Structure of high-school students' beliefs about learning

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the structure of high-school students' beliefs about learning. In the present research, problems with the learning beliefs inventory proposed by Ichikawa (1995) were pointed out, and improvements were attempted. The definition of learning beliefs was limited to the belief about how learning occurs, or, in other words, what the students believe is an effective strategy for promoting learning. The students were asked to provide free descriptions of their beliefs about learning. When the data were analyzed, they revealed a previously unreported belief: "environmental intention," the belief that it is most effective to leave one's learning strategy to the study environment. The results also suggested that many students who support one belief about learning are negative about ether beliefs.