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This study examined college activities and environmental factors associated with the acquisition of continuous learning skills, looking at where students who report the greatest gains in continuous learning devote the most time and energy and at the student and institutional characteristics associated with above-average gains in the capacity for continuous learning. The sample for this study was composed of 17,541 college seniors attending four-year institutions who completed the College Student Experiences Questionnaire between 1994 and 1997. Four tentative conclusions were reached: (1) as a group, college seniors reported making substantial progress in areas important to continuous learning; (2) certain college activities and environmental factors appear to be important, including amount of effort students devote to classroom activities, amount of effort devoted to science and technology, and an institutional environment valuing critical, evaluative, and analytical performance; (3) gender differences suggest that men benefit most from peer engagement, while for women, involvement in athletic and recreational activities is important; and (4) some activities, such as participation in formal extracurricular activities, appear to contribute little to continuous learning competencies and skills. Nine tables summarize regression data. The questionnaire is appended. (Contains 36 references.) (CH)

This study compared college seniors' self-evaluation of skills considered important for lifelong learning from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The study used data from the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ), a national database begun in 1983 which includes over 200,000 student records from over 600 colleges and universities. An index derived from the CSEQ, the Capacity for Life-Long Learning, was applied to the records of 26,629 college seniors from 173 colleges and universities who completed the CSEQ in 1984-87 and 16,794 seniors who completed the CSEQ in 1994-97. Findings led to three conclusions: (1) the capacity for life-long learning of seniors in the 1990s approximated that of their 1980s counterparts; (2) students at selective liberal arts colleges exhibited the greatest capacity for life-long learning during both time periods, especially when compared with students at general liberal arts colleges and comprehensive colleges and universities; and (3) students majoring in basic academic disciplines fared better than others (especially business and computer science majors) in developing life-long learning skills and competencies. (Contains 34 references.) (DB)