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…

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 document includes proceedings, abstracts, and papers of the 20th Annual Conference on Undergraduate Teaching of Psychology, which was held on March 29-31, 2006 in Monticello, NY. The conference, which dealt with ideas and innovations in the teaching of psychology, was sponsored by the Psychology Department of the Farmingdale State University.…

This Wallace Perspective paper summarizes key findings of a newly-published book, "Aligning Student Support with Achievement Goals: The Secondary Principal's Guide," that argues that school counselors could be much more active players in improving student learning. The book, which bases its conclusions heavily on Wallace's Transforming School…

Researching self-regulated learning (SRL) as a process that evolves across multiple episodes of studying poses large methodological challenges. While self-report data provide useful information about learners' perceptions of learning, these data are not reliable indicators of studying tactics learners actually use while studying, especially when…

The objective of this paper is to describe and analyse the role that study groups might play in improving the entrepreneurial competencies of farmers. The most important competencies are described. Emphasis is placed on group learning processes and participatory approaches. Theories of adult learning and extension paradigms in relation to our…

Findings are presented from a study of undergraduate students' experiences of understanding in first-year engineering. At the end of their first year of study 86 Swedish students of electrical engineering and computer science were asked to reflect in writing on their experiences of studying and learning. Fifteen of them also took part in…

This paper uses a multi-level model to identify course variables that affect the relationship between study activities and achievement. Data on course characteristics were collected from 12 high school biology classes, and study activity and achievement measures were collected from 136 students enrolled in these classes. The results indicate that…

One problem that surfaced with the speech communication basic course (COM 105) at Valdosta State University (Georgia) was that the actual content covered by individual instructors varied widely, so widely that two given sections taught by different instructors may bear little resemblance to one another. This problem was addressed first through a…

A study examined self-reported studying and quiz performance in a college course. Subjects, 22 female and 5 male students in an educational psychology class, were quizzed on 4 supplementary reading assignments across the semester. Quizzes were scored for three types of learning: definitions, recall of factual information, and transfer of…

Many suggestions can be made, which, if put into practice, can help students learn more and earn better grades. Some study habits that relate to study efficiency are: selecting ideal study time; adjusting surroundings; length of time for each study session; the way to go about reading; and the way students take notes. Probably the single most…

Noting that research shows that sound study practices increase chances for academic success, this booklet is intended to help secondary and postsecondary students improve their study methods and take charge of their learning. After an introduction, the first section discusses planning for success (goal setting and organizing a study space). The…

This study analyzed differences between the study skills of 146 college seniors majoring in elementary education and 115 college seniors majoring in secondary education at a university in mid-South United States. Both samples of students appropriately engaged in less than 60 percent of the study skills measured. Though the overall level of study…

The Information Acquisition Preference Inventory was used to examine cognitive styles in relationship to students' use of study tasks and to assess subjects' preferred ways of learning and problem solving. The inventory, which has students rank words describing their own learning behavior, identifies four distinctive learning preference modes:…