What do you do to learn? Learning strategies used by future teachers

Abstract

Learning strategies consist of procedures used by students to learn. There is a consensus in the literature that their conscious use fosters academic success, student retention, and engagement. Furthermore, when taught during undergraduate studies, these strategies can be disseminated by students in their future roles as teachers. Given their importance, this study aimed to identify the learning strategies employed by undergraduate students in teacher training programs at a public university in the interior of São Paulo state. This is an exploratory study with a mixed-methods (qualitative-quantitative) approach, involving 100 undergraduates from the university's Education (Pedagogy) and Social Sciences teacher training programs. Data were collected using a participant profile questionnaire and the "Who am I as a student?" self-reflection protocol. Data collection took place in person and in a group setting within the classroom, during times scheduled by the professors. In summary, the results revealed that students appear to use a variety of learning strategies; they prefer studying alone; they favor traditional strategies over those involving technological resources; they rely more heavily on cognitive strategies; and they less frequently use strategies requiring deeper reflection on learning processes, such as metacognitive strategies and those involving internal and contextual resources. It is hoped that the results of this study will prompt reflection and curricular changes in teacher training programs, as well as inspire further research on the subject—particularly intervention-based studies aimed at strengthening learning strategies within these programs.