Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Success: A Self-Management Approach

The purpose of this unit is to explain how you can become a more successful learner by taking charge and managing your own learning. To accomplish this goal, you need to understand how you learn and the factors that determine your motivation to learn. Learning and motivation are interrelated processes. Simply learning a new skill does not mean that you will use it unless you are motivated to do so. Therefore, my objectives are to teach you some new learning strategies and to convince you that there are "payoffs" for using them. These payoffs include the possibility of higher grades, more time to participate in enjoyable activities, and the confidence to become a successful learner in any course.

The three chapters in this unit provide a framework for understanding why you need to use different strategies to manage the factors influencing your academic achievement. The remaining units teach you how and when to use these strategies.

Chapter 1 presents a model for academic self-management, identifying six components that you can control -- motivation, methods of learning, use

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