Motivations and Learning Strategies of West Virginia College Students in Four Four-Year Institutions: A Correlation Study of Academic, Social, and Demographic Variables

Certain assumptions have been made about the relationship between acceptance criteria and student success. However, the assumption that a more successful college student can be determined based on acceptance criteria data was in doubt. The current study administered the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) created by Pintrich, Smith, Garcia and McKeachie (1991) to analyze the motivations and learning strategies utilized by West Virginia students in an Introduction to Psychology course at four public, four-year institutions. Learning strategies were correlated to academic, social, and demographic variables.;The purpose of the study was to determine if West Virginia college students preferred specific learning strategies in a particular course. Additionally, the study sought to determine if themes arose from academic, social, or demographic variables that may direct educators to better engage students in the classroom.;Results from the study identified that West Virginia college students prefer certain learning strategies in this course and that there are specific demographic variables that affect these preferences. Gender, first-generation college students, lower socioeconomic status, and being from a small hometown all correlated to utilizing specific learning strategies