Review of Effective study

Abstract

Reviews the book, Effective study by Francis P. Robinson (1946). This extensive revision of the author's previous(1941) "Diagnostic and remedial techniques for effective study" is a manual or workbook written to be used by students enrolled in how-to-study courses. It could be used with equal profit in many so-called college orientation courses. The book represents a coordination of the diagnostic and training devices and principles which have been demonstrated to improve scholarship at Ohio State University. It is designed to "free the instructor so that he may become a counselor rather than a task master." The first part of the book describes "Higher Level Work Skills"; these are traditional how-to-study topics and principles treated in nontraditional fashion. The motivated student to whom the logic of its presentation appeals should benefit greatly from using the "tricks of the trade" which receive detailed treatment in this section. Remedial reading and effective language usage are described, and various exercises provided, in the second part. In the last part problem areas familiar to the student personnel worker receive considerably more attention than is customary in books designed to teach study skills. The author's appeals are frankly made to serious students of all levels of ability who appreciate the logic of doing a job right. This is not a book to be given as a "going away to college" present to a freshman. Its effective use demands guidance by a competent instructor, who, in addition, realizes it does not provide short cut methods for so-called group counseling. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)