This paper reports a series of studies in the development of a Study Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) for use with university students. It attempted to determine optimal ways of combining SBQ item scores: by sorting people's responses to items (R-analysis), or by sorting items on the basis of how they discriminate between people (Q-analysis).…

Investigates the relationship between test performance and three constituents of study practices: distractibility, compulsiveness, and inquisitiveness. Finds (1) test performance monotonically related to inquisitiveness; (2) compulsivity related to test performance only in the distinction between "A" students and all others; and (3) no…

Results of an Australian study of the Biggs Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) are presented. The purposes of the research were to: (1) re-examine the SPQ's internal consistency; (2) explore dimensionality of the SPQ scales; and (3) investigate validity of Bigg's model of the study process complex through factor analysis. (Author/GK)

Predictors of persistence previously found useful in distinguishing successful from unsuccessful distance learners were assembled in a 60-item survey. The survey was completed by 259 learners enrolled in associate's, bachelor's, or master's level distance learning courses in accounting, business administration, information services, criminal…

This investigation is particularly concerned with study habits and personality characteristics associated with underachievement and failure in professional training at the higher educational level. (Editor)

The effect of preparation and organization of studies on learning is examined in this article. Research that has been done in this area is reviewed and compared according to variables such as grade level, subject area, and student ability. (DEP)

Discusses the orientation of learners, which takes into account their environment and how they take control over their studies. Describes a study of Australian university distance education students that examined factors which influence distance students' orientations, and discusses results that show student independence and study environment were…

This paper draws on the 1997 and 1999 waves of the College Alcohol Study to examine the effect of alcohol consumption on the study habits of college students. A generalized least squares estimation procedure is used to account for the potential correlation in the unobserved characteristics determining drinking behavior and study habits. Our…

This paper reports the finding from a study that examined the relationship between social bond variables and drunk driving in a sample of university students. A questionnaire containing indicators representing social bond variables, as well as a measure of drunk driving was administered to a sample of 1459 college students. The results of this…

The study reports on the first of several investigations into the antecedents and consequences of students' study activities across junior high school through college years. The development and validation of a self-report instrument, the "California Study Activities Inventory" (CSAI) is described. The principal features of the instrument…

This article reports on the characteristics of students classified as being over or underachievers. The concepts of over and underachievement are most frequently defined in terms that relate to expectations based on ability measures. During the past 30 years there have been attempts to isolate the causal determinants of achievement. Variables such…

A study is reported that explores possible developmental differences in conceptions of learning among people with different learning experiences. The data, obtained from interviews with 90 people from 15 to 73 years old, and with 6 to 17 years of schooling, indicate distinctive differences in conceptions of learning and study methods. (Author/JMD)

This paper reviews many of the observed characteristics and study habits of first-year students in Iowa State University's electrical engineering programme (Ames, Iowa, USA). The studying and problem-solving practices of the students are discussed to identify salient traits, strengths and weaknesses, and critical symptoms thereof, which can affect…

This article examines research findings from a study of Latina/o farmworker migrant students who have succeeded in gaining access to a college education at a large southern university. Findings reveal students with a strong Latina/o or bicultural identity who attend college seeking a better life, a career path, or to make their family proud.…

During fall 1982, a study was conducted at a community college in the western suburbs of Chicago to determine the relationship between students' demographic and scholastic characteristics and their study skills and habits. In addition, the study assessed the psychometric qualities of the Study Behavior Inventory (SBI), a 45-item instrument…