The impact of learning strategies on the academic achievement of university students in Saudi Arabia

Yousef Almoslamani

doi:10.1108/lthe-08-2020-0025

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the learning strategies adopted by Saudi university students and explore the differences in the use of learning strategies due to gender and academic achievement.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive analytic approach and adopted the brief “ACRA-C” learning strategies scale. The study sample consisted of 365 students enrolled at a Saudi university selected using the random clustering technique.FindingsThe study revealed that microstrategies and study habits are the most preferred strategies by Saudi university students. Statistically significant differences in the use of learning strategies were found between male and female students in favor of the female students. The study also found that learning strategies are a significant predictor of students' academic achievement.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to one college in one Saudi university. Future studies should use larger samples from different colleges and universities in Saudi Arabia and incorporate a variety of measures of academic achievement, such as students' grades in specific courses rather than the overall grade average.Originality/valueWhile there are a number of studies that investigated the use of learning strategies by students, there is a lack of such research in the higher education context of Saudi Arabia. Hence, the current study contributes to closing this gap in the literature by looking at the use of learning strategies by university students in Saudi Arabia and the relationship between strategy use, gender and academic achievement.

Highlights

Traditional rote-learning memorization has been the dominant learning strategy by students in educational institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
In KSA, there has been substantial interest in raising students’ awareness of learning strategies in an effort to increase the quality of learning in educational institutions and satisfy preestablished global performance standards, such as the KSA national accreditation requirements established by the National Commission of Academic Accreditation and Assessment (NCAAA)
Participants reported frequent use of all learning strategies in their learning and a preference for microstrategies and study habits compared to the rest of the learning strategies

Summary

Introduction

Traditional rote-learning memorization has been the dominant learning strategy by students in educational institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This emphasis on rote memorization is responsible to a great degree for Saudi students being passive recipients of information in the classroom (Al-Seghayer, 2021; Pordanjani & Guntur, 2019; Kim & Alghamdi, 2019). Ali, Medhekar and Rattanawiboonsom (2017) argued that student achievement in a higher education institution can be improved through several critical factors namely, the quality of the staff, the inclusion of information technology and appropriate learning strategies. A number of local studies have investigated the role and impact of instructors in promoting student achievement and learning. Other studies investigated learning strategies which can help students acquire information and take an active role in the learning process (e.g. McMullen, 2009; Shehzad, Razzaq, Dahri, & Shah, 2019)

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