Learning strategies of the middle school students of municipal educational establishments from the province of Talca

Abstract

Understanding that students learn according to age, academic performance, self-esteem and motivation plays an important role in the field of the study of learning strategies in educational psychology, however, understanding such strategies is expressed through the geographical conditions or through the type of education, has been relatively addressed. The objective of the present study is to describe the learning strategies of third year students in public schools from the province of Talca according to geographical area (urbanrural) and type of education (technical, polytechnic or scientific humanist). This quantitative study consists of a descriptive transversal design. The sample consisted of 13 public schools with 362 students, 10 schools from the urban area (n=285) and 3 schools (n=79). Ronald Schmeck’s Inventory of Learning Strategies was applied in addition to measuring variables such as gender, learning type, and the school’s geographical location. The results indicate that an evident difference in learning strategies for each of the variables exist. Regarding gender, significant differences manifests themselves in elaborate processing strategies and methodical study, with the female group being the one that made a greater difference in both strategies. In relation to the geographical area, (rural-urban) differences exist regarding the methodical study strategy; showing greater tendency to use this strategy in the rural group. In conclusion, generating background that can contribute to help and facilitate the search for new educational tactics that facilitate the assimilation of the curriculum in accordance with strategies for students in high school, according to their geographical, cultural and educational contexts.