ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how to improve attention and concentration, seek academic help, make study groups more productive, and improve communication skills are critical for optimal academic performance. It talks about preparation for and benefit from meetings with tutors and instructors. Motivational beliefs and perceptions often play an important role in explaining individual differences in the willingness and ability to manage physical and social environments. One of the most productive sources of social support is working in learning or study groups. Reports from studies indicate that cooperative learning can promote higher academic achievement, higher level thinking skills, and greater ability to transfer learning from one situation to another. Social loafing refers to the finding that individuals exert less effort when their efforts are combined than when they are considered individually. The tendency of individual group members to reduce their work effort as groups increase in size. The bigger the group, the more likely social loafing.
