Responds to the article "Students' Effort and Reward in College Settings" by Howard Schuman. States that there were two reasons why the author and Ann Durand did not copy Schuman et al.'s research design: (1) key questions on study hours contains serious flaws; and (2) the research lacks a theory. (CMK)

Models of self-regulated learning hypothesize that learners selectively match study tactics to varying tasks and diverse goals. In this study, students rated the frequency with which they applied 26 study tactics, used 20 textbook features and other resources, and adopted 30 goals for studying. Findings indicate students' reports of…

The authors extend the standard education production function and student time allocation analysis to focus on the interactions between student effort and performance over the semester. The purged instrumental variable technique is used to obtain consistent estimators of the structural parameters of the model using data from intermediate…

The potential value of a multiple-choice question-construction instructional strategy for the support of students' learning of physics experiments was examined in the study. Forty-two university freshmen participated in the study for a whole semester. A constant comparison method adopted to categorize students' qualitative data indicated that the…

Recently, research into gender differences in achievement has mainly concentrated on the underperformance of boys in comparison with girls. Qualitative research in particular points to the importance of the gender-specific cultures adolescents experience. The purpose of this article is to test quantitatively the explanatory value of academic…

Studying law in Finland requires a great deal of independent studying for extensive examinations. To succeed, students have to have good self-regulation and study skills and be aware of their conceptions of learning and knowledge as well as of their approaches to study. Experiences from study counselling at the Faculty of Law, University of…

In the spring of 2003, a survey was conducted to examine the differences in perceptions of academic rigor and engagement between faculty and undergraduate students at a small, liberal arts university in the Midwest. Although a sample bias in the student responses (students with higher GPAs had a higher tendency to respond) precluded a number of…

The term self-regulated is used to describe learners who have highly effective learning and work habits. They are successful in and beyond school. This investigation examines whether and how teachers, who are masters at supporting young students' development of self-regulated learning (SRL), can mentor student teachers to design tasks and develop…

In educational contexts, understanding the student's learning must take account of the student's construction of reality. Reality as experienced by the student has an important additional value. This assumption also applies to a student's perception of evaluation and assessment. Students' study behaviour is not only determined by the examination…

The last decade has seen an increased emphasis on assessment of student learning and on the use of instructional technologies in higher education. This emphasis has caused sociologists to pay closer attention to learning theories as they seek to increase learning in sociology courses by more effectively engaging students. Thus, to promote greater…

The current work draws upon the theoretical framework of deliberate practice in order to clarify why the amount of study by college students is a poor predictor of academic performance. A model was proposed where performance in college, both cumulatively and for a current semester, was jointly determined by previous knowledge and skills as well as…

The historical black universities (HBUs) in South Africa were established by the apartheid government to serve black students banned from attending segregated white-only universities. These universities were poorly funded compared to the white-only universities. The poor funding affected their output (research and postgraduates) adversely. With…

Students often do not have a clear idea of what is expected of them when they study. They have an "ambiguity of purpose" problem, that is to say, they are not sure of the learning goals and the means to achieve them. A large amount of responsibility for analyzing content and selecting learning strategies falls upon the student and their skills in…

This study examined the relationship between problem-solving ability and study behavior of secondary school students in Southwestern Nigeria. A total of 430 SS 3 students randomly selected from fifteen secondary schools in Southwestern Nigeria participated in the study. A Problem-Solving Inventory and a Study Behaviour Inventory were employed in…

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…