The Effectiveness of Teaching Self-adjustment-based Learning Strategies in Understanding Students’ Competencies and Motivational Beliefs

Background: Self-adjustment-based learning is an important educational, scholarly, and experimental approach in educative, cog- nitive, and clinical psychology. Objectives: The present study was aimed to examine the effectiveness of teaching self-adjustment-based learning strategies in un- derstanding of Islamic Azad University’s (Research and Science Unit in Tehran) students’ competencies and motivational beliefs. Methods: Research method was practical in terms of objective; and in terms of data collection method, it was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test type. The statistical population of the study consisted of all psychology students in Islamic Azad University, from whom 30 individuals were selected for a control group (15 individuals) and an experimental group (15 individuals), using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a self-made questionnaire for competency comprehension and Pintrich and DeGroot’s motivational strategies for learning questionnaire. The analysis of the obtained data was done through SPSS software in two sections: descriptive (frequency, percentile frequency, mean, standard deviation, and variations) and inferential (covariance analysis). Results: Results showed that teaching self-adjustment-based learning strategies affects Islamic Azad University’s psychology stu- dents’ understanding of competencies and motivational beliefs. In addition, findings showed that due to self-adjustment-based learning strategies, students’ understanding of competencies increased. Conclusions: Teaching self-adjustment-based learning strategies helps to enhance motivational beliefs.