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                               Doctoral Dissertations                                                                                 University of Connecticut Graduate School
                               4-24-2013
                               Using Learning and Study Strategies and
                               Counseling Interventions to Improve the Academic
                               Performance of University Students Placed on
                               Academic Probation
                               Sara Renzulli
                               University of Connecticut - Storrs, sara.renzulli@uconn.edu
                               Follow this and additional works at: https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations
                               Recommended Citation
                               Renzulli, Sara, "Using Learning and Study Strategies and Counseling Interventions to Improve the Academic Performance of
                               University Students Placed on Academic Probation" (2013).Doctoral Dissertations. 68.
                               https://opencommons.uconn.edu/dissertations/68
         Using Learning and Study Strategies and Counseling Interventions to Improve the 
          Academic Performance of University Students Placed on Academic Probation 
                        Sara Renzulli 
                    University of Connecticut, 2013 
       Half of all students who begin college fail to complete their degrees, a waste of resources and 
       opportunities for both students and our society at large. Research should investigate practices to 
       retain students who are at risk for dropping out, as few studies have examined whether academic 
       counseling or study skills result in stronger academic performance in college students who 
       experience academic difficulties. This mixed methods dissertation explored the use of a three 
       week course in specific study strategies, such as self-testing, self-regulation, and effective note 
       taking, as compared to a three week academic counseling intervention on the improved academic 
       performance of students on academic probation. Quantitative methods, employing a randomized 
       control study, investigated the use of two different approaches, a study skills course or an 
       academic counseling intervention, on increased academic performance as measured by grade 
       point average (GPA).  The GPAs of these two groups were compared to each other as well as to 
       a control group from the same academic probation student population that received no services. 
       The minimum group size recommended by a statistical power analysis of 42 was not achieved, 
       despite multiple attempts. A smaller than expected sample size for all three groups occurred, and 
       no significant differences were found in the GPA’s of the 29 students who were randomly 
       divided among the two intervention groups, as compared to the control groups. Qualitative 
       methods also probed the utility of the two interventions. Results found that students who 
       participated in a study skills class reported studying for twice as many hours after participating in 
       either an academic study skills course or a counseling intervention. Participants in both groups 
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       also reported using more varied and effective study strategies than students in a control group, an 
       important finding for the advisement and provision of services to students who enroll in college 
       who are unprepared for academic challenges. 
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
        
        
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        Using Learning and Study Strategies and Counseling Interventions to Improve the Academic 
             Performance of University Students Placed on Academic Probation 
                            
        
                       Sara Jane Renzulli  
                     B.A., Union College, 2007 
                  M.Ed., University of Connecticut, 2010 
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                        A Dissertation 
                   Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the 
                    Requirements for the Degree of 
                      Doctor of Philosophy 
                            
                            
                     University of Connecticut 
                         2013 
                            
        
        
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