Investigated relationships between test anxiety and test performance among 431 10th graders from 15 classes of 2 Arab high schools in Israel. Findings revealed two types of test-anxious students: those who lack test-taking skills and those who lack study skills. Findings suggest that deficit and interference models of test anxiety complement each…

A theory of academic competence is proposed that emphasizes academic skills and strategies (e.g., taking notes, using dictionaries, and studying for tests), background knowledge of content material, and of what is expected in a U.S. classroom. (33 references) (LB)

Examined effectiveness of metacognitive instruction of study skills and test-taking strategies on at-risk fifth and sixth grade students (n=16) and compared traditional instruction with videotaped modeling and video-assisted instruction. Significant group differences seemed to support video-assisted study skills and test-taking instruction as…

Investigates the cognitive functions of college students' use of underlining as a learning strategy. Finds that underlining does not serve an encoding or review function and may be counterproductive for inferential recall. (PRA)

This paper offers a rationale for integrating phonics with reading instruction for students with reading disabilities. It then suggests that direct teaching of sounds be provided by constructing "soundsheets" with rows of sound/letter combinations taken directly from the text the child will read after practicing the sounds. (JDD)

Across 4 experiments, 121 college students and 80 Spanish-English bilingual members of the university community read narrative or expository texts and answered comprehension questions. Manipulating intervals between readings, language, and the activity between the readings indicates that all these variables influence whether a repeated reading…

Presents an annotated list of 13 books, 6 chapters, 6 articles, and a videotape that were recommended reading for elementary educators regarding reading to learn (content area reading, reading expository text, studying). (RS)

The Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) measures orientations to learning in higher education. Two studies used different forms of the ASI to investigate possible gender variation in approaches to studying. No consistent evidence of significant difference between men and women on individual items, subscales, or learning orientations was found.…

A spelling study expert offers the following strategies for teaching elementary students to spell: making word-sorting games that categorize words by shared characteristics; playing letter-sequencing games; examining how root words and affixes combine to form new words; making spelling meaningful; and linking spelling study with editing and…

This article reports on a reading comprehension instructional technique which uses reciprocal-like teaching formats in groups and semantic mapping to make text structures apparent. The procedure significantly affected recall of expository ideas and knowledge of comprehension strategies with 28 intermediate grade students with learning…

Second-semester college freshmen (n=354) on academic probation participating in a one-credit study skills course had statistically significant improvements in grade point average, academic hours attempted, and academic hours earned during the same semester. Differences persisted after one and two years, and retention data also favored the…

Elaborates on the use of syllabication in teaching pupils to recognize unknown words. Discusses specific methodologies in teaching syllabication. (RS)

Suggests that although "learning to learn" has become part of the skills agenda, it actually involves far greater depth of personal development than skill development alone. Discussion of personal development and academic assessment leads to identification of related issues of power, knowledge, involvement, and design. (Author/DB)

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)

Comparison of 58 traditional-age and 37 nontraditional (ages 24-64) students showed that older students more often used the metacognitive strategies of generating constructive information and hyperprocessing. Older females had the highest levels of cognitive monitoring; no age or gender differences in course performance were found. (Contains 27…