A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Queen Margaret University

abilities of each participant and as a tool for predicting their performance on new
learning tasks is discussed below (see section 6.5).
6.3.5 Learning strategies
The preliminary studies indicated that no one learning strategy was suitable for
all participants therefore, as previously discussed, participants in the main
investigation were given information explaining various learning techniques and
were advised to use the one(s) they found most suitable (see section 3.3.3).
Additionally, participants were given a maximum of 30 minutes in each training
session to promote independent rehearsal and consolidation of the newly
learned words in any way they wished. In order to reduce errorful learning,
reduce assessment task artefact and to help structure the learning period,
participants were given a number of tasks they could complete for this learning
(see Appendix 4.7). Qualitative data indicated that on the whole participants
listened to the audio recording of the details about the new words as well as
practised the assessment tasks. Some participants wrote down all details as
they rehearsed them and others practised the details aloud. However, the three
participants with the lowest learning performance (C9, C10 and C11) were
unable to structure their independent learning time and required direct guidance
from the researcher who gave them the opportunity to complete the same tasks
as other participants. This suggests poor planning ability and may reflect their
cognitive impairments, in particular executive function. It could also reflect
depression and anxiety levels of participants possibly exacerbating existing
cognitive difficulties. It was noted that on the whole participants who employed
more independent learning time were also more educated, perhaps reflecting
the knowledge of how to learn effectively. These same people were also
employed in occupations of higher complexity than other participants, perhaps
suggesting the usefulness of cognitive reserve in the learning process.
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