Colleges and universities face a critical challenge in addressing the educational needs of their academically underprepared students. With college dropout rates increasingly rising, post-secondary institutions must ensure that these students have both the knowledge and the skills necessary to succeed in higher education and beyond. The aim of this study was to investigate the learning and study strategies and skills of students participating in a university summer bridge program (SBP), which is a 6-week, high-school-to-college transition program for academically underprepared, at-risk, first-year students (as defined by the university). The relationships between SBP students' learning and study strategies and two measures of college achievement (first-year GPA and first-to-second-year persistence) were investigated using a two-phase, mixed-methods explanatory design. In Phase 1 of the study, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) profiles of SBP students (N = 266) were examined. The LASSI, an 80-item, self-report questionnaire, is used to assess students' knowledge and use of various cognitive, motivational, and self-regulatory strategies that contribute to strategic learning. In Phase 2 of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to follow-up with purposefully selected SBP students (n = 4) during their sophomore year at the university. Results of the study found that selecting main ideas and test strategies (LASSI) scales were significant predictors of first-year college GPA. Motivation, as assessed by the LASSI, was a significant predictor of first-to-second-year college persistence. Interviews conducted in Phase 2 of the study expand on these findings. Implications for educational policy and practice are highlighted. / Educational Psychology

Summer bridge programs (SBPs) have been used as a means of increasing students' college readiness and academic skills. University Southeast implemented a SBP in 2013 for students placing into developmental courses on the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA). However, researchers have found mixed results when evaluating the effectiveness of SBPs, and at University Southeast, it has not been investigated. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the difference in TSIA score gains between first-time-in-college students with developmental-level test scores who attended a three-week SBP and those who did not. Tinto's longitudinal model of student departure guided the study examining how university-provided support may increase a student's skills and abilities before the start of college. The research questions focused on the gain scores on TSIA math, reading, and writing pre- and posttests for first-time-in-college students completing the SBP and a control group not participating in the SBP and taking the TSIA a second time. A total of 769 archived test scores from 2014 and 2015 were analyzed using an independent-samples t test. Data analysis found significant gains only in the area of TSIA math, which suggests that college administrators reevaluate the use of SBPs. This study contributes to positive social change because it provides research-based data to administrators of the local SBP and demonstrates the need to explore options that will increase college readiness while ensuring that institutional funds are being used effectively.