Study Skills in High School

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate the impact of a study skills class on student\u27s achievement test scores. The independent variables were participation in the study skills class, gender and socioeconomic status. The dependent variables were California Test of Basic Skills scores (Reading, Language, Mathematics, Study Skills, Social Studies and Total Battery). The students in the present study were freshmen. The experimental group was made up of 17 students enrolled in the study skills class. The control group consisted of 19 freshmen who had not enrolled in the study skills class. Three composite null hypotheses were tested at the .05 level. A pretest/posttest single-factor analysis of covariance was employed. A total of 18 comparisons were made. Two of the 18 comparisons were statistically significant at the .05 level. The statistically significant comparisons were for the following: 1. the independent variable participation type and the dependent variable Reading, and 2. the independent variable participation type and the dependent variable composite score. The results of the present study indicated the following: 1. the control group had a statistically larger adjusted posttest mean Reading score that the participating group, and 2. the control group had a statistically larger adjusted posttest mean composite score than the participating group. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations; 1. a study skills class of the type examined in this study is not effective in improving standardized achievement test results, 2. the gender of students participating in the Study Skills class is not associated with content achievement, and 3. the socioeconomic status of students participating in the Study Skills class is not associated with content achievement