Redress for academic success: possible lessons for university support programmes from a high school literacy and learning intervention

This article aims to contribute to ongoing research and debate in the area of underpreparedness of university students, with particular reference to the literacy skills and cognitive strategies needed to cope with the demands of academic studies. After a review of the literature in the field, the authors present the findings from a case study of a cognitive learning and academic literacy support programme offered to secondary school learners. They argue that this programme could also be of value to underprepared university students. The programme, called Harcombe's (2001) Integrated Approach to Literacy Instruction (IATLI), was used with a purposively selected group of learners who were struggling with their studies. The authors argue further that a mediated learning support programme offered to secondary school learners that addresses both literacy and cognitive learning strategies, could be of value to underprepared university students.