STYLES OF ENGAGEMENT WITH LEARNING - MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH STRATEGY USE AND SCHOOL-ACHIEVEMENT

This investigation examined ways in which student beliefs and goals distinguish different styles of engagement with learning and how such styles are associated with both the strategies students report using when preparing for exams and school achievement. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of students with similar patterns of beliefs about their own learning. Within a cohort of 137 female 11th-grade students, 6 styles of engagement were identified. Analysis of the influence of these styles on strategies adopted for exam preparation indicated differences in the strategies reported. Styles of engagement were also significantly related to school achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of insights achieved through adopting methods of analysis that preserve the multidimensional character of student engagement with learning.