Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success : A Self-management Approach

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24 CHAPTER 1

own self-management study. Take a moment to look at the self-man-

agement study at the end of chapter 5, focusing on reducing anxiety.

Appendix A provides detailed procedures for how to conduct such

a study. You will learn in Appendix A how to identify a problem,

observe your behavior, and develop a plan to improve and evaluate

your academic learning. Read Appendix A as soon as possible. Appen-

dix B provides three examples of such studies. You will find an eval-

uation of each self-study at the end of each report. Your instructor

will provide specific directions about conducting such a study.

You may want to conduct a self-management study to improve your

time management, study environment, test preparation, motivation, or

any other study-related skill. Read ahead in the textbook if you wish

to conduct a study on a topic that will be discussed later in the term.

HOW DOES SELF-MANAGEMENT OCCUR IN AN ACADEMIC CONTEXT?

Figure 1.2 is useful for understanding the organization of the

remaining chapters in this book. Although all the components of self-

management interact, it is easier in a textbook to present content in

a linear fashion. Therefore, I have grouped the components into three

different units. The self-management cycle can help you gain compe-

tence in each of the areas identified.

There are four key skills that must be mastered to perform success-

fully in any academic setting: learning from text, learning from lectures,

preparing for exams, and taking exams. Writing, another important

skill, is discussed under learning how to respond to essay exams.

Motivational

Strategies

Goal Setting

Emotion and

Effort

Behavioral

Strategies

Time Management

Physical and Social

Environment

Learning and

Study Strategies

Learning from

Textbooks

Learning from

Lectures

Preparing for

Exams

Taking Exams

Academic

Performance

FIG. 1.2. Academic self-management.