College Students' Ability/Inability to Follow Directions

Abstract

During the author's 21 years in higher education, the author has observed problems with students following directions for assignments, whether orally or in writing or both. To investigate this phenomenon, the author analyzed scholarship in 11 categories to inductively answer two research questions about (1) what may be the bases for the phenomenon and (2) how to enable students to better follow directions. The author found that students' inability to follow directions in college courses seems based on (1) long-term reinforcement (since early elementary grades) of lessons about directions consisting of sequential steps and (2) further reinforcement as students age toward college by other very common sources (e.g., how-to videos) so that (3) many students are unable to process complex directions for addressing real-world, ambiguous, and ill-defined situations. In short, many students' schemata about directions do not work well in college courses. Using what research tells us, college and university professors can help their students through personalized learning about effectively following directions.