This study attempts to discover what types of errors are commonly made by students in freshman chemistry classes. It considers the errors resulting from the students' lack of knowledge of the subject taught, and errors attributed to their failure to use correct English in their expression of ideas.

This study was initiated to assess the effectiveness of a special orientation program with the purpose of reducing the anxiety of entering freshmen and easing their adjustment to the campus environment. The criteria of evaluation were retention, satisfaction, and academic achievement. The 468 subjects were first-time freshmen from outside Tarrant County entering Texas Christian University in the fall of 1980. Half of the subjects participated in the experimental program, Operation Welcome, and the other half served as a control group. Those in Operation Welcome were grouped in teams with eight other freshmen, two upperclassmen serving as a big brother and big sister, and a local alumni family. Each of the freshmen in the program received letters of welcome prior to leaving home and participated in special events upon arrival on campus.

The problem with which this study is concerned was that of examining the relationship between academic achievement of college freshmen students and selected demographic variables. The purpose was to compare the grade point average of selected freshmen at North Texas State University and determine if geographic location, high school size, gender, racial heritage and college admission test scores affect academic achievement during the first year of college.

It is the purpose of this study to determine if ego-involvement influences the performance of an individual in a learning situation.

This study investigated: the impact of addition of learning styles identification and interpretation on an existing academic skills improvement program, the effect of student's learning new material at preferred or non-preferred times of day, and learning style characteristics for different sexes, ethnic groups, and college majors. Student GPAs and probationary status were compared for 144 freshman students admitted on Individual Approval status, i.e., 71 students who completed the Academic Skills Workshops during the Fall of 1983 and 73 students who completed a revised program in 1984. Reading gain scores and learning style characteristics were studied for the 1984 students. Learning style characteristics were measured by the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey and reading gains were measured by the Nelson-Denny Reading Test. Analysis of variance, simple effects analysis, and chi square analysis were used to determine whether GPAs and probationary status significantly improved after the addition of learning style information for the total sample, sex and ethnic subgroups. Reading gain scores were compared by means of a t test. Analysis of variance and simple effects analysis were used to determine whether different learning style preferences existed for different sex, ethnic, and college major groups. Findings indicated that GPAs and probationary status did not significantly improve for students who received learning styles assessment and interpretation as compared to those who did not, either by total sample or subgroup analysis. Reading gain scores were not significantly better for time-congruent than time-incongruent students. However, scores on some learning style elements were significantly different for male, female, Anglo-American, Mexican-American, and college major groups. Differences in program instructional format and setting, sample, and outcome measures between this study and previous research were discussed as possible reasons for the lack of significant improvement in GPA, probationary status or gain scores. Some of these factors may also have been responsible for the low number of elements found to be significantly different for the subgroups studied.

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The problem of this study was first year student retention at a private university. The purpose of the study was to identify high risk students (dropout prone) by use of the Stratil Counseling Inventory -_ College Form (SCI-C) in order to initiate early intervention counseling and advising. Intrusive counseling was started within the first six weeks of the 1984 fall semester to facilitate the students' transition to college. The population of the study was first-time full-time freshmen students in attendance at Freshmen Orientation the week prior to the beginning of the 1984 academic year. SCI-C instrument consisted of six scales designed to elicit attrition-related information about the firsttime, freshmen students. The scales identified students who were in need of assistance, and they provided a profile of their problem areas. This information, available within ten days after the beginning of classes enabled Student Development personnel to select the students out of the freshman class who needed help and to refer them to university resources for assistance. The conclusions drawn from the analysis of the SCI-C data were: (1) students who needed assistance to integrate into the academic and social envrionment of the university were identified by the SCI-C; (2) students at Hardin-Simmons University value adult/student relationship outside of the classroom; (3) attitudes of caring service creates a "staying environment;1* (4) although the SCI-C indicates students' interests in support services, not all students who request assistance, avail themselves of the opportunities provided for them; (5) a relationship seems to exist between the intervention strategies provided particular freshmen and their succesful performance in the classroom (CPA of 1.60 or greater) and their persistence at the university for their second year; (6) the SCI-C provides attrition-related counseling information about students rather than predicting college academic success; and (7) the SCI-C i s a valid instrument to use to facilitate student retention at Hardin-Simmons University,

A elitização da universidade pública brasileira é a preocupação central desta investigação. Com os programas de inclusão social, tem-se possibilitado maior representatividade de alunos em condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis nestas instituições. Na Universidade de São Paulo USP, locus escolhido para esta pesquisa, o Programa de Inclusão Social INCLUSP, desde 2007, tem favorecido a entrada de alunos que cursaram todo o ensino médio em escolas públicas, majoritariamente constituída por alunos em condições menos favorecidas da sociedade brasileira. Teve-se como objetivo trazer elementos que possibilitassem pensar a docência universitária no sentido de favorecer trajetórias acadêmicas de sucesso destes alunos, entendidas como possibilidade de formação profissional, científica e política, função que atribuímos à universidade pública, que se entende concretizar-se na promoção do ensino profissional indissociado da pesquisa e da extensão. Para tanto, realizou-se a coleta de dados por meio de dois questionários abertos, respondidos por escrito pelos sujeitos, em momentos diversos. Com o primeiro questionário buscou-se identificar dificuldades de alunos ingressantes que cursaram todo o ensino médio comum em escolas públicas. Na segunda etapa, intentou-se perceber a permanência ou não das dificuldades apontadas no ano seguinte ao ingresso e a forma como os sujeitos lidavam com estas dificuldades. A coleta de dados ocorreu em três cursos da USP que apresentaram maiores índices de evasão de alunos que cursaram o ensino médio comum público, entendida como uma forma de exclusão. Foram identificadas como principais dificuldades acadêmicas, que se constituem em entraves a uma trajetória de sucesso: a exiguidade do tempo e sua má gestão; a opção por uma abordagem superficial de aprendizagem; a quantidade e complexidade dos conteúdos; o desânimo frente a situações de insucesso; dificuldades de convivência acadêmica. A partir do estudo foi possível apontar como demandas à docência a necessidade de reflexões sobre a função social da universidade e sobre a baixa representatividade de alunos em condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis, especialmente, nos cursos mais prestigiados; identificar e refletir sobre as dificuldades dos ingressantes, tendo-se em conta a diversidade entre os cursos e entre os sujeitos-alunos; considerar aspectos relativos à gestão do tempo como conteúdos de ensino, versando sobre o como e o que estudar e aprender considerando que estes se encontram em processo de afiliação e de construção de novas formas de se relacionar com o saber; de repensar sobre as funções das atividades avaliativas, a organização do currículo e de atividades de aprendizagem e, a importância do professor criar possibilidades ou atividades que favoreçam a convivência acadêmica, contribuindo para integração e afiliação do ingressante. Tais demandas indicariam a necessidade de uma formação contínua de professores universitários, especialmente pela exigência de pouca ou nenhuma formação pedagógica para a docência neste nível de ensino, no sentido da formação de docentes reflexivos no âmbito do conceito de desenvolvimento profissional docente, favorecendo a constituição de bases pedagógicas para que o professor tenha referências mais amplas para sustentar o trabalho de ensinar. / The concentration of Brazilian public universities on the elite is the central concern of this research. Inclusion programs have provided the possibility of a greater representation of students in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions in these institutions. At the University of São Paulo USP, chosen locus for this research, the inclusion program INCLUSP, has, since 2007, favored the admission of students who studied their entire high school in public schools, which, in Brazil, are majorly composed of students in societys less favorable conditions. An objective of this research is to provide elements that promote university teaching in the sense of favoring a successful academic career for these students, which is understood as the possibility of professional, scientific and political education, role which we attribute to public universities and is perceived to be realized by the promulgation of professional teaching coalesced with research and extension. For that purpose, data was collected through two open questionnaires, which were answered in writing by the subjects of this research at different moments. The first questionnaire looked to identify the main difficulties that freshmen students who attended public high schools have in their first year at the university. The second stage sought to establish whether the difficulties brought up during the first stage lasted through the year following the subjects admission or not, and how they had dealt with these difficulties. The data collection occurred in three courses of the University of São Paulo which presented lower retention of students who attended public high schools, which is interpreted as a form of exclusion. The main academic difficulties that were identified, which constitute barriers to a successful trajectory, were: the exiguity of time and its bad management; the choice of a superficial approach to schooling; the quantity and complexity of contents; the frustration when confronted with unsuccessful situations; and difficulties with academic daily life. From the study it was possible to extract as demands of the teachers the necessities: of reflecting about the social function of the university and the low representation of students in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, especially in more prestigious courses; of identifying and reflecting about difficulties freshmen students have, keeping in mind the differences between courses and subjects-students; of considering aspects of time management as teaching contents, emphasizing how and what to study and learn considering that the students are in a process of affiliation and construction of new forms of relating to knowledge; of rethinking about: the function of evaluative activities, how the curriculum and the learning activities are organized and the importance of the professor creating possibilities and activities that favor the academic daily life, contributing to the affiliation and integration of the newcomer. Such demands indicate the need of continuous development of university professors, especially due to the low requirement of pedagogical formation of teachers in this level of teaching, as to create reflective teachers, favoring the construction of pedagogical bases so that the professor has more ample references to support the work of teaching.

A elitização da universidade pública brasileira é a preocupação central desta investigação. Com os programas de inclusão social, tem-se possibilitado maior representatividade de alunos em condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis nestas instituições. Na Universidade de São Paulo USP, locus escolhido para esta pesquisa, o Programa de Inclusão Social INCLUSP, desde 2007, tem favorecido a entrada de alunos que cursaram todo o ensino médio em escolas públicas, majoritariamente constituída por alunos em condições menos favorecidas da sociedade brasileira. Teve-se como objetivo trazer elementos que possibilitassem pensar a docência universitária no sentido de favorecer trajetórias acadêmicas de sucesso destes alunos, entendidas como possibilidade de formação profissional, científica e política, função que atribuímos à universidade pública, que se entende concretizar-se na promoção do ensino profissional indissociado da pesquisa e da extensão. Para tanto, realizou-se a coleta de dados por meio de dois questionários abertos, respondidos por escrito pelos sujeitos, em momentos diversos. Com o primeiro questionário buscou-se identificar dificuldades de alunos ingressantes que cursaram todo o ensino médio comum em escolas públicas. Na segunda etapa, intentou-se perceber a permanência ou não das dificuldades apontadas no ano seguinte ao ingresso e a forma como os sujeitos lidavam com estas dificuldades. A coleta de dados ocorreu em três cursos da USP que apresentaram maiores índices de evasão de alunos que cursaram o ensino médio comum público, entendida como uma forma de exclusão. Foram identificadas como principais dificuldades acadêmicas, que se constituem em entraves a uma trajetória de sucesso: a exiguidade do tempo e sua má gestão; a opção por uma abordagem superficial de aprendizagem; a quantidade e complexidade dos conteúdos; o desânimo frente a situações de insucesso; dificuldades de convivência acadêmica. A partir do estudo foi possível apontar como demandas à docência a necessidade de reflexões sobre a função social da universidade e sobre a baixa representatividade de alunos em condições socioeconômicas desfavoráveis, especialmente, nos cursos mais prestigiados; identificar e refletir sobre as dificuldades dos ingressantes, tendo-se em conta a diversidade entre os cursos e entre os sujeitos-alunos; considerar aspectos relativos à gestão do tempo como conteúdos de ensino, versando sobre o como e o que estudar e aprender considerando que estes se encontram em processo de afiliação e de construção de novas formas de se relacionar com o saber; de repensar sobre as funções das atividades avaliativas, a organização do currículo e de atividades de aprendizagem e, a importância do professor criar possibilidades ou atividades que favoreçam a convivência acadêmica, contribuindo para integração e afiliação do ingressante. Tais demandas indicariam a necessidade de uma formação contínua de professores universitários, especialmente pela exigência de pouca ou nenhuma formação pedagógica para a docência neste nível de ensino, no sentido da formação de docentes reflexivos no âmbito do conceito de desenvolvimento profissional docente, favorecendo a constituição de bases pedagógicas para que o professor tenha referências mais amplas para sustentar o trabalho de ensinar. / The concentration of Brazilian public universities on the elite is the central concern of this research. Inclusion programs have provided the possibility of a greater representation of students in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions in these institutions. At the University of São Paulo USP, chosen locus for this research, the inclusion program INCLUSP, has, since 2007, favored the admission of students who studied their entire high school in public schools, which, in Brazil, are majorly composed of students in societys less favorable conditions. An objective of this research is to provide elements that promote university teaching in the sense of favoring a successful academic career for these students, which is understood as the possibility of professional, scientific and political education, role which we attribute to public universities and is perceived to be realized by the promulgation of professional teaching coalesced with research and extension. For that purpose, data was collected through two open questionnaires, which were answered in writing by the subjects of this research at different moments. The first questionnaire looked to identify the main difficulties that freshmen students who attended public high schools have in their first year at the university. The second stage sought to establish whether the difficulties brought up during the first stage lasted through the year following the subjects admission or not, and how they had dealt with these difficulties. The data collection occurred in three courses of the University of São Paulo which presented lower retention of students who attended public high schools, which is interpreted as a form of exclusion. The main academic difficulties that were identified, which constitute barriers to a successful trajectory, were: the exiguity of time and its bad management; the choice of a superficial approach to schooling; the quantity and complexity of contents; the frustration when confronted with unsuccessful situations; and difficulties with academic daily life. From the study it was possible to extract as demands of the teachers the necessities: of reflecting about the social function of the university and the low representation of students in unfavorable socioeconomic conditions, especially in more prestigious courses; of identifying and reflecting about difficulties freshmen students have, keeping in mind the differences between courses and subjects-students; of considering aspects of time management as teaching contents, emphasizing how and what to study and learn considering that the students are in a process of affiliation and construction of new forms of relating to knowledge; of rethinking about: the function of evaluative activities, how the curriculum and the learning activities are organized and the importance of the professor creating possibilities and activities that favor the academic daily life, contributing to the affiliation and integration of the newcomer. Such demands indicate the need of continuous development of university professors, especially due to the low requirement of pedagogical formation of teachers in this level of teaching, as to create reflective teachers, favoring the construction of pedagogical bases so that the professor has more ample references to support the work of teaching.