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DIAGNOSING AND PREDICTING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: RESULTS OF LEARNING AND STUDY STRATEGIES INVENTORY (LASSI)

George R. Dawkins, Ph.D.Vice-Principal: Academic Affairs & Research Shortwood Teachers’ College

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OBJECTIVES

Findings of an action research study: 1. Learn about a diagnostic tool for

assessing students’ learning and study skills

2. Provide learners with critical data regarding their strengths and weaknesses in learning and study skills

3. Developing customized learning intervention plan for learners

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NEED FOR THE STUDY

Develop students’ learning profile

Analyze students’ strengths and weaknesses

Assess and monitor students’ ability to self-regulate their learning

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NEED FOR THE STUDY

Develop meta-cognition and self-regulated thinking skills

A plan to improve student outcomes

Prediction of student achievement

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BENEFITS OF LEARNING AND STUDY STRATEGIES INVENTORY (LASSI)

A screening measure to help students develop greater awareness of their learning strengths and weaknesses;

A diagnostic measure to help identify areas in which students could benefit from most educational interventions;

A basis for planning individual prescriptions for remediation and enrichment;

A means for examining individual students’ scores and class trends to help them decide where to place the greatest emphasis for types and nature of assessment and class activities;

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BENEFITS OF LASSI

A pre-post achievement measure for students participating in programmes or courses focusing on learning strategies and study skills;

An evaluation tool to assess the degree of success of intervention courses or programs; and

An advising/counseling tool for college orientation programs, advisors, developmental education programs, learning assistance programs, and learning centers.

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STUDY’S METHODOLOGY

Design: Applied Survey study

Sample Decisions:43 fourth years

(2011)31 third years (2014)

Purposive sampling 10 students participated

in Intervention

No Department Number

1 Language Arts 15

2 History/Geo/SS 8

3 Modern Languages

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4 Early Childhood 25

5 Math 8

6 Religious Ed. 6

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. In what categories of the LASSI inventory did students demonstrate strength?

2. In what categories of the LASSI inventory did students demonstrate weakness?

3. How well did the intervention plan work for selected students?

4. Is there a statistically significant correlation between students overall LASSI score and their final GPA?

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INSTRUMENTSource: Claire Weinstein & David Palmer (2002)

No. of Questions = 80Five-point scale Likert scaleTen categories each with 8 questions

Total possible for each category is 40

Validity and reliability >0.71Normed

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INTERVENTION PLAN

Selected 10 students who indicated weaknesses based on profileTime managementAnxiety and worry ConcentrationSelf-testing and reviewing

Were willing to attend a study group meeting once per month

Profiles were examined and Sessions included training, counseling,

motivational talks

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GPA CHANGE OF TREATMENT GROUP

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5

year 3 GPAyear 1 GPA

GPA

STUDENTS

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LASSI 10 SKILLS CATEGORIES

1. (ATT) Attitude towards studying and motivation for success

2. (MOT) Motivation, diligence, self-discipline, and willingness to work hard

3. (TMT) Use of time management principles for academic tasks

4. (ANX) Anxiety and worry about school performance

5. (CON) Concentration and attention to academic tasks

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LASSI 10 SKILLS CATEGORIES (CONT’D)

6. (INP) Information processing, acquiring knowledge, and reasoning

7. (SMI) Selecting main ideas and recognizing important information

8. (STA) Use of support techniques and materials

9. (SFT) Self-testing, reviewing, and preparing for classes

10. (TST) Test strategies and preparing for tests

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EXAMPLES OF SKILL CATEGORIES

Information Processing Scale assesses: How well students’ can use imagery, verbal

elaboration, organization strategies, and reasoning skills as learning strategies to help learn new information and skills and to build bridges between what they already know and what they are trying to learn and remember.Do students try to summarize or

paraphrase their class reading assignments?

Do they try to relate what is being presented in class to their prior knowledge?

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EXAMPLES OF SKILL CATEGORIES

Anxiety Scale assesses the degree to which:

students worry about school and their academic performance.Do students worry so much that it

is hard for them to concentrate?Are they easily discouraged by low

grades?

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EXAMPLES OF SKILL CATEGORIES

Attitude Scale assesses students’ attitudes and interests in college and achieving academic success:How clear are students about their

owneducational goals?Is school really important or

worthwhileto them?

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EXAMPLES OF SKILL CATEGORIES

Motivation Scale assesses students’ diligence, self-discipline, and willingness to exert the effort necessary to successfully complete academic requirements.Do students stay up-to-date in

class assignments?Do they easily “give up” in

difficult classes

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LASSI (CATEGORY MEANS): 40-POINT SCALE

Anxiety & worry

Attitude & Interest

Concentration

Information Processing

Motivation

Self-Testing & Reviewing

Selecting main ideas

Support Techniques

Time Management

Test Strategies

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

25.8

32.5

29.4

32.2

32.3

27

31

27.6

25

29.3

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PERCENTILE RANKING

ANX ATT CON INP MOT SFT SMI STA TMT TST0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

50

40

60

75

50

65 6560

4045

Variables

Ranking

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INTERPRETATION

A percentile indicates the portion of a national sample of students who score at or below a particular score

E.G. The score of 33 on ATT is beside the 40th percentile ; that means that 40% of the students in a national sample scored 33 or lower while 60% of the students scored 33 or higher.

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INTERPRETATION

> than 75th percentile indicates an area of relative strength

Any score between 50th and 75th percentile levels indicates an area where you may need to improve strategies and skills

Any score below the 50th percentile level indicates an area of relative weakness

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CORRELATION ANALYSIS

LASSI and GPA = 0.767** Statistically significant at 0.01 level 1% change that correlation r occurred by

chance or random error. 58.9% of variance (error) explained in GPA as

predicted by LASSI score

Model Summary

.767a .589 .579 .28237Model1

R R SquareAdjus tedR Square

Std. Error ofthe Es timate

Predic tors : (Cons tant), Total LASSI Scorea.

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SCATTER PLOT: LINE OF BEST FIT

200.00 220.00 240.00 260.00 280.00 300.00 320.00 340.00

Total LASSI Score

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00S

tud

en

ts' G

PA

R Sq Linear = 0.589

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CONCLUSIONS

1. Moderately high positive correlation between Students’ overall LASSI score and their final GPA

2. Regression model indicates a fairly good prediction equation for predicting students’ GPA based on their LASSI scores

3. Intervention plan worked by improving students GPA scores

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RECOMMENDATIONS: LOW SCORES ON INVENTORY

Scale Suggestions

Attitude Work on higher level goal setting and reassess how school fits into your future

Motivation Work on goal setting for individual tasks and assignments

Time Management

Learn how to create a schedule and to deal with distractions, competing goals, and procrastination

Anxiety Learn techniques for coping with anxiety and reducing worry so you can focus on the task and not on anxiety

Concentration Learn techniques to enhance concentration and set priorities by focusing attention on the task at hand and eliminating interfering thoughts, emotions, feelings, and situations

Information Processing

Learn methods that you can use to help add meaning and organization to what you are trying to learn

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RECOMMENDATIONS: LOW SCORES ON INVENTORY

Scale Suggestions

Selecting Main Ideas

Learn more about how to identify important information so that you can focus attention and information processing strategies on appropriate material

Study Aids Learn more about the types of study aids provided in educational materials and how you can create your own aids

Self Testing

Learn more about the importance of self-testing and need to learn specific methods to review school material and to monitor your comprehension

Test Strategies

Learn more about how to prepare for tests, how to create a plan of attack for taking a test, the characteristics of different types of tests and test items, and how to reason through to an answer