The Relationship between Learning and Study Strategies with Students’ Academic Performance

Introduction: Learning and study strategies are considered to be among the factors affecting students’ performance and also are essential for appropriate educational interventions. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between learning and study strategies and academic performance of students in Alborz University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: In this descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study, 215 students at Alborz University of Medical Sciences studying in various majors in 2012-2013 were enrolled through stratified random sampling. The 10-scale, Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) assessment device of Weinstein was used to collect the data. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS-19 software using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.

Results: The median scores of sub scales of LASSI inventory were 28 (attitude), 25 (motivation), 25 (time management), 29 (anxiety), 26 (concentration), 26 (information processing), 29 (selecting main idea), 24 (study aids) and 23 (self-testing). The performance of the students was very unfavorable in terms of using learning and studying strategies in attitude and motivation areas. The results showed that among learning and studying strategies sub-scales, the effects of motivation (F=3.95, P<0.05) and test strategies (F=7.75, P<0.01) on the students’ performance were positively significant.

Conclusion: The results showed that the use of learning strategies in Alborz University of Medical Sciences was low. Since the use of learning and study strategies to increase the learning capacity and improve the educational quality of students is effective, education officials can use these results to improve students’ academic performance.