Durability of Students' Learning Strategies Use and Beliefs Following a Classroom Intervention.

Abstract

When students choose their own learning strategies, they often rely on ineffective methods, such as rereading and cramming, which have limited long-term benefits. To improve learning outcomes, previous interventions have utilized explicit instruction about effective strategies and direct experience with those strategies, though with mixed success. Yüksel et al. demonstrated that combining both approaches could foster initial improvements in students' understanding and use of effective learning strategies. In Study 1, we examined the long-term effects of this combined intervention by contacting participants six months later to assess the stability of outcomes. In Study 2, we extended the scope by surveying all students who had enrolled in the intervention section over the past five years. Participants were asked about their use and perceived effectiveness of various strategies. In both studies, quantitative measures were complemented with open-ended questions to gain deeper insights into study behaviors and obstacles to adopting effective strategies. While students retained an understanding of the effectiveness of various strategies and reported using ineffective strategies less frequently, the adoption of more effective strategies did not show a significant increase. However, compared to the business-as-usual group, the intervention group did not experience a decline in their use of effective strategies. These results suggest that while explicit instruction and experience can enhance knowledge, long-term behavior change remains difficult. Reported obstacles-such as time constraints, limited resources, procrastination, and prioritizing short-term gains-align with metacognitive theories of desirable difficulties and help explain why students still favor less effortful strategies, despite knowing more effective ones that require greater effort and delayed rewards.