Study Skills versus Non-Study Skills Students: A Discriminant Analysis

Abstract

In order to determine if female and male students who were (1) enrolled in a study skills course, (2) not enrolled but reported a study problem, and (3) not enrolled and without a study problem could be differentiated on measures of study skills knowledge, use, adjustment difficulties, and academic aptitude, two discriminant function analyses were performed. The results indicated that while the students in the three groups could be successfully differentiated, the major contributors to the discriminations were different for females and males. The females in the study skills group reported lower knowledge and use of study skills, lower academic aptitude scores, and more difficulties with adjustment to college work than females in the other two groups. While the males could not be differentiated on measures of study skills, males in the study skills courses reported more difficulties in adjusting to college and lower math and social science scores than the males in the other two groups. Implications for study skills programming were noted.