345 first and second year mathematics students from a university in the Gauteng province of…

The majority of the students who enroll at the Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa are not equipped with the necessary academic/learning skills to cope with the university environment, especially in Mechanical Engineering. The Department of Higher Education and Training (2013, p. 17), further states that "students' support is…

Various studies have shown that the school system in South Africa is continually producing learners who are inadequately prepared for higher education studies, particularly schools in disadvantaged environments. The University of Venda (UNIVEN) is situated in an educationally disadvantaged environment. Most of the students who enroll at this…

Students experience various challenges during their studies, such as personal problems, academic difficulties and mental health problems. Therefore, student counselling centres/units play a valuable role in providing support systems for students in need. The most frequent problems South African students experience are relationship problems and…

Academic support for higher education students in multilingual contexts often focuses on the development of separate language proficiencies, on the one hand, and on general study skills, on the other hand. In bi/multilingual education contexts where students are presented with lectures and study material in more than one language, successful…

Several studies have emphasised the importance of addressing social and emotional factors in facilitating adjustment to tertiary education. This article describes the Skills for Success in Science programme at the University of Cape Town. The broad aims were life skills development and improved adjustment which are assumed to underpin academic…

A study at Potchefstroom University (South Africa) over two academic years investigated changes in study skills and strategies during the first year of university study, and their relationship to academic achievement. Gains in scores on the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, administered to 306 introductory chemistry students and 201…

Reports on the development of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST). Incorporates a revised version of the Approaches to Studying Inventory. States the questionnaire was completed by first-year students (n=1284) at six British universities, at a Scottish technological university (n=466), and at a South African university…

In response to perceived need, the University of Pretoria (South Africa) implemented a stress management program for students using relaxation and visualization techniques and emphasizing development of study skills. Case studies of six participants in 1986 found both quantitative and qualitative improvement in all stress management areas except…

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…