Factors Associated with Ways High School Students Study from Textbooks

Abstract

The study identifies strategies high school students use in studying from textbooks and their relationships to selected environmental and personal variables. It was found that some students use always the same strategies whereas others study differently for different purposes. The most widely used organisational learning tool is an outline. For the majority of students their goal while reading a text is to extract the main ideas. Most students study for longer and in more depth for tests. Only one‐fifth of the students seriously respond to questions inserted in the text. Students with high preferences for rote memorisation tend to be satisfied with learning from prepared summaries whereas students with preferences towards principles and critical questioning tend to study in depth and use a variety of organisational learning tools.