Book Reviews

Issue 30(1)

Keys to college studying: Becoming an active thinker. (2007). Carol Carter, Joyce Bishop, Sarah Lyman Kravits. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 485 pp. $59.00. ISBN 9780131703773

Review by: Timothy J. Middleton

The College of Business

Florida State University

Academic success, especially for academically challenged students, is the achievement most students are proudest of on graduation day. Yes, the social times were memorable, but academic achievements are what they brag about and display as a diploma. The goal of “Keys to College Studying” is to help students “build essential study skills” by “being aware of how you learn and knowing how you think” (xix). The authors focus on “active thinking” with the goal that each reader looks “at your unique strengths and challenges as a learner and, based on what you understand about yourself, choose and adapt study techniques in ways that work for you” (xvii). They do not focus on a one-size-fits-all mentality but rather advocate an individualized study plan for each student.

The authors’ belief is that “many students lack confidence not because they have no ability but because they have never been taught how to learn and study successfully” (p. 7). They forge a two pronged attack to battle this problem. First, in chapters 1-2 they attempt to help students understand their particular learning strengths and weaknesses since “knowing how you learn helps you choose study techniques that capitalize on your strengths” (p. 49). The charts by Joyce Bishop, based on Howard Gardner’s work on multiple intelligences (pages 41-44), are especially helpful and are referenced throughout the book. Second, chapters 3-12 focus on different strategies for academic success with recommendations for what works best for each intelligence, or learning style, as delineated in Bishop’s charts. I found these chapters very helpful and even gleaned a few study ideas that I will implement in my Ph.D. studies. The “SQ3R” reading technique (pages 156-167) and the “Cornell Note-Taking System” (pages 246-249) were two such items.

Although well-written and very informative, this book seems a little daunting for use in a class or even to recommend to academically challenged students. It is better used as a resource for advisors or as a supplementary textbook for an academic success class. However, it is a must-read for advisors working with academically challenged students or students on academic probation. This book will help advisors assess student learning styles and educate students on how they can “learn and study successfully” (p. 7).

One area not adequately addressed in the text was time management. The excellent study ideas were not balanced with tips for making study-time more manageable. Yes, academic success requires time, but this book would be better with some time management tips highlighted and embedded in strategic places in each chapter, perhaps in a side bar box or at the end of each chapter.

This book is a must read for advisors working with academically challenged students; it is an excellent resource for all other advisors. Faculty members would also benefit from this book since it helps readers understand how students think. This could help faculty structure their lectures in ways that help students learn and understand the material.