Session T2A 0-7803-7961-6/03/$17.00 © 2003 IEEE November 5-8, 2003, Boulder, CO 33 rd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference T2A-1 THE STUDY STRATEGIES OF ACADEMICALLY SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS AT THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES Ruth A. Streveler 1 , Tawni Hoeglund 2 , and Carla Stein 3 1 Ruth A. Streveler, Center for Engineering Education, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 rstrevel@mines.edu 2 Tawni Hoeglund, Student Development Services, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 thoeglun@mines.edu 3 Carla Stein, Career Assistance and Internships, Western Nebraska Community College, Scottsbluff, NE 69361 steinc@wncc.net Abstract - A 42-item questionnaire was administered to 285 Colorado School of Mines students in sophomore design. Factor analysis was performed, resulting in a five-factor solution. Factors were then correlated with cumulative grade point average. Four of the five factors were significantly correlated to cumulative grade point average. (Three factors were negatively correlated, one positively correlated to grade point.) Step-wise regression was also performed to see the effect of each factor on cumulative grade point average. Index terms – Academic success, study skills, study strategies INTRODUCTION This study was driven by the desire to know what study strategies are used by academically successful students at the Colorado School of Mines. The major studies of engineering students conducted to date by Richards [1] and Blumner and Richards [2] have shown no relationship between study strategies and academic success in a particular course. But in both cases these surveys were given to a relatively small number of students. Could a survey given to a larger sample of students, using a more global measure of academic success (such as cumulative grade point) be able to reveal a relationship between study strategies and academic success that was not apparent when targeting the students of only one class? PROCEDURE In order to investigate this question, a 42-item questionnaire about study habits was developed using the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) as a model. (See Table 1). The questionnaire was then administered to students in a second year design course. Three hundred forty-one students (typically sophomores) completed the questionnaire and provided basic demographic information (gender, ethnicity, age, year in school). Two hundred and eighty-five students who completed the survey gave the researchers access to their academic records. At the end of the semester, the cumulative grade point averages of respondents were collected. TABLE 1. S URVEY ITEMS 1. I am able to distinguish between more important and less important information during a lecture. 2. After class, I review my notes to help me understand the information. 3. I find that during lectures I think of other things and don’t really listen to what is being said. 4. I use study cues such as italics and bold headings in my textbook to help me organize the information. 5. I am up-to-date with my class assignments. 6. When studying, I try to think through a topic and decide what I am supposed to learn rather than just reading through the assignment. 7. I feel confused and undecided as to what my educational goals should be. 8. I learn new words or ideas by visualizing a situation in which they occur. 9. When preparing for an exam, I create questions I think might be included. 10. I translate what I am studying into my own words. 11. I compare class notes with other students to make sure my notes are complete. 12. I review my notes before the next class. 13. I often feel like I have little control over what happens to me in school. 14. I stop periodically while reading and mentally go over or review what was said. 15. When I am studying a topic, I try to make everything fit together logically. 16. When I begin an examination, I feel pretty confident that I will do well. 17. When it comes to studying, procrastination is a problem for me. 18. I check to see if I understand what the instructor is saying during the lecture. 19. I try to find relationships between what I am learning and what I already know. 20. I set high standards for myself in school. 21. I key in on the first and/or last sentences of most paragraphs when reading my text. 22. When work is difficult I either give up or study only the easy parts. 23. I make drawings or sketches to help me understand what I am studying. 24. I have trouble understanding just what a test question is asking. 25. I make simple charts, diagrams or tables to summarize material in my courses. 26. Worrying about doing poorly interferes with my concentration on tests. 27. I read textbooks assigned for my classes. 28. I feel very panicky when I take an important test. 29. When I decide to study, I set aside a specific length of time and stick to it. 30. When I take a test, I realize I have studied the wrong material. 31. It is hard for me to decide what is important to underline in a text. 32. I concentrate fully when I study.