Helping College Students Read: An Investigation of the SOAR Strategy

Abstract

The SOAR study method (Selection, Organization, Association, Regulation) has proven effective, yet students are typically reluctant to use reading interventions or study aids. This study compared each of the components of the SOAR strategy to determine if they produce reading comprehension scores as strong as the combined SOAR strategy. Undergraduates from a Midwestern university were trained on one of six study methods: selection, organization, association, regulation, SOAR, or rereading, and were tested with fact, concept, and relationship questions. Concept and relationship comprehension were the same across conditions, and fact comprehension was highest for the SOAR and regulation groups. Participants’ reported likelihood of completing all four steps of the SOAR strategy was low, even while they acknowledged its effectiveness. Implications include developing reading interventions that maximize comprehension and efficiency while increasing students’ willingness to use those interventions.