A cross-cultural comparison of college students' learning strategies for academic achievement between South Korea and the USA

Abstract

This study explores how the relationship between college students' learning strategies and their grade point average (GPA) differs across two culturally different institutions. Surveys of 621 students at a South Korean university and 824 students at a university in the USA were used to assess four types of learning strategies: motivation-related, assignment/task-related, planning/time-related, and cognition-related strategies. The results show that all four types of learning strategies significantly predict students' GPA at the Korean university, whereas only motivation-related and assignment/task-related strategies predict students' GPA at the US university. The cognition-related learning strategy factor is the strongest predictor of GPA for Korean students, but it is unrelated to US students' GPA. The resulting differences in the learning strategies used to obtain high achievement are interpreted through the lens of cultural influence and institutional accountability with respect to the missions of higher education institutions.