Insights into Study Strategies and Habits: A Study with Undergraduate Students in Spain and the U.K.

The approach that students take in their studies at university is critical not only for their academic success but is equally important in life-long learning for their career and professional development. Cognitive science has demonstrated that re-testing oneself on material when learning, enhances and 10 promotes greater retention of knowledge compared to rereading the material. Learning that is spaced out over multiple study sessions also allows for greater retention of knowledge in the longer-term compared to ‘ cramming ’ of information. A pilot survey study with first-and second-year undergraduate students (n=135) at a university in Spain and in the UK was carried out to investigate the study strategies and habits prevalent in these cohorts and the extent of metacognitive awareness 15 of such evidence-based study approaches. It was found that most students endorsed self-testing but also suboptimal study methods such as re-reading, copying notes, underlining and highlighting material. There was evidence of metacognitive awareness with retrieval practice and distributed practice reported for both cohorts in Spain and the UK. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT