Middle School Student Voices on the Function and Utility of a “Learning How to Learn” Course in a Rural Middle School: A Mixed-Methods Study

The purpose of this study is to explore the voices of high- and low-achieving middle school students around how a student-led assessment (SLA), “learning how to learn” intervention fosters achievement goal orientations and self-efficacy for self-regulated learning (SRL). Participating students included 99 seventh- and eighth-grade students from a rural middle school enrolled in the SLA intervention. This intervention involves teaching students how to become independent learners. Self-report measures were administered and focus groups occurred during the fourth quarter of the academic year. Data analysis revealed no significant differences between high- and low-achieving students regarding their goal orientations, as well as self-efficacy for SRL. During the focus groups, students provided information about the function of the learning how to learn course and voiced the utility of the intervention for improving their study skills. It was also found that, in contrast to high-achieving students, low-achieving students expressed the need for increased support in setting and achieving their learning goals. Findings have implications regarding future refinement and guidelines for implementation of “learning how to learn” SLA courses in middle schools.

Author

• Hosek, Beth

• Middle school students
• Learning how to learn courses
• Goal orientation
• Self-efficacy for self-regulated learning

Identifier

hdl:1920/12840

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:MARS:1920/12840