DOI: 10.21449/ijate.1762547 ISSN: 2148-7456

How to evaluate and enhance "learning to learn" competency: Evidence from junior high school students

Li Bo, Zhao Xiaomei, Sun Hao
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"Learning to learn" competency (LTL) is a crucial objective of talent development and a key component of fostering core competencies within educational practice globally. However, a well-defined evaluation index system for this competency remains lacking. Therefore, this study constructs an evaluation index system for junior high school students' "learning to learn" competency through the Grounded Theory, the Delphi method, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. First, using procedural grounded theory, a three-level coding of 41 models of "learning to learn" competency was conducted, resulting in a preliminary theoretical framework comprising three primary indicators and thirteen secondary indicators. Second, through two rounds of Delphi expert consultation (N = 22), the indicators were optimized, and a final system was established consisting of three primary indicators—"learning cognition", "learning drive", and "learning execution"—along with nine secondary indicators. Third, based on this indicator system, an assessment scale was developed and empirically validated with 983 junior high school students. The results demonstrated a good model fit, with reliability and validity indicators meeting psychometric standards. Finally, using S Middle School as a case study, five distinct student profiles were identified through cluster analysis: "high LTL competency", "strategy-oriented", "Cognition-Execution Coordinated", "low motivation", and "low LTL competency". The application and practical value of the evaluation index system are discussed for three stakeholder groups: students, teachers, and schools. This indicator system, characterized by both theoretical systematicity and practical operability, provides a scientific basis for fostering and evaluating junior high school students' "learning to learn" competency.

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