Learning strategies of successful high school science students.
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Date
2010
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the learning strategies that are used by
successful science students. In addressing this purpose, a mixed methods approach was
adopted in which both quantitative and qualitative methods of data production were
used. The participants were both successful and less successful high school science
students from grades ten to twelve inclusive. Quantitative data was collected through
questionnaires and analysed. The qualitative data was collected through individual semistructured
interviews and focus group interviews. This was analysed using a qualitative
thematic approach. The research questions were first about the learning strategies that
successful science students seemed to use in order to do well academically, and secondly
the question of the factors which influenced these successful students. The findings are
that there are differences in the use of strategies between the successful students and
their less successful counterparts. The successful students in general reported using more
learning strategies more often than the less successful students. Successful students also
reported that they engaged in strategies for regulating the effort they applied to work on
difficult or boring tasks. They engaged more in cognitive strategies that involved deep
processing of information, while the less successful students relied more on rehearsal
and more superficial strategies like text underlining. Successful students also engaged
more in self-regulatory activities that allowed them to monitor and regulate the way they
learn. The findings also revealed that the successful students reported that they are
influenced in their studies more by such factors as family support, the love of the subject
and their goals or ambitions.
Description
Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.
Keywords
High school students--Lesotho., Learning strategies--Lesotho., Science students--Lesotho., Theses--Education.