Research Note 86-34

ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING OF STUDENT LEARNING STRATEGIES

Ir~reeClaire E. Weinstein

* Department of Educational Psychology CO University of Texas at Austin

Contracting Officer's Representative

Michael Drillings

D,6-ETIE

Milton 

BASIC 

S. Katz, 

RESEARCH 

DirectorW 0O

* r~~D

U. S. Army

Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

April 1986

Aoproved for oublic release; distribution unlimited.

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FOR THE BEHAVIORAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

A Field Operating Agency under the Jurisdiction of the

Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnelj

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EDGAR M. JOHNSON COL, IN

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Research accomplished under contract for

the Department of the Army

Department of Educational Psychology,

University of Texas at Austin

Technical review by

Steve Kronheim

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ASSESSMENT AND TRAINING OF STUDENT September 1985 - April 1986

LEARNING STRATEGIES 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER

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Claire E. Weinstein MDA 903-82-C-0122

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Department of Educational Psychology

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1S. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES

The Contracting Officer's Representative was Michael Drillings.

This research also published as book chapter - Weinstein, C. E. (in press)

Assessment and Training of Student Learning Strategies. In R. R. Schmeck (ED.)

Learning Styles and Learning Strategies. Plenum.

Ii, KEY WORDS (Continue on ,everee elde If neceseary end Identify by block number)

!*learning strategies comprehension monitoring,,

rehearsal,, affective strategies

elaborat i orL study skills,

organization LASSI. ,

* * ~20. ABSTRACT eee 611110e f~ i "O'nc"Oy dad Identity by block number)

* This chapter focuses on a subarea of learning-to-learn phenomena called learning

strategies. Learning strategies are considered to be any behaviors or thoughts

that facilitate encoding in such a way that knowledge integration and retrieval

are enhanced. These thoughts and behaviors constitute organized plans of action

designed to achieve a goal. Examples of learning strategies include actively

rehearsing;, summarizing, paraphrasing, imaging, elaborating, and outlining.

This report presents a categorical scheme for conceptualizing learning --

(con' t) -1

DO Vo 1473 EDITION OF I NOV S IS OBSOLETE UNCLASSIFIED

1 SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE (When Dots Entered)

%.:i
UNCLASSIFIED

* SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(Whn Date £uifoiwd)

item #/ 20 Abstract (continuation)

-Astrategies. Next, some issues related to assessment and research

methodologies are presented. Finally, approaches to teaching learning

strategies are discussed. k.

UNCLASIFIE

SECUITY TIONOF LASIFIC HIS AG~l",e Dat Fn5red

245
Topic Outline

Introduction

Types of Learning Strategies

Rehearsal Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

Rehearsal Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

Elaboration Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

Elaboration Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

Organizational Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

Organizational Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

Comprehension Monitoring Strategies

Affective Strategies

Learning Strategies Assessment

Approaches to Assessment

The LASSI

Learning Strategies Training (Post-Secondary)

Approaches to Learning Strategies Training

QUALITY A Course in Individual Learning Skills INSPECTED

Concluding Comments __ __-__ Accesion For

NTIS CRA&I

DTIC TAB Q

Unannounced

Justification ..................

iY ........ ........

Disto ibution I

Availability Codes

Avail a'.d or

Dist Special

, 4 ,1
Assessment and Training of Student Learning Strategies

Learning-to-learn phenomena have been examined from a wide variety

of perspectiv6s (Anderson, 1985; Brown, Bransford, Ferrara, & Campione,

1983; Dillon and Schmeck, 1983; Kirby, 1984; Pressley & Levin,

1983a, 1983b; Weinstein and Mayer, 1985). While, in general, this

development has served to enrich the field of study, it has also created

enormous definitional problems. For the purposes of this chapter, attention

will be focused on a subarea called learning strategies. Learning strategies

are considered to be any behaviors or thoughts that facilitate encoding in

such a way that knowledge integration and retrieval are enhanced. More

specifically, these thoughts and behaviors constitute organized plans of

action designed to achieve a goal (Anderson, 1985; Paris, in press;

Weinstein & Mayer, 1985). Examples of learning strategies include actively

rehearsing, summarizing, paraphrasing, imaging, elaborating, and outlining.

This chapter is organized around several themes. First, a categorical

scheme for conceptualizing learning strategies will be presented. Next, ..

some issues related to assessment and research methodologies will be ,.-

presented. Finally, approaches to teaching learning strategies will be

discussed.

Introduction

For many years studies of human learning were dominated by the

behaviorist school of thought in psychology. This resulted in a total

dependence on the effects of external events as determinants of what was

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2

acquired. With the rise in interest in the role of organizational processes

and information transformations that take place within the learner, the

interest of many researchers was refocused on what had come to be

regarded as the black box of the human mind (Melton & Martin, 1972). Many

of these earlier studies represented attempts to demonstrate the roles that

learners could or did play in facilitating their own learning and recall. Much

of the emphasis in these studies was on the extent to which the use of

mnemonic devices could enhance recognition or recall memory. Based on the

success of these early studies, some researchers went on to examine the

processes that underlie the use of menmonic strategies (e.g., Bower, 1970;

Paivio, 1971 ). This work contributed to an evolving interest in the

remediation of learning deficits in academically disadvantaged and

academically underprepared students. If the processes and and procedures

that underlie effective learning could be taught, or enhanced, then an

additional and possibly very potent form of remediation could be developed.

It was this idea that underlies the motivation for much of the work that has

been done in the area of learning strategies, particularly when the focus is

on the adult learner.

In the late 1960's and into the middle of the next decade, the majority

of investigators in this area concentrated on demonstrating the

effectiveness of training designed to teach the use of one or more mnemonic

strategies or techniques (e.g., Borkowski & Kamfonik, 1972; Rohwer,

1966,1970; Wood, 1967; Yuille & Catchpole, 1973). The tasks used most

frequently in this work included paired-associate learning, serial list

learning, and free recall learning. Notice that these tasks tend to be

associated more with laboratory research tasks than with real-world

________________ - ~ - .~.-* ...... I.'~ .. . ..
3

natural language processing activities. A major change in the more current

literature is to focus attention on ecologically valid tasks, particularly

those needed to succeed in a post-secondary educational setting (e.g., :4,z

Dansereau, in press; McCombs, in press; Nickerson, Salter, Shepard, &

Herrnstein, 1984; Wittrock, 1985). This change in focus to more applied

aspects of cognition has affected the ways learning strategies are now

conceptualized, the methods used to measure their acquisition and use, and

the procedures and materials used to teach them

Types Of Learning 3trategies

Given the relatively young and somewhat disorganized nature of the

field, there is not yet one organizational scheme that is generally accepted

as a way of classifying learning strategies. However, Weinstein and Mayer

(1985) attempted to create a set of categories that reflected both the

current state of research and practice. Each separate category is composed

of methods that can be used by learners to influence one or more aspects of

* the encoding process. The ultimate goal for any of these activities is to

enhance learning outcomes and performance.

Rehearsal Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

An example of a strategy in this category would be repeating, in

correct serial order, the names of the colors in the spectrum. There are a

number of different educational tasks that require simple recall. This is

particularly true at the lower educational levels and in introductory .

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4

courses at the post-secondary level. A major difference between experts

and novices in many content areas appears to be related to the knowledge

base that they possess (Chi, Feltovich, & Glaser, 198 1; Gagne, 1985;

Larkin, 1981). While the structure, organization, and integration of this

knowledge base is most important for expert decision making and problem

solving, the acquisition of the basic knowledge needed to create a more

unified data base is often the first step. As Schmeck (1983) notes, it may

not be possible for even the highly intelligent students to engage in deeper

forms of information processing until they acquire this knowledge base.

Rehearsal Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

The learning tasks in this category are more complex and tend to

involve knowledge that extends beyond the superficial learning of lists or

unrelated bits of information. Strategies in this category would include

copying and underlining material presented in a lecture. Generally, they

involve repetition aimed at literal reproduction. Like the methods

discussed above, these activities seem particularly effective when they

provide further opportunities for more meaningful processing to take

place, such as the use of elaboration, organization, or comprehension

monitoring.

Elaboration Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

Elaboration involves adding some sort of symbolic construction to

what one is trying to learn as a way to make it more meaningful. This can
' ..- ; - '. -.- - : . .. . ; . , ,- . , . " . .. r- . .: - _ _ .. . .-- L, .-- , ,

5

be accomplished using either verbal or imaginal constructions. For

example, the use of mental imagery to help remember the action sequence

described in a play and the use of a sentence to relate a country and its

major industrial product are both elaborations. The creation of effective

elaborations requires that the learner be actively involved in processing

the to-be-learned information. Numerous studies have shown this to be an

important prerequisite for meaningful learning, versus superficial

encoding for recall (Cermak & Craik, 1979; Entwistle, this volume; Marton,

this volume; Rigney, 1976; Schmeck, this volume; Weinstein, 1982).

Elaboration Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

Activities in this category include creating analogies, paraphrasing,

I and using prior knowledge, experiences, attitudes, and beliefs to help make

* the new information more meaningful. Again, the major goal of each of

these activities is to get the learner actively involved in building bridges

between what the learner already knows (in the broadest sense of this

term) and what he or she is trying to understand. Trying to apply a

principle to everyday experience, relating the content of one course to the

content of another one, relating what was presented earlier in a lecture

to the current discussion, trying to use a problem solving strategy in a

new situation, summarizing an argument, all of these are different ways

to elaborate.

Organizational Strategies for Basic Learning Tasks

The strategies in this category focus on methods used to translate

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6 ?.--.

6

information into another form that will make it easier to understand. The

facilitating effect is usually attributed to the processing involved in V

accomplishing the transformation, as well as the structure imposed.

Examples of methods in this category include grouping the battles of World

War II by geographic location, organizing animals by their taxonomic

category, and listing foreign vocabulary words by their parts of speech. In

each of these examples an existing or created scheme is used to impose

organization on an unotherwise unordered set of items. Notice that

organizational strategies, like elaboration strategies, require a more 01k

active role on the part of the learner than simple rote or rehearsal

strategies.

Organizational Strategies for Complex Learning Tasks

Organizational strategies can also be very useful for more complex

tasks. Common examples of the use of this method with complex tasks

include outlining a chapter of a textbook, creating a conceptual diagram of

cause-effect interrelationships, and creating a hierarchy of sources to use

' writing a term paper. Here, too, it is both the process and the product

which seems to contribute to the effectiveness of the method.

Comprehension Monitoring Strategies

Metacognition is used to refer to individuals' knowledge about their

own cognitive processes as well as their abilities to control these

processes by organizing, monitoring, and modifying them as a function of
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7

learning outcomes and feedback (Brown, 1975, 1978; Brown et al., 1983;

Cavanaugh & Perlmutter, 1982; Flavell, 1970, 1981). A subarea within

metacognition that is particularly relevant to the present discussion is

called comprehension monitoring. Operationally, comprehension

',

monitoring involves establishing learning goals, assessing the degree to

which these goals are being met and, if necessary, modifying the

strategies being used to facilitate goal attainment. Comprehension

monitoring requires several types of knowledge on the part of learners.

First, they need to know something about themselves as learners. For

example, what are their preferred learning styles? What subjects are

easier or harder for them to understand? What are their best and worst

times of day? This type of knowledge helps individuals to know how to

schedule their study activities and the kinds of resources or assistance

they will need to perform efficiently and effectively.

Learners also need to have some knowledge about the nature of the

task or tasks they are about to perform, as well as the anticipated or

desired outcomes. It is difficult to reach a goal if you do not know what

the goal is (see Entwistle, this volume; Marton, this volume). For example,

many students experience great difficulty reading a textbook in spite of

the large amount of time and effort they devote to the task. In our own

research with a learning-to-learn course we have developed at the

University of Texas, the problem often turns out to be that the student

does not know how to read a textbook. Many of these individuals do not

know how to select main ideas and important details for further study.

They treat every sentence as if it were just as important as every other

sentence. Not knowing about different text structures or how to identify

.. . . - ..........-......-............ .-........ "...........-...•...L '
8

important information can make reading a textbook an almost impossible

task. Thus, it is important that students have an understanding of what is

required by different school tasks.

It is also important to access relevant prior knowledge. This can

serve two functions. First, it helps with understanding the new material.

However, it also helps with preparing for the new learning by instantiating

relevant schemata and providing some guidelines for checking the accuracy

of new knowledge.

Finally, it is necessary to have some knowledge of strategies that can

be used to guide learning or that can be called upon to help when a

comprehension problem is encountered. This type of knowledge includes

knowing about methods in each of the categories already described. It also

includes being able to actually use these methods and knowing when they

are appropriate to use. Thus, comprehension monitoring is very intimately

related to the selection and use of other strategies in any given learning

activity.

Assessing the degree to which goals are met is one of the central

tasks in comprehension monitoring. This task is usually accomplished

through some form of self-questioning, broadly defined. There are a wide

variety of specific methods that could be used to assess one's level of

understanding. For instance, attempting to apply a new principle, using a

chapter summary to create questions to answer while reading,

self-testing while reviewing lecture notes, or attempting to teach the

information to someone else (or even pretending that you are teaching it to

someone else) are all examples of ways we could assess our level of

understanding. It is important to note that many of these activities
9

overlap with strategies presented in earlier categories. This categorical

scheme is not meant to imply orthogonality among the classes of methods.

In fact, there is a great deal of overlap between categories. For example,

trying to apply a principle to a new situation can be a form of elaboration,

thereby enhancing encoding, but it can also be a way to help monitor one's

understanding of the principle to see if further study is needed. This

interdependence among strategies makes them very difficult to study,

particularly when the researcher attempts to isolate the effects of just

one type of strategy. The problem is similar to teaching students about a

car. Although we discuss separately the ignition system, the braking

system, the steering system, and so forth, we know that driving a car is an

integrated activity composed of many subskills and requiring varied

knowledge. The emergent properties of the integrated system that

represents driving a car, however, are too complex to present. It is the

same with the strategies that underlie a systematic approach to studying

and learning. The whole is too complex to teach or use for conceptual

guidance in research so we reduce it for utility and lose several degrees of

precision.

Affective Strategies

Affective strategies help to create and maintain suitable internal and

external climates for learning (Dansereau et al., 1979; McCombs, in press;

Palmer & Goetz, in press; Weinstein & Underwood, 1985). Although these

strategies may not be directly responsible for knowledge or skill

acquisition, they help to create a context in which effective learning can

take place. Examples of affective strategies include using relaxation and
10

positive self-talk to reduce performance anxiety, finding a quiet place to

study to reduce external distractions, and establishing priorities and

setting a time schedule as a way to reduce procrastination. Each of these

methods is designed to help focus the limited processing capacity of the

human information- processing system on the learning goal. Eliminating *.

both external and internal distractions contributes to enhanced attention

and concentration.

Learning Strategies Assessment

The rapidly expanding interest in learning strategies assessment is

the result of several causes. Among them is the increasingly large

numbers of academically underprepared or disadvantaged students entering

post-secondary institutions. In response to this influx of students with

special needs, many institutions have created special programs to address

academic deficits (Noel &Levitz, 1982; Weinstein & Underwood, 1985).

However, the successful implementation and evaluation of training ..-

programs and courses designed to teach learning strategies requires

reliable and valid means for measuring students' entry level deficits and

their progress. Having the means to diagnose student deficits could

contribute significantly to the design of instruction and having the means

to monitor progress and course outcomes could contribute significantly to

evaluating and improving the effectiveness of the training.

Another reason for the increasing interest in the area of assessment

relates to both basic and applied research interests in information

processing. The measurement issue in cognitive research is a major

7
[,i

stumbling block to progress (see Garner, in press, for a discussion of this

issue). Since cognitive researchers focus on topics that reflect processes

that are usually not available to direct measurement, indirect forms of

assessment must be developed for more precise research hypotheses to be

amenable to study. In response to this need there has been a renewed

focus on variations of self-report methodologies that could be used to help

gather data about covert strategies.

ADproaches to Assessment

One result of the pressures for the creation of useful assessment

methods has been the development of a number of instruments designed to

measure varying aspects of learning strategy use. Many of these

instruments build on the measures that were created to assess students'

study practices. Several of these measures are available commercially. A

review of a subset of both commercially published as well as

developmental or research instruments indicated that many of them

concentrate on quite traditional areas of study skills such as note taking,

study attitudes towards school and learning, text marking, and test taking

(Schulte & Weinstein, 1981; Weinstein, Zimmermann, & Palmer, in press).

The specific topics included in these measures are highly variable. This

is, in part, a reflection of the definition problem discussed earlier and, in

part, a reflection of the relative importance attached to different skills

by different authors. Generally, the format used for these instruments

requires some type of self-report response. While the data reported for

b" . . "

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12

many of these instruments are quite limited, reliabilities are usuallylee

found to be in the acceptable (Anastasi, 1976) range of .80 and above.

However, many of the subscales, particularly those that are relatively

short, are often found to have somewhat lower reliabilities (.46 to .93).

Since the purpose of many of these measures is to either predict

academic performance, counsel students about their study skills, or screen

students for entry into or exit from remedial courses, they often used

what Svensson (1977) called a "correlational approach." This method of

item selection and instrument design emphasizes behaviors, thoughts, and

activities that correlate with successful studying but that may not be the

direct causes of successful learning and achievement. (For example, many

successful students may keep their desk tops clean but that does not

necessarily mean that students can raise their grades by cleaning their

desks!) Thus, many of the items on these inventories have little use for

someone interested in using them as a basis for remediation or for

forming the basis for experimental interventions. Many of the authors of

these measures selected or created items on the basis of how well they

distinguished between students with high and low grade-point averages

who had similar 10 and achievement test scores (Brown, 1964; Brown &

Holtzman, 1967; Carter, 1985; Christensen, 1968).

Given the way many of the Items on study skills instruments are

selected, they tend to yield limited information about how students study

or learn. Rather, the emphasis tends to be on either historical or

preference information, or correlational factors that stress the conditions

under which students study. This approach is quite different from what

Svensson (1 977) called a "functional approach" that stresses identifying

6N

S . • • , 
13

differences in how students learn that directly seem to affect learning

outcomes and academic achievement. It was this approach that guided the

development of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (Weinstein, .S

Schulte, & Ca5callar, 1983; Weinatein et al., in pre55).

The LASSI

The Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) was developed as

part of the Cognitive Learning Strategies Project at the University of

Texas at Austin. Given the problems identified with previous instruments,

an attempt was made to create a measure that could be used for diagnosis

and that could facilitate the design of remedial learning strategies

instruction. Thus, the focus was on either covert or overt thoughts and

behaviors that relate to successful learning and that could be altered

through educational interventions. In addition, an attempt was made to

emphasize items that reflected the functional approach of Svensson.

The earliest step in the development of the LASSI involved analyzing

the instruments reviewed by Weinstein and Schulte (1981). This work was

supplemented by a review of 47 study skills books, manuals, and program

or curriculum guides (see Weinstein et al., 1983 for a description of this

developmental work). The topics and subtopics identified in this process

were subjected to repeated reviews and analyses using expert judges to

create a categorical scheme that could be used to guide item creation or

selection. These initial categorical schemes were used to create the item

pools from which the final items were eventually selected.

Sources for the initial item pool included published, unpublished, and

.......... I .
14

experimental instruments, researchers and practitioners in the area of

learning strategies, staff members on the project, and psychometric

consultants. This first pool of 645 items was trimmed down as a result of

several analyses and a variety of pilot and field studies. A wide variety of

item elimination criteria were used, including correlations with

grade-point average, correlations with the Marlowe-Crowne

Social-Desirability Scale, and item content that stressed specialized

skills such as creating a bibliography or vocabulary building. Redundant

items and those which elicited a very narrow range of responses were also

eliminated.

As a result of these steps, a version of the LASSI containing 90 items

was constructed. One of the first studies conducted with this instrument

examined its test-retest reliability. Ninety undergraduates from an

introductory educational psychology course completed the LASSI on two

different occasions, separated by a 3- to 4-week interval. The students

were given 45 minutes in which to complete their task. A test-retest

correlation of .88 for the total instrument was obtained.

Using this version of the LASS, a set of ten scales measuring

different clusters of learning strategies and study attitudes was

developed. This process was accomplished by a team of expert judges

using several iterations of a modified Delphi technique and by analyses of

the scale structures. (See Table I for a sample of the items from each of

the scales). The topics covered by the ten scales are: anxiety, attitude,

------------------------------------------------

Insert Table I About Here

-------------------------------------------------

7-A -
15

concentration, information processing, motivation, scheduling, selecting

the main idea, self testing, study aids, and test strategies.

The A focuses on the degree to which students worry ..

about school and their performance (cf. Entwistle's discussion of fear and

failure and the chapter by McCarthy and Schmeck in the present volume).

Do students worry so much that it is hard to concentrate? Are they easily

discouraged about grades? Are they nervous even if they are well prepared

for a test? The Attitude Scale contains items addressing attitude and

interest in college. Is school important and worthwhile to the students?

How clear are they about their own educational goals? (Once again, see

the chapter by Entwistle and the one by McCarthy and Schmeck in this -

volume for related discussions.) Concentration items focus on students'

ability to pay close attention to academic tasks. Are they easily

distracted? Can they focus their attention (cf. McCarthy and Schmeck,

this volume)? The Information Processing Bka contains items

addressing a number of different areas. In fact, studies are currently

under way to examine how this scale might be subdivided to provide more

useful diagnostic information so that more specific remediation might

result. Currently, the areas addressed include the use of imaginal and

verbal elaboration, comprehension monitoring, and reasoning.

The next scale is called tivation (cf. Entwlstle, this volume). The

items on this scale address willingness to work hard, diligence, and

self-discipline. Do the students stay up-to-date in class assignments?

Do they easily lose interest in their classes? Items on the Scheduling

Sale examine students' use of time management principles for academic

tasks. Are they well organized? Do they anticipate scheduling problems?

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16

Selecting The Main Idea items address students' ability to pick out

important information for further study. Can they focus on the key points

in a lecture? Can they decide what to underline in a textbook? The next

scale, SeLfT.eing, focuses on reviewing and preparing for classes and

tests. Most of the items deal with some aspect of comprehension

monitoring. Do the students review before a test? Do they stop

periodically while reading to review the content? Items on the tudyL Aids

Sca examine the degree to which students use support techniques or

materials to help them learn and remember new information. Do they

complete practice exercises ziiu .. :>e problems? Do they use or create

organizational aids? The last scale, Iest Strategies, focuses on students'

approach toward taking tests and examinations. Do they prepare

appropriately? Do they try to tie the material together?

As can be seen in Table I, the number of items in the various scales

ranges from a low of four to a high of seventeen. Part of our current work

involves adding new items to the scales that currently have less than

eight (Attitude, Scheduling, Select Main Idea, and Self Testing). In

addition, the subdivision of the Information Processing Scale and the

addition of new scales is also being examined.

A number of studies have been conducted to examine the psychometric

properties of the LASSI. The data from a total of 783 incoming freshmen

at a small private college in the eastern United States were used to

calculate coefficient alphas for each of the subscales (see Table I). The

resulting coefficients ranged from a low of .60 to a high of .89, with the

low coefficients associated with the scales having the fewest number of

items. (This is one of the reasons that additional items are being

. . . .. . o . . . .. . . . .... . . •• , F °-
b

17

developed for these scales.) These data were also used to develop a

preliminary set of norms for the various scales. In a study presently

underway, data from approximately 800 students from the entering class

in a large public university located in the southwestern United States is

being used to validate these results. Only preliminary data are available,

but the results are very encouraging. Thus far, only minor differences

have been found for the alpha reliabilities and norms of the scales. This

high degree of agreement indicates a high degree of stability in these data.

Test-retest reliabilities for the scales have also been obtained.

Using the sample of 96 students previously described, and a 3- to 4-week

interval, the data set was created. The reliability values ranged from a

low of .64 to a high of .81 (see Table 1). Again, the scales with the lowest

reliability coefficients were the ones that also contain the fewest number

of items.

The validity of the LASSI has been examined using a variety of

approaches. When possible, the scale scores have been compared to other

measures, or scales, assessing similar factors or constructs. For

example, scores on the Information Processing Scale of the LASSI were

correlated with scores on the Elaborative Processing Scale of Schmeck's

Inventory of Learning Processes (Schmeck, in press; Schmeck, Ribich, &

Ramanaiah, 1977). The correlation was .60. Another approach has

compared the scores on some of the LASSI scales to appropriate

performance measures. For example, scores on the Select Main Idea Scale

were compared to scores on classroom tasks involving identifying the

main ideas in a series of textbook and reading selections. Correlation

coefficients of .40 and above have been obtained.

-w',

r. "i

I.. ... . .... .. ...._.. .. ,.,,. ,.,.,,,
18

The final approach used to obtain validity data relates to the purposes

for which the LASSI was originally designed. This approach has

concentrated on how successfully the LASSI can be used by practitioners

and teachers in post-secondary settings. Professors, counselors, advisors,

and developmental specialists at more than fifteen different locations in

the United States and Mexico have used the LASSI on a trial basis. Thus

far, the results have been very encouraging. Users report few, if any,

administration problems and a high degree of usefulness.

Part of the motivation for developing the LASSI was the need for a

valid and reliable assessment method for use in both the research and the

development activities that are conducted as part of the Cognitive

Learning Strategies Project. In particular, there was a need for an

instrument that could be used to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of

students who participate in the learning-to-learn course developed to test

out the research in a real-world setting. This course, which will be

described in more detail in the next section, has also been used to help

establish user data for the LASSI.

Learning Strategies Training (Post-Secondary)

Learning strategies trainilg Drograms have been developed for a

variety of reasons. Often, they are used by researchers to investigate the

effectiveness of strategy components or interactions among components.

These programs are also used to examine instructional procedures,

transfer, and generalization of strategy use. Finally, they are often

","
19

developed as part of a larger remedial or enrichment program for

educationally disadvantaged or underprepared students.

-."%

Approaches to Learning Strategies Training

A number of different methods have been used to implement learning

strategies training at the post-secondary level. The first method,

embedded instruction, concentrates on incorporating learning strategies -

training into existing educational materials, particularly print materials

and workbooks (e.g., Jones, in press; Jones, Amiran, & Katims, 1985;,

Sticht, 1979). Jones' work, in particular, has involved teaching,

reinforcing, and cueing the use of strategies from all eight categories in

the materials developed as part of the Chicago Mastery Learning Reading

Program and as part of the Basic Skills Program of the United States -..

Army. These creative materials have been repeatedly field tested and

found to contribute significantly to the reading comprehension of the

students involved. Embedded curricular materials are most effective when

there are very large numbers of students to teach, problems with frequent

teacher turnover or reassignments, or too few qualified instructors for

the number of students requiring instruction. When these conditions do

not apply, the heuristic nature of learning strategies indicates that they

could be taught best in a more direct fashion using a teacher, aide, or

developmental education specialist. The following method uses this latter

approach.

Another approach uses existing instructional interventions to teach

learning strategies. Unlike the embedded approach, the use of a

: .. ...- ..- . -. ...,- . -. . . ..-.. -.. .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . - . .. . -. . - . . - . . . . "_ " ' .-." __.", - ._. " -.':.'~ ' .'. ".' ! Z _;." . " -.".,- .."" "" ". " ."_ . ..,"""", """. : ": ; "'. -"- " " '" -" "-" ' " -"." -'.
I

20

metacurriculum to teach learning strategies involves teaching them along

with the regular content material in existing classes or training programs

(Weinstein, 1982). The instructor uses methods that demonstrate, cue,

and reinforce the acquisition and use of strategies from all of the

different categories. It is a metacurriculum in the sense that it requires

an analysis of the regular course curriculum and the learning demands that

it places on the students.

Implementing the metacurriculum requires the instructor to integrate

learning strategies instruction into the planned and unplanned activities

that go on during class. For example, when assigning a textbook for a

course, a teacher could pause and discuss the strategies one could use to

preview and use a textbook. The assignment of a term paper or project is

an excellent time to discuss time management. When using an analogy to

help explain a difficult concept is a good time to also discuss elaboration,

the role it plays in learning, and how students can use this method on their

own. Notice that in each of these examples what is required is that the

teacher use a planned or an unplanned activity to focus on the types of

learning strategies that might be particularly effective to accomplish the

relevant learning goal. By making this information explicit, explaining to

students how to use the strategy, providing opportunities for practice and

feedback, and periodically reviewing how various strategies can be

combined to create an effective study system, instructors are

implementing the metacurriculum.

Most researchers and practitioners have tended to use some form of

adjunct aplroach to learning strategies training. Using an adjunct

approach involves creating some form of supplementary instruction. This

b11

-.. .... .. . ........-..-...... ......-. ...... .......--... ., .•........ . .... .... . ... . . . . , -'
21 R

*can take the form of anything from a 2-hour workshop on a particular

strategy to a semester-long course teaching strategies from each of the

eight categories. Dansereau (1985,in press), McCombs (1981,

1982a, 1982b, in press), and Weinstein (Weinstein, Butterfield, Schmidt, &

Poythress, 1983; Weinstein & Underwood, 1985) have all focused on

creating adjunct programs for post-secondary students in job or college

settings.

Many of the ideas and methods discussed so far in this chapter have

been implemented in a three-credit lower-division learning strategies

course created as part of the Cognitive Learning Strategies Project at the

University of Texas at Austin. A description of the course, relevant

evaluation data, and future directions for both research and development

in this area will now be presented.

A Course in Individual Learning Skills

The learning strategies course offered at the University of Texas is

part of the undergraduate program in educational psychology. Originally,

the course was developed solely as a real-world laboratory to test out

research findings described in the literature and from our own laboratory

(Underwood, 1982). Over time, the service aspect of the course became at

least equal-ly important. Currently, 35 sections of approximately 25

students each are offered each year. This does not meet the demand but it

does exhaust our capacity to staff and support the sections. The type of

student registering for this course is quite variable. However, the

majority are lower-division students with either a history of academic

Oo- F-
22

difficulties or students who have encountered problems in their studies at

the University of Texas. Among the remaining students, many are advised

to take this course in preparation for advanced studies or training.

The overall goal of the course is to help students to take more

responsibility for their own learning. Strategies and skills from each of

the categories identified by Weinstein and Mayer (1985) are presented (see

the Appendix for a detailed overview of the course topics). A variety of

instructional methods are used but the emphasis, given the procedural

nature of much of the content, is on guided practice and feedback

(Anderson, 1985; Gagne, 1985). To facilitate transfer, these exercises are

taken from a wide variety of content areas and task types. To facilitate

integration, the strategies are discussed in a cyclic manner. First, the

instructor briefly introduces the strategy and identifies how it can be

used to address a student-identified problem. This discussion is always

related back to the model of the successful student presented at the

beginning of the semester. Next, the key elements of the strategy are

presented along with a few examples. Given the heuristic nature of most

learning strategies, this is immediately followed by practice and feedback

sessions so students can begin to incorporate the method into their

repertoire. Over time, the use of the strategy is reviewed and its

relationship to other strategies Identified. This Is designed to help the

student form a more systematic approach to studying and learning rather

than just providing a bag of tricks (cf. Schmeck's [in press] discussion of

the need to encourage a "unified learning outcome").

The course is evaluated extensively. Part of the data for evaluation

is obtained from the entry and exit measures administered to students.

lip;
23

This data includes scores on the LASSI, the Survey of Study Habits and .,,

Attitudes (Brown & Holtzman, 1967), the Trait Anxiety Inventory portion

of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Luschene,

1970), the Test Attitude Inventory (Spielberger, Gonzalez, Taylor, Algaze,

& Anton, 1978), and the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Brown, Nelson, &

Denny, 1973). In addition, information is also obtained from class

examination scores, homework assignments, in-class activities, student

journals, and practice exercises. We have also been able to run several

studies that allowed us to obtain follow-up data on some of our students.

Finally, the university has helped us to obtain copies of the students'

course evaluation surveys.

The patterns we find in these data sets are very exciting. The course

has consistently led to significant pre- to post- changes on all of the

measures with the exception of the Trait Anxiety Inventory. This result

was expected and predicted, however, due to the nature of the underlying

construct. The encouraging fact is that all of our other anxiety measures

show a very significant improvement in student attitudes and reported

decreases in anxiety-related performance problems.

These changes on the self-report measures are backed up by

significant improvements on the performance measures. The quality of

student work on the in-class and homework assignments shows definite

improvement over the course of the semester (as judged by a team of

outside experts). Scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test show

improvements ranging from 14 to 34 percentile points. Finally, there are

significant increases in academic grade-point averages compiled from the

students' regular coursework (after controlling for the normal increases
24

one would expect as a function of time). Indirect evidence for the

effectiveness of the course is also provided by the current increase in

student enrollment (the course originally had 4 sections per year instead

of 36) and the reports of academic advisors from a variety of departments

at the university.

In addition to being used to help with prescriptions for individual

students, these data are also used to guide the continuing development of

the course. For example, data from the LASSI indicated that more

instructional emphasis was needed on information-processing strategies, -

and early data from the Test Attitude Inventory indicated that a

component focusing on coping with performance anxiety needed to be

expanded.

Concluding Comments

The work described in this chapter is still in a relatively early stage

of development. Cognitive and educational psychologists have much to

learn about the processes and knowlege needed for effective learning. The

categorical scheme derived by Weinstein and Mayer (1985) was meant ..

more to stimulate thought about this area than as a definitive

classification. While it summarizes our current state of knowlege, there

are many weaknesses. For example, how can strategies be tied to content

domains? Many researchers and theoreticians now believe that both

,* generic and content domain-dependent strategies must be identified and

" taught (e.g., Gagne, 1985; Glaser, 1984).

!,V
25

There are also many unsolved problems in the area of assessment. It

will be hard for cognitive psychologists to continue to contribute

significantly to educational needs unless we can improve our ability to

measure, no matter how indirectly, the underlying mediational

mechanisms that affect final performance. Continuing research into the

development of diagnostic instruments, such as the LASSI is a step in that

direction. I

Finally, the need for courses or educational experiences that focus on

the development of student learning strategies will remain for years to

come. The changing demographics of higher education lead to widespread

predictions that more and more students will enter post-secondary

settings with an inadequate academic background. Since many

academically disadvantaged and underprepared students evidence serious

learning strategies deficits, it will be crucial that remediation and

enrichment be provided.

-"-, , 2 2:. '. ¢ ..€ 2"", " ."" ' ',2 "2:" "- - •: : ." ". ' '-"::/ . -"/ ':"." / " . " ' i t.:.-
~.

26

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34

APPENDIX

UNIT: Successful Learning

Part One: Becoming a Successful Student

Part Two: Training Your Mind

1. There are certain skills, behaviors and attitudes that distinguish

successful learners from those who are not so successful. Part One of this --

unit describes the characteristics of a successful learner and focuses on a

model that can aid students in dealing effectively with academic

dissatisfactions. This model of a successful learner incorporates the

following variables: motivation, attention, understanding, recall ability, and

reduced stress (see "Handout" below).

2. The ability to encode and recall information is a skill which can be

developed and improved. In part two of this unit the student is introduced to

elementary principles of learning and cognition that lead to a discussion of

the differences between rote learning and meaningful learning. These include

ways to generate (for oneself) interest in a topic area, the importance of

distributed practice and review, how to decide upon goals for learning,

connecting new information with existing knowledge, relating new

information to everyday life experiences as much as possible, and applying

new information. These suggestions provide the student with an appropriate

framework for becoming an active learner and for using cognitive learning

strategies drawn from information processing models.

r.
35

HANDOUT: Becoming a successful student

Motivation

Stress-free ttentlon

Recall Understanding

There are certain skills...

There are certain behaviors...

There are certain attitudes...

that distinguish successful learners from those who are not so

successful.

If you learn these skills and behaviors and attitudes--and practice them--

then you too can be successful in school.

What exactly ae the characteristics of A Successful Learner?

1. Motivation--The successful student has an inner drive that makes him or

her want to do well. S/He accepts responsibility for doing his/her

own learning, and when s/he does succeed s/he knows it was because

of his/her own efforts. S/He succeeded because s/he wanted to,

because s/he tried his/her best, and luck had nothing to do with it.

2. Attention--A successful learner also is able to pay attention to whal is

going on at the moment. Instead of daydreaming about yesterday or

thinking about what s/he's going to do tomorrow, s/he can concentrate

all his or her attention on school-related tasks. S/He will ignore or -'-

reduce outside distractions. If his/her roommate insists on playing

the stereo at 120 decibels, then someone who is determined to learn

his/her homework or do his/her reading will go to the library or

someplace where s/he isn't interfered with.

3. Understanding--The successful student also makes an effort to understand

the ideas presented in school. When s/he realizes s/he doesn't know

enough about a topic to understand it, then s/he gets help, either from

the teacher or by talking to other students or by doing some more

reading.

, 5 5._.,..- . S. ..... ... ... . ._ . . . . . -5 . .. . . .
36

a.

4. Recall--A successful learner also is able to recall, and remember, the

knowledge, main ideas and principles that s/he needs to know. S/He

does this by usg the learning strategies that s/he has either learned

on his/her own--or has been taught to use in a class similar to this

one. -

5. Relatively Stress-free--In addition, the successful learner can do all this

in a relatively relaxed way--hopefully without too much worry, too

much frustration, or too much anxiety.

UNIT: Time Management

Part One: Scheduling

Part Two: Procrastination

1. There are many demands made on a student's time. The emphasis of this

unit is to help students structure time so that activities necessary for

academic success are accomplished, and there is still time for personal and

leisure activities. The value of scheduling and its effect on stress reduction

are discussed in this context. Suggestions are given for setting goals, getting

organized, establishing study routines, and studying "on the run." Several

different types of scheduling are then demonstrated. These include: I) a

personal activities diary, 2) weekly and monthly academic scheduling forms,

3) "to do" lists, and 4) the "COPE" system (Margaret R. Barr, Center for

Teaching Effectiveness, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, undated xerox

copy).

2. Procrastination is a major obstacle to good time management. Factors

o that aid and abet procrastination (for example, inappropriate commitments,

perfectionism, and self-deception) are dealt with, but the emphasis is on

ways and means to overcome the habit of procrastinating. Procedures for

a",

a.S
37 b

reducing this habit range from the behavioral (e.g., a reward and punishment

system) to the cognitive (e.g., establishing positive self-talk).* Additional

procedures include written reminders, the five-minute plan, and setting

realistic goals. Students are encouraged to deal simultaneously with the

behaviors, emotions and cognitions attached to procrastination.

UNIT: Problem Solving

Dealing with academically-related problems is often confusing and

overwhelming for the target student population. In this unit students are

presented with a problem solving model that will help them deal more

effectively with their school-related problems. The seven-step process

includes: 1) accepting responsibility for taking care of the problem and being

accountable for actions taken; 2) collecting and examining information about

the problem; 3) defining what the actual problem is; 4) generating ideas for

solving the problem; 5) choosing a plan of action; 6) taking the action; and 7)

evaluating whether or not the action taken was effective in solving the

problem. Students implement this model over a period of seven weeks and

" turn in a progress report for each step.

UNIT: Cognitive Learning Strategies

Most current models of information processing suggest that it is

necessary to process information at a "deep" or "semantic" level if there is to

*Materials adapted from: Ellis, A., & Knaus, W. J. O.ecomJing

Procrastination New York: New American Library, Inc., 1979.
38

be adequate understanding, retention, and recall of information. In

accordance with this notion, students are presented with a rationale for using

the following cognitive learning strategies: imaginal elaboration, verbal

elaboration, and organizational strategies, such as grouping. The

characteristics of each strategy are discussed, and students are provided

with practice exercises. This material is also related to current conceptions

of knowledge acquisition, such as schema theory.

In addition, contrasts are drawn between primary and support strategies.

Primary strategies are operations performed on the materials to be

remembered. These may range from purely cognitive strategies such as

imagery and verbal elaboration to more mechanical strategies such as

note-taking and highlighting of textual materials. Support strategies are

methods that help the learner maintain a suitable psychological climate for

learning or help establish an appropriate learning attitude. These strategies

may range from techniques for coping with loss of concentration to the use of

physical relaxation routines. Students are also asked to think of ways that

the two types of strategies may be used in combination to build a strong

study system.

UNIT: Concentration 7

Concentration is a difficult skill to present because it is a by-product and

only happens when we do not think about it. However, the habit of

concentration can be developed through self-discipline and practice in

becoming actively involved in studying and learning. Discussion revolves

around strategies for focusing attention such as highlighting, note-taking,

and outlining, and many cognitive strategies for increasing level of
* I..

39

involvement, such as relating the material to-be-learned to already-learned

information, organizing it, and generating interest through questioning

strategies.

Attention is also given to the relationships between concentration and

metacognitive awareness as well as between concentration and the learner as

an active processor of information.

UNIT: Listening

The focus of this unit is listening for important information and

understanding in an academic setting. It is necessary for students to become

active listeners by improving their listening habits, by learning what to

listen for, and by becoming involved with the speaker. Differences between

hearing and listening are noted, and students are asked to think of good

listening as an active process. Several listening problems such as

close-mindedness, paying false attention, and daydreaming are discussed, and

relevant "cures" for such maladies are presented. These cures include

learning how to prepare to listen, becoming aware of the speaker as an

individual with information to share, noting and asking relevant questions,

thinking ahead, and looking beyond the speakers' mannerisms and

idiosyncracies to the content of the message.

UNIT: Selecting Important Ideas

This unit deals with differentiating important from supporting

information. A discussion of organizational schemes used in written

materials provides a framework for information on using context, using the

F-Y
40

author's signs and signals, and recognizing key ideas in reading passages.

Also emphasized are the ability to recognize different styles of writing, the

different places topic sentences may be found, and the importance of

flexibility when trying to determine main ideas. These skills are also related

to listening activities.

UNIT: Note-taking

Nearly all students take notes. This unit integrates what the student has

* learned about good listening skills and finding important ideas with

techniques for efficient note-taking (see examples below).

Effective utilization of notes is also discussed in some depth with an

,. emphasis on thinking about and summarizing key ideas, as well as immediate

and periodic reviews.

. .

1. Get a written record of each class.

2. Read your textbook in ADVANCE.

3. Use a note-taking system (e.g., modified Cornell model).

4. Use a modified outline form.

5. Watch for signals of importance (e.g., gestures, key words).

6. Write down examples. •S =

7. Write down connections between ideas.

8. Leave blank spaces for what you miss.

9. Don't stop taking notes toward the end of class.

10. Review as soon as possible after class.

o. . . .-.
41

UNIT: Text-marking and Outlining

Concentration, attention, and recall are improved only when thinking

precedes marking, highlighting or outlining of the textbook. In Part One of

this unit, methods for selecting important ideas are reviewed, and a ".-

,. procedure for active text-marking is presented. This procedure emphasizes

the value of thinking before marking, the summarization of graphic data, and

the identification of relationships among major ideas. I%%

Part Two of the unit is a brief overview of an outlining system. .5

Discussion centers on the major ways that an author may develop a topic,

connecting details to major points, and the proper notation for formal

outlines.

UNIT: Pre-, During-, and Post-Reading Strategies '

Good reading comprehension is a crucial skill at the college level. This

unit describes processes for developing good reading comprehension as well

as techniques for improving speed and flexibility.

A comprehensive study-reading system involves three stages: 1) a

preview, which provides a framework for understanding what the author is

writing about; 2) active reading, in which the learner engages in conscious,

purposeful, elaborative reading; and 3) a post-reading stage (review), in

which the learner evaluates the knowledge gained from the reading and

ascertains whether or not there are still gaps in her knowledge.

Reading speed and flexibility are other important skills for students, since

many have never learned to vary the way they read to suit the material. A

S* . . % - * . .. ..

- . . . .. * * * * - . - * ao*.-' '..* - . .. . .... .. .'a .;.' *' . .. * - .-* - a .,. *- . _. .. . . .-.. .,.*
42

review of organizational schemes used by writers, skimming and scanning

exercises, and opportunities to practice are provided to help students

increase reading flexibility.

Note: Much of the material already presented in the course is actively and

directly integrated into this section.

UNIT: Reading Comprehension/Comprehension Monitoring

Poor learners often do not recognize that they have failed to comprehend

material being studied. In addition, even if they do recognize their lack of

understanding they may not know how to correct the situation. In this unit

students are taught to deliberately analyze their understanding of materials

being studied, and whenever comprehension is incomplete, to switch to a

more effective processing strategy.

Several strategies useful for monitoring comprehension and active

processing are presented. Examples include: 1) paraphrasing or interpreting

difficult passages into the learner's own terms; 2) formulating questions and

answers about the material; 3) rehearsing an explanation of the material that

the learner might give to a fellow student; and 4) using strategies to aid

comprehension, such as using visual imagery to picture how all the

information ties together.

Note: Much of the previous material is integrated into this section.

UNIT: Stress, Sanity, and Survival in Academia

Many times students' grades do not reflect their actual abilities, and a

major factor is often stress. They get anxious at test time, feel

%"
43 6.

overwhelmed by the amount of work expected of them, or panic because they

feel inadequate to accomplish many tasks. The focus of this unit is on how to

manage stress in an academic setting. An overview of a model for handling

stress is introduced. The model presents stress as a condition that results

from our perceptions and/or beliefs about certain events. This allows.us to

gain and maintain some control over how we choose to react to situations,

thus reducing the amount of stress experienced.

Ways that stress may be reduced include changing the situation at an

environmental level, weakening the connection between the event and

physiological/emotional arousal; and changing irrational beliefs,

assumptions, and ineffective ways of thinking to be more reality-oriented.

Techniques for staying task-oriented and exchanging negative self-talk for

positive self-talk are also presented.

. UNIT: Test-taking Skills

Exams are an integral part of academic life. Many students face them with

a do-or-die attitude and not much else to help them through. In this unit

successful preparation and test-taking techniques for both objective and

essay tests are presented.

First, a general explanation of how to review for exams is given. The

discussion that follows centers on how to study for and take objective tests

and how to study for and take essay exams. In the second part of the unit the

focus is on a discussion of several related topics. These include "reasoning

through to an answer," "test-wiseness principles," "f actors influencing

failure," "cramming," and "how to make a study-plan guide."

-n

• ,~~~~~~~~~ ~~... °°,-... o.-°°...,... ..-. .. .... °.... . 'N,,- ".o" Z,-,-, . -',-" 
44

UNIT: Reducing Test Anxiety

This unit is introduced with an unannounced pop quiz. This generates an %--

extremely active discussion in which feelings of hostility and negative

thoughts about testing are discussed by the students. The instructor uses his

feedback from the students to provide examples of how negative self-talk and

self-orientation can keep students from doing their best work on exams.

The rest of the lesson is devoted to a discussion of the components of test

anxiety and several cognitive and behavioral techniques that can be used

before and during an evaluative situation to reduce anxiety to an endurable or

less interfering level. These techniques include actively challenging

irrational and negative types of thinking, the practice of thought stopping,

how to overcome blocking, using physical relaxation and mind-quieting -

exercises, and the practicalities of being well-prepared for any exam.

'-VIII

-.4.

.

1I °
45

Table I

Sample Psychometric Properties and Three Sample Items for Each of the LASSI Scales

Test/Retest Alpha

Scale (v of items) ReJJabilit. Reiiabi.

ANXIETY (10) .81 .82 .

SapeIes i. Worrying about doing poorly interferes with my concentration on tests.

2. When I begin an examination, I feel pretty confident that I will do well.

3. Even when I'm well-prepared for a test, I feel very anxious.

ATTITUDE (4) .64 .60

1. Success in school is very important to me.

2. I feel confused and undecided as to what my educational goals should be.

3. In my opinion, what is taught in my courses in not worth learning.

CONCENTRATION (8) .80 .82

I. I often find that I have been reading but don't know what it was all about.

2. I concentrate fully when studying. 3. I find that during lectures I think of other things and don't really listen to what

is being said.

INFORMATION .79 .88

PROCESSING (17)

1. I try to find relationships between what I am learning and what I already know.

2. When I study I try to somehow organize the material In my mind.

3. When having difficulty recalling something, I make an effort to recall something else that might be related to it.

MOTIVATION (14) .79 .87

1. I read the textbooks assigned for my classes.

2. I hurry my assignments trying to get them out of the way rather than doing a

good job.

3. I seem to be able to find all kinds of excuses for not studying.

@ "I

,-'.. -- -. ~~~~ ~~~. _ .. , , , ,,., , • . , . ., . . . . . . . .. . . . ., . -. - .
46 C

Test/Retest Alpha

Scale ( of items) Relait Reli abii

SCHEDULING (5) .77 .69

SamplelItem 1. I only study when there is the pressure of a test.

2. I make good use of daytime study hours between classes.

3. At the beginning of a study period I organize my work so that I will use the

time most effectively.

SELECTING .64 .61 ..

MAIN IDEA (4)

I. My underlining is helpful when I review text material.

2. I have difficulty identifying the important points in my reading. 3. Often when studying I seem to get lost in details and "can't see the forest for the trees.

SELF TESTING (5) .66 .65

I. I stop periodically while reading and mentally go over or review what was said.

2. I go over homework assignments when reviewing class materials.

3. I seldom review except just before tests.

STUDY AIDS (8) .70 .69

1. I do not work through practice exercises and sample problems. 2. When they are available, I attend group review sessions.

3. I make simple charts, diagrams, or tables to summarize material in my courses.

I._

TEST STRATEGIES (13) .79 .83

1. I think through the meaning of test questions before I begin to answer them.

2. I have difficulty adapting my studying to different types of courses.

3. When I take a test, I realize I have studied the wrong material.

-

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