The Brief-ACRA Scale on Learning Strategies for University Students

Abstract

The examination and promotion of learning strategies in higher education has become a hot topic, not only for academic success, but also for professional and personal development. Among the tools available for evaluating learning strategies, the ACRA adapted for university students stands out as one of the most popular in studies with Spanish-speaking populations. However, there have been no attempts at validation using confirmatory factor techniques and there are no cut-off points available for training purposes. In this paper, the factor structure of the ACRA scale is examined. A cross-validation strategy (combining exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) was used on a sample of 809 university students. A 17-item version is proposed, showing evidence for structural invariance across genders. The resulting three-factor structure is discussed (micro-strategies, memorizing-keys and metacognition, and emotional-social support), together with its association with other dimensions. Moreover, criteria by gender are provided.