The Hows and Whys of Studying: The Relationship of Goals to Strategies.

A correlational study of 62 8th grade, 60 11th grade, and 58 college students investigated developmental differences in learning goals, study strategy beliefs and their inter-relationship for science classes. Questionnaires measured levels of task orientation, ego orientation, and work avoidance, as well as belief in the utility of two types of strategies: those requiring deep processing of information, and those requiring only surface-level processing. Of the three goal orientations, only task orientation was significantly positively correlated with belief in the value of deep-processing strategies; this was the case at all three age levels. Valuing of the two strategy types was positively correlated for younger, but not college students, who appeared to more clearly differentiate the two strategy types on the basis of utility for learning than did the younger groups. The results supported the hypotheses that students' personal goals for learning influence which strategies they use in studying. The nature of this influence appeared to depend in part on students' belief in or knowledge of the effectiveness of different strategy types. It is suggested that fostering interest in learning as an end in itself will prove to be more effective in teaching students effective tools of learning than emphasis on competition or grades. (Author/KA)