The relationship between the use of self-regulatory learning strategies and academic achievement among undergraduate science and nonscience students

A correlational design examined whether relationships existed between self-regulatory learning (SRL) and academic success among science ( n = 667) and nonscience (n = 430) majors at two suburban, private 4-year colleges in the northeastern United States. The level of SRL use was measured by the Learning Strategies and Study Skills Survey (LSSS; Ruban & Reis, 2006), and academic success was measured by self-reported cumulative grade point average (GPA). Additional factors of major, campus setting, and class standing also were examined. Specific majors examined included biology (n = 142), chemistry (n = 41), engineering (n = 11), environmental (n = 39), nursing (n = 379), physics (n = 19), and education (n = 78). Social science majors (n = 74) were examined separately. Pearson bivariate correlation, linear regression analysis, and t tests were performed. Data from a convenience sample of 1,171 students were analyzed for freshmen and sophomores to seniors independently, as well as for all class standings combined. Statically significant correlations existed between SRL use and GPA for all science majors collectively but only individually for nursing science majors. Nonscience majors revealed similar statistically significant yet marginally stronger SRL-GPA correlations than all science or solely natural science majors. Social science major SRL-GPA correlations were similar to but slightly weaker than science, which were weaker than education majors. Statistically significant SRL-GPA correlations were found for the smaller campus and for all science, nonscience, and nursing major undergraduates, and only marginally for the larger campus. By class standing, juniors and seniors had statistically significant and stronger SRL-GPA correlations more often than did freshmen or sophomores. Statistically significant different mean LSSS scores as compared to the mean for the entire sample were found for natural science, nursing, and education majors. Institutions and educators should consider achievements that can be reasonably expected from a greater-than-average volume of SRL general strategy use possibly by discipline/program or in compensatory efforts. Alternative approaches toward academic achievement should be contemplated and researched for students in the natural sciences in combination with standard general SRL use and training. Efforts such as these could be important to undergraduate student persistence.