Activation of Learning Strategies in Writing Learning Journals

Abstract

Writing learning journals is a method of fostering the application of learning strategies. However, students often do not spontaneously apply many learning strategies in writing learning journals. Prompts can be used to address this deficit. The present study analyzed the effects of prompts with different specificity on the application of learning strategies. High school students from two classrooms (N = 51) wrote learning journals in mathematics in two consecutive weeks. They received cognitive and metacognitive prompts for writing the learning journals. In a within-subjects design, students once received nonspecific and once received specific prompts. We counterbalanced whether specific prompts or nonspecific prompts were presented first. Specific prompts increased the quantity of cognitive learning strategies and, in part, the diversity of the specific learning strategies. Thus, production deficiencies could be overcome. However, the quality of learning strategies could not be enhanced. The deficits in applying high-quality strategies were obviously more fundamental.