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

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A GUIDE FOR COMPLETING A SELF-MANAGEMENT STUDY 291

The advantage of using this type of chart is that it will help you

see the relationship between: (a) environmental factors (i.e., where you

studied, when you studied, and with whom you studied), (b) motiva-

tion (i.e., your interest level, confidence level, and goals), (c) learning

strategies (e.g., rehearsal, elaboration, and organization), and (d) your

performance outcomes. As a result, it should become easier for you

to identify beliefs, perceptions, physiological responses, feelings, and

behaviors you need to change.

There are several examples of charts that you may wish to use or

model including:

• A chart for analyzing efficacy scores (chapter 3)


• A weekly priority task list (chapter 6)


• A chart for becoming aware of misdirected attention (chapter 5)

You may also find it is helpful to design you own chart(s) for your

study. The following list provides a number of topics you may wish

to include on a chart:

• Environmental factors (e.g., dates, times, locations, and people)


• Internal or personal factors–beliefs and perceptions (demon -
  strated by your self-efficacy, attributions, and self-talk), physi -
  ological responses (e.g., anxiety), and your mood (e.g., whether
  you are interested or bored)


• Behaviors—(a) motivation (e.g., goals, choices, levels of involve -
  ment [effort] and persistence), (b) methods of learning (e.g., use
  of rehearsal, elaboration, and organizational strategies), (c) use
  of time (e.g., planning, prioritizing, and scheduling; the times
  when tasks are assigned, started, and completed), and (d) phys -
  ical and social environment (types of internal and external dis -
  tractions, the amount of time spent attending to or concentrat -
  ing on tasks) and the use of social resources.

Journals

Daily journals (or diaries) provide an effective means of collecting

information about your internal beliefs, perceptions, and feelings. For

example, the Follow-up Activity in chapter 5, titled “Assessing Self-

Talk,” asks you to keep a journal to help you identify the type(s) of

self-talk you exhibit. Journals may also help you to keep track of the

strategies you use and the behaviors you exhibit throughout your study.

Tally Sheets

Tally sheets are tools you can use to count the number of times a par-

ticular belief, perception, physiological response, feeling, or behavior