Teaching Study Skills, Cognitive Strategies, and Metacognitive Skills Through Self-Diagnosed Learning Styles.

Abstract

Recent research indicates a need to efficacy, metacognitive skills, cogni investigate methods and techniques tive strategies, and learning styles, for teaching study skills. Traditional Self-efficacy, or the belief in one's techniques often taught in study effectiveness, seems to be an im skills units have been shown to have portant factor in student achieve limited benefits. The techniques of ment behavior (Thomas & Rohwer, underlining, taking notes, outlining, 1986). Personal efficacy can be writing summaries, and asking manifested by participation, persis questions have not been confirmed tence, and intensity. Research and as effective in helping students to theory suggest that students differ achieve (Armbruster & Anderson, in the extent to which they believe 1981). Suggested guidelines for they can control the outcomes of teaching study skills were to teach their own learning (i.e., the sense of the division and parts of texts and their own efficacy) (p. 35). Self materials such as headings, introefficacy is also defined by Thomas ductions, summaries, topic senancj Rohwer as the students' per tences, and key relationship signals ceived self-concept of academic abil and to teach the importance of ity. Perceived self-efficacy has direct knowing about the criterion task. influence on choice of activities and For a test, the student should know settings and, through expectations the number and types of questions of eventual success, it can affect to be asked, the duration of the test, coping efforts once they are initi the extent to which external aides ated. People apparently process, may be used, and the evaluative criweigh and integrate diverse sources teria applied. Students should also know why, when, and how to use