Psychology
Do You “Study Smarter?” Teaching Students How to Learn More Effectively
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
13-4-2018 11:15 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 11:45 AM
Sponsor
Mandy Hall (Butler University), Tara Lineweaver (Butler University)
Description
The “Study Smarter, Not Harder” study tips program teaches students eight tips, based on the empirical literature, designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their study habits. Our past research demonstrated the efficacy of this presentation towards improving students’ study approaches. The article "Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology" (Putnam, Sungkhasettee & Roediger, 2016) summarizes similar tips. We compared the two tools to determine which has a greater positive impact on students’ academic habits. Sixty-four students initially participated in the study. Through random assignment, they either spent 60 minutes reading the article or attending the “Study Smarter, Not Harder” presentation. Approximately six weeks later, forty-four of these students completed an online survey, 21 who had read the article and 23 who had heard the presentation. On the survey about their study habits, participants described tips as significantly more effective and more helpful than non-tips. Unexpectedly, students also reported utilizing non-tips more than tips, possibly due to the popularity of our comparison strategies (e.g. highlighting). However, in support of our study goal, participants also indicated that they increased their use of study tips more than non-tips from before to after the session. None of these effects interacted with the type of session that students attended. Together, these results indicate that students can benefit from instruction in how to study more effectively. Interestingly, the presentation and the article had a similar positive effect on students’ study habits, suggesting either may be an efficacious way to improve students’ academic success.
Do You “Study Smarter?” Teaching Students How to Learn More Effectively
Indianapolis, IN
The “Study Smarter, Not Harder” study tips program teaches students eight tips, based on the empirical literature, designed to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their study habits. Our past research demonstrated the efficacy of this presentation towards improving students’ study approaches. The article "Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology" (Putnam, Sungkhasettee & Roediger, 2016) summarizes similar tips. We compared the two tools to determine which has a greater positive impact on students’ academic habits. Sixty-four students initially participated in the study. Through random assignment, they either spent 60 minutes reading the article or attending the “Study Smarter, Not Harder” presentation. Approximately six weeks later, forty-four of these students completed an online survey, 21 who had read the article and 23 who had heard the presentation. On the survey about their study habits, participants described tips as significantly more effective and more helpful than non-tips. Unexpectedly, students also reported utilizing non-tips more than tips, possibly due to the popularity of our comparison strategies (e.g. highlighting). However, in support of our study goal, participants also indicated that they increased their use of study tips more than non-tips from before to after the session. None of these effects interacted with the type of session that students attended. Together, these results indicate that students can benefit from instruction in how to study more effectively. Interestingly, the presentation and the article had a similar positive effect on students’ study habits, suggesting either may be an efficacious way to improve students’ academic success.