Improving Students' Exam Performance by Introducing Study Strategies and Goal Setting

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Manion Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Goal Setting ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Introductory Psychology ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Experimental Section

This study addresses whether learning strategies would improve students' exam performance. Students in 2 sections (N = 65) of Introductory Psychology participated. I introduced students in the experimental section to learning strategies. Students set individual learning goals and recorded their learning related behavior during the first 2 units. Students in the control condition engaged in nonacademic tasks. All students experienced a lesson on learning at the end of Unit 2. First-year students in the control condition obtained significantly lower scores than all other students on the first 2 exams. On the 3rd exam, differences were not significant. On the final exam, the original pattern reemerged.

scholarly journals How Should I Study for the Exam? Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Achievement in Introductory Biology

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. ar30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda J. Sebesta ◽  
Elena Bray Speth
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Introductory Biology ◽  
Pedagogical Tools ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Self Regulated Learning ◽  
Regulated Learning ◽  
Introductory Biology Course ◽  
Cognitive And Metacognitive Strategies

In college introductory science courses, students are challenged with mastering large amounts of disciplinary content while developing as autonomous and effective learners. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process of setting learning goals, monitoring progress toward them, and applying appropriate study strategies. SRL characterizes successful, “expert” learners, and develops with time and practice. In a large, undergraduate introductory biology course, we investigated: 1) what SRL strategies students reported using the most when studying for exams, 2) which strategies were associated with higher achievement and with grade improvement on exams, and 3) what study approaches students proposed to use for future exams. Higher-achieving students, and students whose exam grades improved in the first half of the semester, reported using specific cognitive and metacognitive strategies significantly more frequently than their lower-achieving peers. Lower-achieving students more frequently reported that they did not implement their planned strategies or, if they did, still did not improve their outcomes. These results suggest that many students entering introductory biology have limited knowledge of SRL strategies and/or limited ability to implement them, which can impact their achievement. Course-specific interventions that promote SRL development should be considered as integral pedagogical tools, aimed at fostering development of students’ lifelong learning skills.

scholarly journals The Influence of the Economic Students’ Motivations and Language Learning Strategies towards Their English Achievement in STIE Muhammadiyah Palopo

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Iksan ◽  
Dirham Dirham
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
First Year ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Language Learning Strategies ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Study Programs ◽  
High Motivation ◽  
English Competence

The aims of this research were: (1) to investigate the students’ motivations, (2) to investigate the language learning strategies (LLSs) that are used by the students, (3) to investigate the level of students’ LLSs usage, and (4) to investigate the influence of the students’ motivations and the level of students’ LLSs usage towards their English competence. This research gave descriptions about the students’ motivations, LLSs that are used by the students, and the level of students’ LLSs usage. The sample of this research was 111 students that were taken from three classes of the first year students from three study programs, i.e. Ilmu Ekonomi, Manajemen, and Akuntansi. This research revealed that the students were categorized into high motivated to learn English where 70 students (63%) had high motivation, 25 students (23%) had very high motivation, 13 students (12%) had medium motivation, and 3 students (3%) had low motivation. This research also found that the students were dominantly used metacognitive strategies (44%), followed by compensation strategies (18%), affective strategies (14%), social strategies (10%), cognitive strategies (8%), and the least used strategies were memory strategies (6%). For the level of the students’ language learning strategies usage, the researcher found that the students level were categorized into medium, where 78 students (70%) mediumly used the LLSs, 30 students (27%) highly used the LLSs, 2 students (2%) lowly used the LLSs, and 1 student (1%) very highly used the LLSs.

I realized what I was doing was not working: the influence of explicit teaching of metacognition on students’ study strategies in a general chemistry I course

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Z. Muteti ◽  
Carolina Zarraga ◽  
Brooke I. Jacob ◽  
Tuli M. Mwarumba ◽  
Dorothy B. Nkhata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Metacognitive Strategies ◽  
First Year ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Explicit Teaching ◽  
The Impact

Many students transitioning from high school to college are faced with challenges of getting acclimated to college life and managing their time and heavy course load that is cognitively demanding. Students planning to major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs in the United States are mostly required to enroll in general chemistry courses as prerequisites. Unfortunately, these courses are among the STEM gateway courses in which many first-year students struggle to get through, or are weeded out. This is partly due to the use of ineffective study strategies that require more than rote memorization, a common learning approach in high schools. One way to prepare first-year college students for STEM trajectories is by teaching them metacognitive strategies early in their study programs to enable early adoption and sustainability of metacognition knowledge and metacognition regulation skills as they progress to the advanced courses. While a handful of studies have investigated study strategies among students in the general chemistry courses as well as the impact of metacognitive activities on student performance in chemistry, very few in-depth qualitative studies investigating the influence of explicit teaching of metacognition on students’ study strategies have been reported. Using open-ended questionnaires, this unique study investigated general chemistry students’ study strategies that they employed prior to a 50 minute metacognition lesson; strategies they reported to have gained from the instruction; and the influence of the metacognition instruction on students’ study strategies and performance in the final exam. Findings indicated more reported use of rote memorization over higher-order study strategies prior to the metacognition instruction, but more reported gains on higher-order study strategies and fewer strategies related to rote memorization immediately after the metacognition instruction. Furthermore, 67% reported a positive influence of the metacognition instruction on study strategies, with 7% lower DFs in the final exam compared to those who reported ‘no influence’. Findings revealed that most general chemistry students were unaware of effective study strategies; thus, there is a critical need to explicitly teach students in general chemistry courses metacognitive strategies.

Learning and studying strategies used by general chemistry students with different affective characteristics

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Y. K. Chan ◽  
Christopher F. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
General Chemistry ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
High Group ◽  
Home Study ◽  
Chemistry Students ◽  
Affective Characteristics ◽  
Exam Preparation

Students in general chemistry were partitioned into three groups by cluster analysis of six affective characteristics (emotional satisfaction, intellectual accessibility, chemistry self-concept, math self-concept, self-efficacy, and test anxiety). The at-home study strategies for exam preparation and in-class learning strategies differed among the three groups. Students in the high group (strongly positive affective characteristics) were more autonomous learners, reporting they understood the notes they took in lecture more frequently than the group with low (more negative) affective characteristics. The high group also relied less on tutors and teaching assistants for help when preparing for exams. Participating in explanatory behavior (with self or other students) was correlated positively with stronger exam performance, whereas rapt attention or assiduous note-taking in lecture was negatively correlated. The high and low affective groups were indistinct in their reports of amount of quality time spent studying, but did differ in their approach to using a practice exam as a resource.

Cognition, Study Habits, Test Anxiety, and Academic Performance

1994 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1219-1226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Chr. Kleijn ◽  
Henk M. van der Ploeg ◽  
Robert M. Topman
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Test Anxiety ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Study Management ◽  
First Year Medical Students ◽  
Successful Students

The Study Management and Academic Results Test (SMART) was developed to measure study- and examination-related cognitions, time management, and study strategies. This questionnaire was used in three prospective studies, together with measures for optimism and test anxiety. In the first two studies, done among 253 first-year students enrolled in four different faculties, the highest significant correlations with academic performance were found for the SMART scales. In a replication study among first-year medical students ( n = 156) at a different university, the same pattern of results was observed. A stepwise multiple regression analysis, with academic performance as a dependent variable, showed significant correlations only for the SMART Test Competence and Time Management (Multiple R = .61). Results give specific indications about the profile of successful students.

scholarly journals Research on the level of motivation of the students of vocational school towards learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Marina Viktorovna Rostovtseva ◽  
Natal'ya Alekseevna Goncharevich ◽  
Ol'ga Valer'evna Shaidurova ◽  
Igor' Anatol'evich Kovalevich
Keyword(s):  
Vocational School ◽  
Educational Activity ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Professional Activity ◽  
First Year ◽  
Adaptation Period ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Level Of Motivation ◽  
Abstract Learning

The subject of this research is educational motivation of the first-year and second-year students of vocational school. The author puts forward an assumption that the second-year students have higher motivation towards learning than the first-year students. This related to the completion of adaptation period and maturing of students, as well as with formation of the responsible professional stance on their future. The conducted research confirmed the advanced hypothesis. The motives for learning highlighted by the second-year students are associated mostly with the current issues of educational activity. The author also underlines the greater importance of motives pertinent to professional competences and professional activity among the second-year students. The main conclusion lies in the thesis that motives for learning indicated by the first-year students are characterized by expectancy, temporary farness of the result, and are merely associated with the current problems. These results reveal the considerable importance of the remote and abstract learning goals for the first-year students. The author detects a trend that acquisition of knowledge is more significant that professional skills in the learning process. Moreover, in course of time, the motive for acquiring knowledge acquires more currency among the students of vocational school.

scholarly journals Kemandirian Belajar Mahasiswa dalam Pembelajaran Jarak Jauh Selama Masa Pandemi

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Alberta Parinters Makur ◽  
Emilianus Jehadus ◽  
Sebastianus Fedi ◽  
Silfanus Jelatu ◽  
Viviana Murni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Program ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Self Evaluation ◽  
Quantitative Descriptive

AbstrakPenelitian ini dilakukan untuk melihat kemandirian belajar mahasiswa pada mata kuliah Matematika Dasar dalam mengikuti pembelajaran jarak jauh khususnya pembelajaran dalam jaringan selama masa Pandemi Covid-19. Merupakan penelitian kuantitatif-deskriptif dengan 85 orang mahasiswa tahun pertama Prodi Sosial Ekonomi Pertanian Universitas Katolik Indonesia Santu Paulus Ruteng dengan fokus untuk mempelajari kemandirian belajar mahasiswa yang mengikuti pembelajaran dalam jaringan karena situasi Pandemi Covid-19. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan 18.82% mahasiswa yang memiliki kemandirian belajar rendah, sedangkan 81.18% mahasiswa memiliki kemandirian belajar yang tinggi. Selanjutnya, dalam wawancara semi terstruktur ditemukan bahwa mahasiswa pada awalnya mengalami kesulitan dalam beradaptasi perubahan kebiasaan belajar, keterbatasan sumber daya belajar dalam jaringan, dan kurangnya interaksi baik sesama mahasiswa maupun dengan dosen. Keterbatasan ini mendorong mahasiswa semakin mandiri dalam belajar yang terlihat dari lebih dari 70% mahasiswa sudah menetapkan tujuan belajar, strategi belajar, mampu mengatur waktu belajar, dan melakukan evaluasi diri terhadap proses pembelajaran yang telah diikuti. Lebih dari 80% mahasiswa menentukan lingkungan belajar yang mendukung suasana belajar dan mencari bantuan dari rekan sekelas apabila mengalami kesulitan dalam belajar.  Kata Kunci: kemandirian belajar, pandemic Covid-19, pembelajaran jarak jauh. AbstractThis research was conducted to see the independence of student learning in the Basic Mathematics course in participating in distance learning, especially online learning during the Covid-19 Pandemic. This is a quantitative-descriptive study with 85 first-year students of the Agricultural Socio-Economic Study Program of the Indonesian Catholic University, Santu Paulus Ruteng, with a focus on studying the learning independence of students who take online learning due to the Covid-19 Pandemic situation. The results showed 18.82% of students had low learning independence, while 81.18% of students had high learning independence. Furthermore, in semi-structured interviews, it was found that students initially experienced difficulties in adapting to changes in learning habits, limited learning resources in the network, and a lack of interaction between students and lecturers. This limitation encourages students to be more independent in learning, which can be seen from more than 70% of students who have set learning goals, learning strategies, being able to manage study time, and conduct self-evaluation of the learning process that has been followed. More than 80% of students determine a learning environment that supports a learning atmosphere and seek help from classmates.Keywords: independent learning, Covid-19 pandemic, distance learning.

scholarly journals Building Learning Communities in Residential Colleges

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-68
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Muldoon ◽  
◽  
Ian Macdonald ◽  
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
First Year ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
The University ◽  
Senior Students

This paper addresses the retention issues presented when large numbers of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and associated disadvantaged educational histories live together on-campus. It reports research in progress on a new approach taken at the University of New England (UNE), Australia, aimed at encouraging the growth of learning communities in colleges through the training and subsequent support of senior students charged with helping first year students negotiate the transition to successful university study. It outlines the issues faced by both the first year students and the senior students, strategies implemented, outcomes to date and plans for further change. UNE is a regional university with 5,000 on-campus students, half of whom live in seven residential colleges. It appears that for these students, traditional lectures and workshops on learning strategies and techniques are not as effective as layered, personal ‘at the elbow’ learning support in a non-threatening, social environment.

scholarly journals Getting Students Back on Track: Persistent Effects of Flipping Accelerated Organic Chemistry on Student Achievement, Study Strategies, and Perceptions of Instruction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn C. Reimer ◽  
Kameryn Denaro ◽  
Wenliang He ◽  
Renee Link
Keyword(s):  
Organic Chemistry ◽  
First Generation ◽  
Study Strategies ◽  
Exam Performance ◽  
Exam Score ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Traditional Lecture ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Passing Rate ◽  
The Difference

<p> </p><p> </p><p>Converting a first-term, accelerated summer organic chemistry course to a flipped format reduced the achievement gap in the flipped course and in the second-term traditional lecture course between Non-Repeaters taking an accelerated course to “get ahead” and Repeaters taking the course to “get back on track.” The difference in final exam performance in the second-term course was nearly halved, the GPA gap in both courses was reduced, and the gap in passing rate for the second-term course was eliminated. First-generation students who took the first-term course in the flipped format experienced a final exam score boost in the second-term course regardless of repeater status. While most students responded positively to the flipped course structure, repeating students held a stronger preference for the flipped format. These findings provide guidance on how to create courses that promote equity, access and retention of diverse students in STEM.</p>

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