An interview study analysis of the study skills and independent learning strategies of selected secondary homebound students in a county school system in East Tennessee.

While the research on the use of study skills in public schools has grown considerably over the last several decades, the research in homebound students' use of study skills is meager. Yet these students have a great need for study strategies that will help them comprehend their reading assignments while they are home alone without the benefit of classroom interaction. The key questions of the study were what study skills do homebound students say they use and what study skills do homebound teachers say they use with their students? To answer those questions the writer interviewed ten homebound students in a school system in East Tennessee who were either receiving homebound instruction at the time of the interview or had been given homebound instruction during the school year 1989-90. The writer also sent a questionnaire to the homebound teachers in the county in which students were enrolled and to homebound teachers in seven surrounding counties. The questionnaire asked them to indicate how often they used certain study skills with their homebound students. An analysis of the interviews showed that homebound students said they used a variety of study skills to accomplish the purposes of understanding the material, meeting teacher expectations, doing well on tests, ultimately finishing high school. Among the most frequently mentioned study skills were (1) previewing; (2) predicting; (3) answering adjunct, chapter, teacher-made, and self-questions; (4) notetaking which consisted primarily of summarizing, paraphrasing, and outlining; (5) and vocabulary study. An analysis of the questionnaire showed that homebound teachers indicated that at least sometimes they used the following study skills: vocabulary study, chapter questions, summaries, graphic aids, study guides, structured overviews, SQ3R, outlining, skimming or scanning, oral recitation, notetaking, students checking their own progress, semantic mapping.