Search for: All records

Students often struggle in the transition from high school to college. One component of this struggle is adjusting study habits to navigate new academic expectations. Another is establishing new relationships in college that can support their emotional well-being and academic success. We administered surveys consisting primarily of open-ended questions to students taking an introductory physics course in order to gain insight into students’ study habits and support structures and how they change from high school to college. We find that many students learn that they need to dedicate more time outside of class to studying in order to succeed in college. Many students trying to improve their performance report practicing more, but our results suggest that more practice alone is not sufficient; rather, students were able to increase their performance and satisfaction in the course by engaging more deeply with the material. Regarding support structures, we find that in high school, students find their teachers highly supportive and accessible, but they are less likely to approach their college professors for help. Meanwhile, many students find peers to be an important source of support in college as the amount of support they receive from their families diminishes with distance from home. Gaining a better understanding of students’ study habits, support structures, and how they conceptualize them can help us design course structures and messaging that can more effectively help students develop strong learning strategies and social networks. Published by the American Physical Society2024 

Exam preparation in introductory science courses is self-regulated. Practice testing has been shown to produce better learning then other strategies. However, many students do not use practice tests effectively when studying. This mixed-methods study examines two experiments aimed at improving examining student predictions about learning and studying. We found that scores on a mock exam impact students’ intentions for studying but not study habits. We also found that many underperforming students initially increase the use of ineffective study strategies rather than adopt a strategy change. Students who distribute studying throughout the semester and engage with course concepts more deeply demonstrate improvement and increased satisfaction. These results suggest that exam preparation interventions may need to include study strategy and metacognitive instruction.