Self regulated learning strategies of secondary school students and their academic performance: the case of Form Five and Upper Sixth students of 2 secondary schools in Bamenda

Abstract

This study entitled “Self-regulated learning strategies and academic performance of secondary school students: the case of form five and upper sixth students of some secondary schools in Bamenda, North West Region, Cameroon”, examined the association between the self-regulated learning strategies that secondary school students use and their academic performance. To attain the main objective, four research hypotheses were formulated: there exist a significant relationship with the use of cognitive learning strategies and the academic performance of students; there exist a significant relationship with the use of metacognitive learning strategies and the academic performance of secondary school students; there exist a significant relationship with the use of time and environmental management learning strategies and the academic performance of secondary school students and lastly, some learning strategies have a greater significant relationship on the academic performance of secondary school students than others. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire, from a sample made up of 341 secondary school students from one public and one private secondary school and subjected to the following analysis: Analysis of Variances (ANOVA), paired wise t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The ANOVA test revealed that there was a significant difference in students’ use of the three categories of learning strategies(p <0.05), while the multi comparisons pair wise t. test revealed that no two categories of learning strategies were used to the same extend by the students (p-values from all pairs < 0.05). Indeed, the students used cognitive strategies the most, followed by metacognitive strategies The use of all categories of learning strategies indicated a significant relationship with academic performance (cognitive learning strategies obtained a p value of 0.01, metacognitive learning strategies p value 0f 0.005 and time and study environment management a p value of 0.01). The use of metacognitive learning strategies showed a more significant association with academic performance than any of the other two categories of learning strategies with a p value of 0.005 as opposed to 0.01 for each of the other two categories of learning strategies. Recommendations for teaching and counselling of students and teacher training, have been made.