What do students do when they read to learn? Lessons from five case studies

Abstract

In order to complement the quantitative study of reading abilities of 1 200 first-year
psychology students with a qualitative approach, five case studies of first-year
psychology students were also undertaken. This article reports on the observations
that were made of the reading practices, attitudes and problems of the five
students. They were tracked over a three-month period during which they read their
prescribed textbook in preparation for assignment tasks and the examinations. The
findings indicated that the students were generally slow and non-strategic readers
who struggled to make sense of their textbook. Unless such students are helped to
become more skilled and effective readers, they are unlikely to process their study
material at a deeper level and become independent learners.

South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 19 (4) 2005: pp.790-812