Metacognitive Differences among at-Risk and Nonrisk College Cohorts

Few empirical data exist on the metacognitive skills of at-risk college students. This study was undertaken to identify differences among 45 at-risk and 30 nonrisk college freshmen who read a passage from the Test of Literal and Inferential Reading and answered six questions of comprehension (3 literal and 3 inferential). All 75 students then answered a series of metacognitive questions. Nonrisk students outperformed their at-risk peers in accuracy of prediction of test performance and in justification of accuracy for their answers to inferential questions. Nonrisk students cited background knowledge significantly more often than at-risk students when asked to justify their answers to inferential questions answered correctly.

Download Full-text

Randomized Trial Examining Effects of Animal Assisted Intervention and Stress Related Symptoms on College Students’ Learning and Study Skills

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17061909 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (6) ◽

pp. 1909

Author(s):

Patricia Pendry ◽

Alexa M. Carr ◽

Nancy R. Gee ◽

Jaymie L. Vandagriff

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

At Risk ◽

Stress Management ◽

At Risk Students ◽

Academic Stress ◽

Risk Status ◽

Human Animal ◽

Human Animal Interaction ◽

Animal Interaction

Animal Visitation Programs (AVPs) targeting college students’ stress and academic success have increased, despite limited research on academic outcomes. This randomized controlled trial (N = 349) examined the effects of incorporating levels of Human–animal Interaction (HAI) (0%, 50% or 100%) with therapy dogs in a four-week academic stress management program. Conditions included (1) Academic Stress Management (ASM) content only (0% HAI), (2) Human–animal Interaction only (100% HAI) and (3) equal combinations of ASM content and HAI (50% HAI). Intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses examined the effects of students’ risk status (N = 146; depression, anxiety, perceived stress, worry) and treatment condition on students’ learning and study strategies at posttest and follow-up. The results showed interactions between condition and risk status demonstrating higher posttest levels of WILL (i.e., anxiety, attitude, motivation) (Β = 0.582, p = 0.005) and SELFREGULATION (i.e., concentration, self-testing, study aids, time management) (Β = 0.501, p = 0.031) for at-risk students receiving equal combinations of HAI and content presentations. Moderation effects remained at follow-up (Β = 0.626, p = 0.005; Β = 0.630, p = 0.007). At-risk students receiving only HAI (100%) also showed higher levels of WILL at posttest (Β = 0.481, p = 0.021) and follow up (Β = 0.490, p = 0.038). University administrators should consider providing at-risk students with targeted programs with varying levels of HAI and ASM content, depending on the targeted academic outcome.

Download Full-text

Reframing Achievement Setbacks: A Motivation Intervention to Improve 8-Year Graduation Rates for Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Fields

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797620904451 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 623-633 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jeremy M. Hamm ◽

Raymond P. Perry ◽

Judith G. Chipperfield ◽

Steve Hladkyj ◽

Patti C. Parker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

At Risk ◽

Graduation Rates ◽

At Risk Students ◽

Psychological Interventions ◽

Stem Fields ◽

College Dropout ◽

Science Technology ◽

Stem Disciplines ◽

And Mathematics

Despite increased emphasis on educating students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, nearly half of U.S. college students who enroll in these programs fail to graduate with STEM degrees. Using archival data from the Motivation and Academic Achievement Database, we tested whether a motivation intervention to reframe causal attributions for academic setbacks improved graduation rates for college students in STEM disciplines ( N = 496). Results showed that the intervention increased the odds of 8-year graduation for students who were at risk of college dropout. Findings highlight the potential of theory-informed psychological interventions to increase persistence to graduation for at-risk students in STEM fields.

Download Full-text

Phonological Awareness Screening to Identify At-Risk Readers

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/0161-1461.2902.109 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 109-116 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Margie Gilbertson ◽

Ronald K. Bramlett

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Phonological Awareness ◽

Reading Ability ◽

At Risk Students ◽

First Grade ◽

Receptive Vocabulary ◽

Standardized Assessments ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Invented Spelling ◽

Reading Measures

The purpose of this study was to investigate informal phonological awareness measures as predictors of first-grade broad reading ability. Subjects were 91 former Head Start students who were administered standardized assessments of cognitive ability and receptive vocabulary, and informal phonological awareness measures during kindergarten and early first grade. Regression analyses indicated that three phonological awareness tasks, Invented Spelling, Categorization, and Blending, were the most predictive of standardized reading measures obtained at the end of first grade. Discriminant analyses indicated that these three phonological awareness tasks correctly identified at-risk students with 92% accuracy. Clinical use of a cutoff score for these measures is suggested, along with general intervention guidelines for practicing clinicians.

Download Full-text