Undergraduates' Awareness of Learning Strategies

Research indicates that undergraduate students typically lack awareness of effective learning strategies, struggling to distinguish between methods that yield better results. Dr. Jennifer McCabe's study assessed six learning strategies framed within cognitive load theory and cognitive science, focusing on factors like dual coding and self-generated study materials. Despite instruction in cognitive psychology courses improving their understanding slightly, many students still failed to recognize strategies that are backed by evidence consistently. For instance, students generally selected the more effective method only one out of six times, highlighting a significant gap in their metacognitive awareness about learning techniques.