ho. w AN ASSESSMENT OF SELF REGULATION, STUDY SKILLS INSTRUCTION, AND MEASURES OF ABILITY' ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Kathleen A. Ryan A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY July 1980 Approved by Doctoral Committee Advisor Department of Psychology Graduate School Representative Il ABSTRACT Selfr-regulation of study behaviors and training in effective study skills are two methods that have been used to improve student academic performance. Both methods, however, have not been reliable in producing positive results. The purpose of this study was to determine if student academic aptitude or student study habits affect the extent to which self-regulation procedures and study skills training increase academic performance. The question asked was whether a method optimal for one student was also optimal for others. Participants were 356 students enrolled in 10 sections of introductory psychology. Five experimental conditions, each consisting of two sections, differed in the instructions given to students in the beginning of the course. Students in the self-regulation condition were instructed to monitor and record certain study behaviors on a regular basis. Students in the study skills condition were instructed in the SQ3R Study Method. A third condition required students to both self-regulate their study behaviors and learn the SQ3R Study Method. A fourth "no treatment” condition simply required students to complete chapter outlines. A fifth condition was also a no treatment condition but did not require chapter outlines. The measure of student aptitude was scores on the American College Test (ACT). The measure of student study habits was scores on the Brown- Holtzman Survey of Study Habits and Attitudes (SSHA). Measures used to evaluate the results were total number of points earned on all five exams scheduled during the school term and scores on a comprehensive final exam. Regression analysis showed significant aptitude-treatment and study habits-treatment interactions for both midterm tests and final exam scores. The combined treatment of self-regulation procedures and study skills training benefited above average students more than either treatment alone. Above average students with self-regulation procedures performed slightly better than comparable students with study skills training. Self-regulation benefited students who scored high on the Delay Avoidance subscale of the SSHA more than those with study skills training. On the other hand, study skills training benefited students who scored high on the Work Methods subscale. The present study found that both self-regulation procedures and study skills training benefited above average students while not helping below average students. This finding implies that the focus of these two treatment programs towards helping low ability students may have, in the past, been misplaced. IV Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION................................. ................................................................. ...... 1 Self-Regulation. ............................................................................... .... 2 Academie performance ...................................................................................... 5 Methodological considerations ............................................... ...S Study Skills....................................... 10 Academic Aptitude-Treatment Interactions ..................................................... 13 Statement of the Problem. ..................................................... 17 METHOD . o ........... ................................. 20 Subjects ................................................................................................................................ 20 Procedure.................................................... 20 Study Skills instruction . .23 Self-regulation instruction . 24 No treatment............................................................................................ 28 Summary of Experimental Design. ......................................................................... 28 RESULTS. ................................................................................................................................... .30 Equivalence of Groups. ..................................................................................... ..30 Aptitude by Treatment Interactions .................................. 31 Total points on midterm tests........................................ .... 32 Scores on final exam .........................................................................................37 Study Habits by Treatment Interactions .................................. ....40 Course and Instructor Evaluations............................................................................ 50 V Page DISCUSSION. ........................................................ 52 Self-Regulation. .............................................................................................................52 Study Skills. ........................................................... 56 SSHA Subscales ................................................................................................... 59 SUMMARY. ........................................................... 60 FOOTNOTES ..... 62 REFERENCES. ............................................................................................................................ .65 APPENDICES.......................... ........................................................................ ...... 73 List of Figures Page Figure 1. Representation of no interaction, ordinal and disordinal interactions......................................... 16 Figure 2. Regression of midterm test points on ACT Composite scores for all conditions ........................................ 34 Figure 3. Regression of final exam scores on ACT Composite scores for all conditions........................................39 Figure 4« Regression of midterm test scores on Delay Avoidance subscale for all conditions........................................ 43 Figure 5. Regression of midterm test scores on Work Methods subscale for all conditions ........................................ 45 Figure 6. Regression of final exam scores on Delay Avoidance subscale for all conditions. .... 47 Figure 7. Regression of final exam scores on Work Methods subscale for all conditions................................. 49 List of Appendices page Appendix 1. Contract. ........................................................................................................ 73 Appendix 2. Study skills instruction.................................................... 75 Appendix 3. SQ3R Exercises.................................................................................................. 81 Appendix 4. Study skills quiz. 89 Appendix 5. Self-regulation instructions ............................................................ 91 Appendix 6. Self-régulâtion quiz. ... 97 Appendix 7. Means and standard deviations for psychology pretest, ACT Composite scores, and SSHA subscales . 99 Appendix 8. Stepwise regression of ACT Composite, Treatment, and interaction on midterm test poinst........................................ 103 Appendix 9. Regression analysis for midterm tests 1-5. 105 Appendix 10. Stepwise regression of ACT Composite, Treatment, and interaction on final exam score........................................ .112 Appendix 11. Teacher Approval and Educational Acceptance subscales of the SSHA.............................................. 114 Appendix 12. SSHA regression analysis ......................................................................119 Appendix 13. Course and instructor evaluations ............................................... 125 Appendix 14. Treatment evaluations ......................................................................... 128 Appendix 15. Self-regulation group means and intercorrelaticn matrix ...................................................................................... ...131 INTRODUCTION There have been several programs designed to help solve study problems of college undergraduates. Two of these programs are instruction in specific study skills which are assumed to be lacking, and instruction * in behavioral self-regulation techniques. Inconsistent results have been reported for each of the treatment approaches. For example, some studies report self-regulation techniques have successfully treated study problems (e.g. Greiner & Karoly, 1976; Mount & Tirrell, 1977; Richards, 1975; Richards, McReynolds, Holt, & Sexton, 1976) but other studies have found no effect (e.g. Grundle, 1975; McCrae, 1976; Tichenor, 1977). Also, instruction in specific study skills was found to be effective in several studies (e.g. Brown & Holtzman, 1967; Jackson & Van Zoost, 1972; Locke, 1977; Richards, 1975; Richards, et al. 1976) but not in others (e.g. Greiner & Karoly, 1976). Some of the inconsistent findings may be due to methodological inadequacies, but another reason for the inconsistent results may be that methods optimal for some students are detrimental to the achievement of others (Cronbach & Snow, 1977). Although success has been reported with both self-regulation methods and study skills training when treating individual students (e.g. Broden, Hall, & Mitts, 1971; Epstein & Goss, 1978; Goldiamond, 1965), none of the studies cited above distinguish