Browsing by Subject "academic studies"

Previous studies have shown that both self-regulated learning and cognitive-attributional strategies are related to academic success and proceeding in studies. It seems that student's skills in self-regulation could be weaker in the beginning of studies in higher education rather than in the master degree studies. However there is still too little information regarding different phases of studies. In this study my intention was to investigate the self-regulation skills and cognitive-attributional strategies of students in the faculty of humanities. My focus was in two type of study phase that is bachelor students whose studies are delayed compared to how they should have proceeded. And another group was students in master degree. I also used cluster analysis in order to form student profiles based on their values on self-regulation and cognitive-attributional strategies. My interest was also to find out how masters and bachelors were situated in these profiles. Each profiles study success was evaluated according to GPA. The questionnaire and given data was produced by The Helsinki University Centre for Research and Development of Higher Education along with the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Helsinki. The questionnaire included statements regarding self-regulated learning and cognitive-attributional strategies. There is no statistically significant difference in self-regulated learning between masters and bachelors. However masters seem to use more optimistic strategy and less self-handicapping strategy compared to bachelors. Following profiles were based on self-regulated learning and cognitive-attributional strategies: A) Task avoidant and skillful students in self-regulation B) Optimistic and skillful students in self-regulation C) Optimistic and students who have weak skills in self-regulation and D) Task avoidant and students who have weak skills in self-regulation. The majority of masters situated in profile B and majority of bachelors situated in profile A. According to results in this study students in profile B were most successful in their studies and less successful were students in profile D. Using optimistic strategy does not compensate the lack of skills in self-regulation and on the other hand those who have good skills in self-regulation don't seem to have best benefit from them if they use self-handicapping strategy and not optimistic strategy. Support should be focused not only in improving skills in self-regulation but also in helping those students who seem to use self-handicapping strategy even though they would have good skills in self-regulation.