Relationships between student cognitions and their effects on study strategies

Using Vermunt's model [Vermunt, J. D. (1998). The regulation of constructive learning processes. British Journal of Educational psychology, 68, 149–171] of self-regulated learning as a conceptual framework, this study aims to contribute to the development of finer grained models of higher education students' learning by (1) investigating causal relationships between three student cognitions which feature prominently in the research literature: self-efficacy, conceptions of learning and attributions for academic success and by (2) researching both the direct and indirect effects of these student cognitions on first year university students' study strategies. To that end a model was developed, respecified, tested, and cross validated using path analyses. Results show that within an educational context learning conceptions are fundamental student cognitions since they directly and/or indirectly influence students' self-efficacy, attributions for academic success, and study strategy.