Two experiments are reported that compared incentive motivation for studying, based on a weekly quiz in a course, to a metacognitive strategy for studying, based on identifying key terms, and providing definitions and elaborations as homework. In the first experiment, with a sample of 109 students enrolled in an educational psychology class, the…

There has been considerable debate regarding the consequences of students working part time while attending school. This study was conducted to compare teachers' perceptions of work impacts with other measures of students' academic performance and involvement. Surveys were completed by 172 high school students and 47 teachers and administrators.…

Factors related to retention of federal financial aid recipients in the 1974-1975 freshman class at Florida State University were studied. For 615 aid recipients, attention was directed to the type of federal aid received, amount of money awarded, family income, ethnicity, age, sex, and academic ability. Major findings include: high school grade…

A study was conducted to assess the use of the Psychological Services Bureau's Aptitude Test for Practical Nursing (PSB Aptitude Test) as an entrance requirement for the licensed vocational nurse (LVN) program at College of the Sequoias. The study sought to determine whether the PSB Aptitude Test was a valid indicator of success in the LVN…

Information on the senior year at Northwestern University, Illinois, and suggestions for providing focus to the last year of undergraduate study are presented, based on a needs assessment conducted by the Curricular Policies Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Department heads and other staff were contacted to obtain a profile of…

In spring 1988, a study was conducted of students who participated in college athletics at San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) between 1983-84 and 1987-88. Data collected on each student athlete included ethnicity, sport, place of residence, initial and current reading level, total grade point average (GPA), GPA in athletics and physical education…

A study was conducted at Mount San Antonio College (MSAC), California, to analyze patterns in credit course retention between fall 1986 and spring 1989. The study investigated the development of course prerequisites based on faculty perceptions of the skills necessary for success and minimal skill levels associated with success; student assessment…

The training of computer users is becoming increasingly important to all industrialized nations. This study examined how individual differences (e.g. ability and gender) may affect learning outcomes when acquiring computer skills. Subjects (N=347) were college students who took a computer literacy course from a college of business administration…

In 1989, a two-year study was completed comparing the academic progress of community college transfers, senior college transfers, and continuing juniors (natives) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The study samples were comprised of 673 former community college students and 393 senior college transfers who entered UIUC in…

Successful college instruction programs have two features that are associated with increased grade point averages and retention: (1) they are comprehensive and meet student needs, and (2) they are better institutionalized into the academic mainstream of the college or university. Several program characteristics are crucial to learning improvement,…

From the fall of 1981 through June 1984, more than 850 disabled examinees took special administration of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE). Grade point averages were obtained on 278 disabled students; 236 had enough complete data to be included in the study. Disabled students earned lower mean GRE scores than their nonhandicapped counterparts…

The relationship between cumulative grade point average (GPA) and the time needed to secure employment in the field of study was studied with 108 business college graduates during 1982-1984. Information was obtained through a computer listing of graduates from Robert Morris College, a private Illinois institution that provides intensive career…

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a measure of personality type and learning style, was used at Saint Louis University in the TRAILS (Tracking Retention and Academic Integration by Learning Style) Project. In addition to considering links between learning styles and student academic achievement and aptitude, MBTI was used to identify…

In spring 1985, a study was conducted at Broome Community College (BCC) in New York to determine the relationship between the number of hours students worked per week, their grade point average (GPA), and persistence in college and the conditions that may influence this relationship. The American College Testing Program Student Opinion Survey was…

A study was conducted at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) to provide data on the relationship of cumulative grade point average (GPA) and College-Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) performance. Because Florida community college students must be eligible for graduation in order to take the CLAST, the study focused mainly on MDCC students with…