Learning Strategies in Colombian University Students

Learning strategies are planned and intentional activities and processes that students perform to achieve educational objectives and facilitate the storage and use of information. In the university context it is important to have academic environments where students feel supported and motivated, taking into account the characteristics of each one to promote the ability to make decisions, acquire skills to process, and evaluate information. Therefore, the main objective of the article is to identify the learning strategies of Colombian university students. The incidental sample of the research is 164 students aged between 19 and 28 years. The CEVEAPEU questionnaire (Evaluation Questionnaire for the Learning Strategies of University Students) was used as an instrument, which consists of 88 items and 2 scales, strategies affective, support and control and strategies related to the processing of information. The reliability of the instrument was analyzed (very high) and the descriptive statistics were determined. The average of all items is high and the highest values are intrinsic motivation, task value, transfer and use of information and acquisition of information. The lowest correspond to external attributions, extrinsic motivation, anxiety, storage, simple repetition, organization and memorization. It is concluded that students value the importance of 'learning to learn' and have strategies for their training such as time planning, counseling, interaction and cooperation. In aspects to improve, it is necessary to train students to perform previous readings, diagrams, conceptual maps and summaries of the topics studied. Similarly, it is recommended that teachers promote an active and participatory teaching, with a greater role of students and an appropriate motivational climate.