1. Predicting success and supporting students in higher education
Sari Lindblom
Vice-rector, professor of higher education
University OF Helsinki, FINLAND

2. Aims of my presentation
To explore individual study paths of university students
in particular, factors that enhance and impede study progress and success
To look at different ways to support student learning

3. IN finland study pace varies greatly
Students are expected to proceed according to the “3+2 schedule”, but there are no severe consequences if they do not do so
However, they can loose their monthly government-financed study grants
Students can still continue to the next year even with unfinished courses
This national characteristics (read: problem) creates an interesting research topic because of the variation
Some study much faster and some much slower than the expected study pace

4. Many Factors are related to study progress and success
motivation and interest in studying
metacognitive and self-regulation skills
self-efficacy for self-regulation
strong self-efficacy beliefs
volitional mind-set
deep approach to learning
cognitive-attributional strategies
optimistic task-focused strategy
defensive-pessimism strategy

5. results from a 7-year follow-up study of slowly and fast progressing students in collaboration with Telle Hailikari and Liisa Postareff and also with Anne Haarala-Muhonen, Emmi Saariaho and Mikko Inkinen

6. DIFFERENTIATING PROCRASTINATION FROM STRATEGIC DELAY(Klingsieck , 2013)
In procrastination delaying an act is unnecessary, irrational and even harmful.
Procrastination involves negative consequences and can be accompanied by subjective discomfort or other negative consequences.
In strategic delay, a student is confident that the positive consequences will eventually outweigh the potential negative ones.
There is no functional form of procrastination, but there is a functional form of delay, i.e. strategic delay

7. Comparison of law and humanities students
Sixty-six Bachelor-level humanities and law students
Shortest study times in law and slowest in humanities
The slow study-pace students (n=28) lacked at least a quarter of the required 60 ECTS
The fast study-pace students (n=38) had gained more than the required 60 ECTS
Deep interviews after the first study year
Two different questionnaires during Bachelor years
Follow-up of the study success and study pace until Master graduation

8. progress profiles (n=66)
SLOWLY PROGRESSING STUDENTS (n=28)
FAST PROGRESSING STUDENTS (n=38) 1
Unnecessarily
delaying
students
(n=8)
Strategic delayers (n=10)
Delay due to external factors (n=1)
Effortlessly progressing students
(n=26)
Procrastinators
(n=10)
Strenuously progressing students
(n=11)

9. procrastinators
They lacked self-regulation and time-management skills and had weak self-efficacy beliefs
They were not unmotivated, but had weaker motivation to study compared to students in the other profiles, and the least positive study experiences

10. AN Example of a procrastinating student
Lazy. Aimless. Floating. So I’m not the kind of person who has clear long-term objectives. I could be more active. In high school I liked that someone was watching and monitoring me. At university I should also have someone with authority to push me forward. You know, it’s too easy here to think that I will do this the next year, so delaying is not that harmful. I know that some students succeed at being efficient and organized, but I’m not the only one like this.

11. Unneccessarily delaying students
They had good study plans but did not succeed in executing them
A clear intention-action gap
These students were motivated to study and were interested in their subjects, but showed weaker volition

12. An Example of an unnecessarily delaying student
I’m very good at making plans, but quite poor at executing them. I try to allow myself free time as well, but studying seems to steal it. I try to use my time effectively, but because I work part-time, it’s often difficult to really have enough time for everything.

13. Strategic delayers Motivated to study and interested in their subjects
They showed strong self-efficacy beliefs
Had intentionally studied slowly or had prioritised something other than studying

14. An Example of a strategic delayer
I think I have good time-management skills, because I have been able to do a lot of sports and work while studying. I think there is a nice balance now and I’m quite happy about what I’m able to do in one week. I try to plan my schedule about a month ahead.

15. Strenuously progressing students
Highly motivated and interested in their disciplines
They had worked hard to meet deadlines and to maintain their fast study pace.
Even though these students had not missed deadlines, they felt that time management was a challenge for them.
They had experienced some level of stress or workload but their stress level was not overwhelming

16. AN Example of a strenuously progressing student
Toward the end of each term I always get a little stressed, because I realise that I have a million things to do. The thing is that you yourself have to take responsibility. There is no one to push you forward; it's up to you. It's kind of a time-management problem, but everything has gone surprisingly well. All assignment work seems to be concentrated in a short time period and that brings stress, but it's always very short term. This happens because I'm interesting in everything. I feel like I’m in a candy store and it's very difficult to take just some, because I want so much.

17. Effortlessly progressing students
Highly motivated and interested in their disciplines
They showed a volitional mind-set
Interestingly, all except two had worked at least part time during the academic year without it affecting their studies.
They had very good self-regulation and time-management skills, and had tailored their skills to fit their objectives and personal preferences
study progress had been very easy and 'smooth'
strong self-efficacy beliefs and strong self-efficacy for self-regulation, and their study experiences were the most positive of all students

18. AN Example of an effortlessly progressing student
I expected studying at university to be tough and also that I might not always be enthusiastic about attending lectures, but neither have happened yet [laughs]. It's been really nice; this feels like my thing. I did not enjoy high school, and therefore did not expect such high motivation, but I guess this can happen when you find your own thing. What you learn here is totally up to what you do yourself. This kind of independence is really nice – you are really responsible for your own studies and for becoming an expert in your own field.

19. The nature and structure of the programme predicts graduation times
Differences between law and humanities students
Graduation times were faster in the profssional law programme than in the humanities programmes where there is more freedom of choice

20. The fast students are still the fastest after 5 years
All Effortlessly progressing students in Law had completed their Master’s degrees
Of these, 43% in less than 5 years
All of the Humanities students had completed at least the Bachelor’s degrees
All the strenuously progressing students had completed at least their Bachelor’s degree (in 3 years):
Study pace was slower than in the Effortlessly progressing students group
Differences start to emerge in Master’s studies?

21. Fast Study pace seems to predict study success
Effortlessly progressing students graduated fastest and succeeded the best
GPA 4/5
Strenuously progressing students’ also succeeded above average
GPA 3.5/5

22. Slow students unfortunately stay slow
First-year success predicts graduation times
Worrying results concerning the slowly progressing students
The Procrastinators had the lowest proportion of graduates and the lowest study success
Only 25 % of the humanities students had completed their Bachelor’s degree. (One had also completed the Master’s degree.)
Disciplinary difference: all law students in this profile had completed their Bachelor’s degrees

23. What happened to strategic delayers in humanities?
Less than half of the Strategic delayers in humanities had completed their Bachelor’s degrees
None of the humanities students had a Master degree, but each had ample credits
The law students had completed their Master’s degrees, but the average graduation time was much longer than those of the two fast-progressing groups
Too many options is harmful for strategic delayers?
Broad interests and difficulty to make decisions concerning “big choices”?

24. Tailoring SUPPORT is important
Procrastinators need the most support
A vicious circle develops fast and is not easy to unravel
Strategic delayers do surprisingly badly in humanities
Counselling and support in making important decisions are important
Strenuously progressing students experience an increasing amount of workload and stress
In particular during their Master studies
Their problems easily remain hidden

25. Thank you for you interest! sari.lindblom@helsinki.fi