AMOUNT OF LEARNING AND ELABORATION STRATE GIES AS MEDIATORS OF THE RELATION BETWEEN STUDY INTEREST AND ACHIEVEMENT

In a two-year longitudinal study, the role of two important components of learning behavior - elaboration strategies and investment of time and effort - as mediators of the interest-achievement relation was inv estigated. Ninety-two university freshmen with different majors partic ipated in the study: In the first session, the students had to indicat e their study interest, investment of effort and time, and use of elab oration strategies. Two years later, grades from a major examination w ere collected. Path analyses with latent variables revealed that inves tment of effort and time significantly mediated the interest-achieveme nt relation. Contrastingly, elaboration strategies did not mediate the effects of interest on achievement. Elaboration strategies seem to be a by-product of interest without any impact on achievement.