IMPRESSIONS OF DISADVANTAGE .2. MONITORING AND ASSISTING THE STUDENT AT RISK

Two studies on monitoring and assisting students at risk are presented against a contemporary perspective in higher education: that of monit oring and developing the quality of student learning. A basis for risk categorisation at an individual level is outlined, and the effects of an intervention aimed at students at risk are evaluated in two contra sting settings. 'At risk' in the present study represents, in conceptu al terms, a relatively extreme set of learning behaviours. The first s tudy approximates an ideal set of circumstances in which an individual -level intervention for students conceptually at risk is described. Th e second study reflects the uncompromising reality of a large first-ye ar service course, in which a reduced form of the same intervention wa s pragmatically attempted. In both interventions the emphasis was on a ssisting students to engage manifestations of their own self-reported, contextualised study behaviour. This was the starting point of a deve lopmental and reflective programme in which students were not taught ' study skills,' but were rather assisted to develop deeper contextual p erceptions, metalearning awareness, and internal locus. The targeted s tudents in these studies, and the basic nature of the intervention emp loyed, differ considerably from those used in other intervention studi es. The first study produced positive results, while the second study did not. An overall conclusion is that, while interventions of the typ e described can assist students to develop their learning potential, t hey can only do so in carefully managed circumstances that are sensiti ve to individual students' learning problems and the discipline-specif ic context in which these occur.