Teaching secondary school students how to learn
Effects of a learning strategies intervention on students' achievement
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9405686 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Héctor Ruiz-Martín (0000-0001-6264-0829, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, corresponding author), Miguel A Vadillo (0000-0001-8421-816X, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid), Marta Ferrero (0000-0002-4156-6137, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 262 |
| Pages | 106143-106143 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-06 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Acta Psychologica (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-6918 • E-ISSN: 1873-6297 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.106143 |
| PMID | 41601103 |
| OpenAlex | W7118998283 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 46 |
This study reports on a naturalistic intervention conducted in a secondary school aimed at enhancing students' use of effective, evidence-based learning strategies grounded in cognitive science-specifically, retrieval practice and the minimization of distractions-under the hypothesis that such training would enhance academic performance. Using a quasi-experimental design, the study compared an experimental cohort with a control cohort from the previous academic year. Students in the experimental group reported a higher frequency of evidence-based study strategies and a lower incidence of maladaptive behaviors, such as listening to music while studying. They also achieved higher scores on a post-intervention exam, with even greater differences observed on an unannounced follow-up test administered one week later. Importantly, the effects of the intervention remained significant after controlling for cognitive ability, study time, and pre-intervention test scores. These findings suggest that a brief, scalable, and teacher-led intervention can effectively modify students' study habits and yield measurable improvements in academic achievement
Academic achievement · Active listening · Cognition · Cohort · Control (management · Intervention (counseling · Naturalistic observation · Test (biology · Early Childhood Education and Development · Education, Achievement, and Giftedness · Educational and Psychological Assessments
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| Highly cited | No |
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