The Effects of Study Behaviors on Student Success

As a company that has cut its teeth on promoting the importance of study skills and behavioral characteristics, it should not come as a surprise that we at Academic Success believe that students—particularly those with certain challenges—need to understand how to study before they ever set foot in a college classroom. Most high schools, however, do not prepare students with learning behaviors/study skills, especially in the area of mathematics. This is particularly true for students in developmental math courses.

With this in mind, a couple of years ago, we came across a fascinating article in the Journal of Developmental Education, which used an enlightening study to prove that study behavior is the second most important factor in student retention and success, just behind course placement. Conducted by Kevin Li, Richard Zelenka, Larry Buonaguidi, Robert Beckman, Alex Casillas, Jill Crouse, Jeff Allen, Mary Ann Hanson, Tara Acton, and Steve Robbins, the study followed just over 1,000 students who took developmental math courses between Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 at a school in the Midwest. The group recorded these students’ initial math readiness, course behavior, math knowledge, and course success.

In the end, the study found that students only succeeded in courses for which they were prepared, both in terms of math readiness and behavioral readiness. The group recommended using a model in which “each new student is assessed from both academic and behavioral risk perspectives and subsequently referred to resources for academic and behavioral skill development.” Just as important, the group recommended that institutions avoid using “one-size-fits-all” approaches to developmental courses. Instead, institutions should “take a multifaceted approach to assessing and identifying student academic and behavioral skill gaps, and, in turn, provide resources designed to address these gaps.”

We at Academic Success agree wholeheartedly. For years, Dr. Nolting has travelled the country preaching the importance of motivation, study skills and the ability to understand exactly how and when certain learning challenges affect a student’s capacity to learn and succeed.  Additional research has shown teaching developmental and non-developmental students math study skills/learning behaviors during the first half of a math course has improved math success. Recently, Dr. Nolting and others at the AMATYC, NADE and MAA National Math Summits have focused on the need to improve student math learning skills as part of the national redesign movement. Wholesale approaches rarely work for developmental students—or for that matter, students without learning challenges. Each student learns in his or her own unique way. This means that it is incredibly important to work with each and every one of our students either before they reach the classroom or during the first few weeks of the semester in order to assess and compensate for any perceivable hurdles a student may have to jump on his or her way to graduation.  

Readiness, Behavior, and Foundational Mathematics Course Success. Li, K., Zelenka, R., Buonaguidi, L., Beckman, R., Casillas, A., Crouse, L., Allen, J., Hanson, M.A., Acton, T., and Robbins, S. Journal of Developmental Education. 14-22. 
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