Motivation and students’ use of learning strategies: Evidence of unidirectional effects in mathematics classrooms

Considerable evidence indicates that student motivation and use of learning strategies are related. There is insufficient understanding, however, about their reciprocal effects—whether motivation affects strategy use, the converse, or whether the effects are bidirectional—and which components of motivation and strategies are involved. A two-wave longitudinal design was used to examine this issue among 9th grade students (N = 306) enrolled in high school mathematics classes during an academic term. A cross-lagged structural model found that students’ self-efficacy in mathematics and value predicted their reported use of learning strategies. There was no evidence, however, that learning strategy use predicted motivation and, thus, support for unidirectional effect of motivation during that time interval. Implications for models of self-regulated learning and instruction are discussed.

Research highlights
► A two-wave longitudinal design was used to examine the reciprocal effects of motivation and learning strategies during a single school term. Results of a cross-lagged structural model showed that students' self-efficacy, task value, and cost predicted the reported use of learning strategies.
► No effect of learning strategy use on motivation was found. Self-efficacy had a major effect on deep-processing strategy use. Cost and value had an effect on the use of rehearsal, a surfact-processing strategy.