Academic Achievement and Individual Differences in Learning Processes

Abstract

This study was concerned with the degree of re lationship between academic achievement, as as sessed by college grade-point average, and infor mation-processing habits relevant to learning, as as sessed by the scales of the Inventory of Learning Processes (ILP). The ILP scales of Synthesis-Analy sis, Fact Retention, and Elaborative Processing were significantly related to GPA and scores on the American College Testing (ACT) Program Assess ment. Thus, the successful student seems to process information in depth and encode it elaboratively, while simultaneously retaining the details of the original information. Unexpectedly, the Study Methods scale demonstrated a small but significant negative relationship with ACT scores. A path analysis suggested that the effects which Fact Re tention and Elaborative Processing have upon GPA are mainly direct, while the effect of Synthesis- Analysis is mostly interpreted by ACT.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ausubel, D.P. Educational psychology: A cognitive view. New York : Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1968.

Craik, F.I.M. Depth of processing in recall and recognition. In S. Dornic (Ed.), Attention and performance (Vol. 6). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1977.

Craik, F.I.M. , & Lockhart, R.S. Levels of processing : A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior , 1972, 11, 671-684.

Craik, F.I.M. , & Tulving, E. Depth of processing and retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 1975 , 104, 268-294.

Malin, J.T. , & Malin, D.H. Text comprehension and study skills: Final report. Unpublished manuscript, University of Houston, 1976.

Marton, F. , & Saljo, R. On qualitative differences in learning: I. Outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 1976 , 46, 4-11.

Meyer, B. The organization of prose and its effects on memory. Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1975.

Ribich, F.D. Performance on word list and prose learning tasks as a function of learning style. Master's thesis, Southern Illinois University, 1976.

Schmeck, R.R. , Ribich, R. , & Ramanaiah, N. Development of a self-report inventory for assessing individual differences in learning processes. Applied Psychological Measurement , 1977, 1, 413-431.

10.

Schmeck, R.R. , & Ribich, F.D. Construct validation of the Inventory of Learning Processes. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1978, 2, 551-562.

11.

Weinstein, C.E. Learning of elaboration strategies. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 1975.

12.

Weinstein, C.E. Cognitive elaboration learning strategies. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, 1977