Student's study behaviors as a predictor of performance in general chemistry I

Abstract

General chemistry is often the first course taken by students interested in careers in STEM and health fields, and therefore, is considered an essential course for the success and retention of students in these fields. Prior studies have shown study habits and skills to be related to student performance in college-level courses, including STEM courses. Previous chemistry studies have focused on deep versus surface approaches to studying, how affective variables (e.g., self-efficacy) affect study habits, and how students study week to week. Literature has also shown that students’ management of their general study time can impact their performance, with distraction while studying becoming an increasing challenge for students. This study examined first-semester general-chemistry students' study behaviors (both their explicit learning strategies and study-time management practices) focusing on their exam preparation and that relationship to exam performance when controlling for prior knowledge and class attendance. Key findings include: (1) students, on average, employed two active strategies for exam preparation, dedicated half of their study time to active strategies, and were distracted 26% of the time. (2) While active strategies positively influenced exam performance and passive strategies had a negative impact, not all active strategies were equally effective. (3) The percentage of study time spent on active strategies correlated positively with performance, whereas higher distraction levels during exam preparation negatively affected outcomes. Understanding student exam-study behaviors and their effects on exam performance can help instructors support students more effectively by teaching them study strategies effective for their courses.