The Relation Between Self-Selected Study Processes and Test Performance

Abstract

This investigation used correlational methods in a realistic setting to examine the relation between test performance and four study processes that subjects self-selected: encoding, word meaning, organizing, and executive control. The participants were 123 university freshmen who were trained over a 5-week period to use a variety of study strategies. Then, for 5 weeks following training, subjects self-selected study processes and the strategies associated with these processess as they learned information from three content area chapters. For each chapter, subjects were tested and were required to provide evidence of the processes in which they engaged by submitting the strategies to the researchers. These strategies were then coded, and descriptive data, frequencies, correlations, and regression analyses were computed. The study provided a comprehensive picture of college students’ choice of study processes. Two major findings emerged about subjects’ self-selection processes: (a) executive control is related to test performance, and (b) those who are trained select a variety of strategies differentially.