Motivation, Learning Strategies, and Personality

The self-report questionnaire is an approach by which students may identify the learning skills needed to succeed in college. This approach is based on the learning strategies theory which assumes that students can control their learning strategies and learning resources. A contrasting view, the learning styles theory, assumes that innate predispositions condition what people learn and the strategies they may apply. The competing theories are assessed first by a correlational analysis of course grades with a learning strategies questionnaire and a learning styles questionnaire, and second, by a cluster analysis of students based on their learning strategies and the resulting grades and learning style preferences. The results showed that 20 of the 25 motivation, learning strategies, and learning resources assessed were significantly correlated with course grades and GPA. This evidence suggests that the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire is a valuable instrument for identifying students' strengths and weaknesses but innate predispositions exert a powerful influence on which strategies students will employ. Both learning styles and learning strategies should be taken into account in providing assistance to learners. Approaches to teaching that aim at strengthening learning strategies and motivation are outlined.