Analysis and evaluation of tools, programs, and methods at German university to support the study skills of school students

Abstract

Study skills summarize activities of self-regulated personalized learning and working that are important for successfully completing a study degree e.g. time management or teamwork. Since one of the main reasons for dropping out of university is the lack of proper study skills in students, German universities offer various support programs to help building up study skills at the beginning of the studies or even before entering university. The tools and methods, used in these programs differ according to the students' age, gender, and proficiency level. In this paper, we investigate ten different university programs for improving students' study skills. For this purpose, we conduct interviews with representatives of the universities and analyze the offerings in detail. Based on the success rate and promoted skills, we suggest a best practice program for promoting study skills. The results of this work give a first overview of different programs by analyzing how they can be used for building up study skills. Further, they can be used as a recommendation from various universities while developing their own programs.