There’s an interesting new paper that explores how the use of learning strategies, particularly ineffective ones like highlighting and rereading, can be understood through the lens of habit formation, rather than solely through deliberate, rational choice.
Of particular interest was the suggested behaviour-change techniques for actually improving learning strategy. These are derived from modern habit theory and fall into three primary categories:
- Targeting habit formation mechanisms
- Developing action control skills
- Leveraging existing habits
These techniques aim to shift reliance away from willpower and motivation by making the instigation (initiation) of effective strategies automatic, even if the execution of the strategy itself remains cognitively demanding. Here are the specific techniques in more detail with suggestions on how to implement them:
- Targeting Habit Formation Mechanisms
The fundamental mechanism for building a habit is context-dependent repetition. This involves shifting a student’s focus from a general intention (e.g. “I need to study better”) to the specific behavioral mechanisms of cues and responses.
The Implementation Strategy:
- Digital and Offline Scaffolding: To support the early phase where automaticity is low, you can use digital interventions that provide tailored reminders and self-monitoring features. Offline methods, such as worksheets that visualise progress and provide accountability structures, are also effective for tracking repeated use.
- Capitalize on Context Changes: Implement these changes during natural transitions, such as the start of a new academic year or a move to a new school level. During these periods, old contexts are disrupted, making it the optimal time to establish new cue-response links.
- Foster Intrinsic Rewards: Because effective strategies (like retrieval practice) feel difficult, they often lack immediate positive feedback. To encourage repetition, you must enhance the perceived reward value by emphasizing feelings of competence, personal progress, or the “efficiency” of the strategy e.g. highlighting that it leads to better retention in less time.
- Developing Action Control Skills
Before a behavior becomes automatic, students need specific self-regulatory skills to bridge the gap between intention and action. These skills are not ends in themselves but tools to build the habit.
The Implementation Strategy:
- SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) Goal Setting: Help students set specific goals that include the strategy. For example, rather than “I will study more,” a goal would be: “I will raise my exam scores… by using self-testing with flashcards twice a week”.
- Implementation Intentions (If-Then Planning): This is a critical technique for linking a specific cue to a desired action. You implement this by having students formulate “If-Then” plans, such as: “If I finish a lecture, then I will self-test for 15 minutes”. This planning makes the cue more salient and increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring automatically.
- Cue Identification: Teach students to identify “event-based cues” rather than just time-based ones. An event-based cue (e.g. “after I pack my bag”) is often more effective for anchoring a new habit than a time on a clock,.
- Leveraging Existing Habits
Rather than trying to eliminate old habits (which is difficult because students cannot simply avoid their study materials), these techniques modify or build upon existing behavioral chains.
The Implementation Strategy:
- Habit Substitution: This involves keeping the trigger (cue) but changing the reaction. If a student has a habit of passively rereading notes (ineffective) upon opening a textbook (cue), they can use an implementation intention to link that specific cue to a new action: “If I open my notes… then I will quiz myself”. This must be established before high-stress moments occur.
- Habit Stacking (Embedding): You can insert a new behavior into an existing routine. For example, if reading a text is already a habit, it can serve as the cue to immediately generate practice questions.
- Habitualising Preparation: If the learning strategy is too complex to fully automate (like a long study session), focus on habitualising the preparation. For instance, if a student forms a habit of preparing flashcards or packing their study materials immediately after class, this preparatory action can serve as a “gateway” that lowers the barrier to starting the actual effective study session.
The Goal
The goal of these techniques is not to make the entire learning process effortless, as effective learning requires cognitive effort. Instead, the objective is to make the initiation of the study session habitual. By automating the “start,” students can “cross the Rubicon” toward consistent strategy use, even when their motivation or self-control resources are low.