The Effectiveness of Content Study Skills Instruction on the Academic Achievement of Underprepared College Freshman

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of content study skills instruction on the achievement of underprepared college students. The academic performance of two groups of underprepared freshmen was compared. The experimental group consisted of 40 students enrolled in an introductory history or psychology course who also participated in the Learning Skills Center support course The control group consisted of a like number of students enrolled in an introductory history or psychology course who did not participate in the support course at the Learning Skills Center. Dependent variables examined were grades earned in the content course and semester grade point average. Mean grade earned in the content course and mean semester grade point average was found for both groups and tested for significance at the .01 level using a t-test for independent means. The data indicated a significant difference in mean content course grade earned, with the control group displaying superiority. The control group displayed a higher semester grade point average than the experimental group, but the difference was not significant. Successful academic achievement was reflected by high grades attained in the content course by some of the support students. Because all experimental subjects received satisfactory grades in the support course, transfer of learning may have been an influencing factor. The findings suggest that the experimental and control groups differed in significant unmeasured affective areas.