Reading to learn: What university students want when the textbook is difficult

The purpose of this study is to investigate what university students want and need from professors when the textbook is difficult and to find out if these needs are being met. The College Textbook Adaptation Evaluation Instrument is used to determine what educational strategies and adaptations students would prefer (preference criterion) their professors to use when the textbook is difficult. Also, it determines whether these educational practices are actually being used (use criterion) in the classroom. A statistical T-Test performed on the participant's preference and use criterion responses suggests college students are not receiving the assistance they need to learn from difficult text. The results also suggest that variables, such as, culture and academic standing, have no bearing on whether reading to learn strategies and adaptations should be used in the college classroom.;The second part of the study looks at "model" instruction for university students in a class with diverse abilities. This section demonstrates that content area reading strategies and adaptations can be beneficial to students without jeopardizing the quality and quantity of the course objectives.