The Lab_APP workshop
Giulia Savarese, Daniela D’Elia, Luna Carpinelli, Alessandro Vertullo, Mario Ambrosone
This paper describes the experiential implementation of the metacognitive workshop Lab_APP, developed at the University of Salerno to promote effective study skills among university students presenting attentional and self-regulation difficulties. The initiative adopts a preventive and competence-enhancing perspective, targeting students with borderline attentional or learning-related challenges not necessarily associated with formal clinical diagnoses. The programme consisted of nine two-hour sessions integrating time management and organizational training, deep processing study strategies, metacognitive monitoring exercises, and reflective activities addressing emotional and motivational aspects of academic learning. A pre–post evaluation was conducted using the Study Skills and Motivation Questionnaire (QAS) and the Brown Attention-Deficit Scales. Findings indicated improvements in organizational skills, elaborative strategies, and metacognitive sensitivity, while core executive attentional dimensions showed more limited change. The experience suggests that structured metacognitive interventions may enhance modifiable academic skills, contributing to the prevention of academic underachievement and strengthening student autonomy. Practical implications for university support services and future development of the model are discussed.
Keywords
Study skills; Metacognition; University students; Attentional vulnerabilities; Academic underachievement prevention; Workshop-based intervention.
