Results

Teaching students about strategies informed by the science of learning are insufficient to enact scalable change.

When instruction or training is restricted to specific study strategies isolated from the immediate subject curricula context, the desired change in learner behaviours is superficial.

Significant changes in student learner behaviours and study strategies ensued when embedded into their immediate assessment and curricula. The embedded training approach saw:

• Key Finding #1 – The effect size on student belief in their ability to study increased by the effect size of .42 (Medium)
• Key Finding #2 – The students increased the number of different study strategies from four (in the baseline) to six after the training intervention. The effect size on the increase in study strategies was .66 (Medium)
• Key Finding #3 – The utility (the learning return for the time invested) of the types of strategies used was the most impacted element of student study behaviours. The A Learner’s Toolkit training saw an increase in study strategy utility by .97 (Large)

Students who stuck (no matter the exposure to better alternatives) with the low-utility triad of cramming, re-reading and rewriting notes results and beliefs about themselves as learners (i.e. self-efficacy, motivation, control of the learner beliefs) stagnated or declined over time.

The correlation was found with those whose grade point average (GPA) improved (from the previous semester/s) with an increased number and utility of study strategies and higher assessment self-efficacy, control of learner beliefs and task value and reduction of test anxiety.