Further Observation on Study Difficulty in University Students Including ‘Syllabus-Boundness’

The UCLS questionnaire, in a form modified to include a measure of syllabus-boundness, and a questionnaire to measure psychiatric symptomatology (the MHQ) were administered to two groups of students, one seeking help for emotional problems, the other a control group. Groups were compared on tests, test findings were inter-correlated, and scores were related to academic success. The UCLSQ is confirmed as a reliable research instrument. Principal component analysis again indicates a separation of psychoneurotic and motivational components of study difficulty. Syllabus-boundness (‘Sylbism’) emerges as a relatively independent trait, with a significant negative relationship to work satisfaction in both groups. MHQ, scores again show a positive correlation between phobic anxiety and academic attainment for patients.