Internal and external loci-of-hope predict use of individual and collaborative learning strategies: evidence from University students in four Asian cities

Abstract

Positive education emphasizes the role of hope in student achievement and in buffering the effects of students’ difficulties in school. In this study, we demonstrate how internal and external loci-of-hope relate to students’ use of different learning strategies in school. We asked 967 university students from four cities to answer the locus-of-hope scales, cognitive strategy scales, and engager collaborative learning scales. Separate regression analyses of data from the four cities indicate that internal locus-of-hope consistently predicted use of all three individual learning strategies (except for rehearsal in the Manila sample), whereas, external-peer locus-of-hope consistently predicted use of collaborative learning strategies. The findings extend previous findings on hope and learning by showing how hope relates to the learning strategies adopted by students. Moreover, the study extends theorizing about hope in schools by showing how relational hopeful thoughts that draw from shared agency with classmates are associated with collaborative learning strategies.