The current essay focuses on the existing links between motivation aspects and the use of learning strategies of college students. We consider that the student´s acquisition of meaningful learning can be enhanced with an appropriate motivation and a revision of the evaluation methods.

Competence learning requires the student to get involved in his/her own learning process and to use the suitable cognitive strategies. Elements such as the student´s own image of his/her own abilities will affect on the goals he/she sets for him/herself and on his/her planning of the actions, efforts and persistence in order to reach such goals. Therefore, we can state that in developing any activity, the more confidence the student feels towards his/her own level of competence, the more time he/she will devote and the more motivated he/she will be.

We can differentiate two kinds of motivation: intrinsic y extrinsic. In general, we can say that intrinsic motivation derives from the very activity, considered as a means itself. A student with this motivation will be more likely to put into practice a significant and meaningful effort during the development of the task.

In the extrinsic motivation, the reasons to carry out an action do not derive from the mere activity, but from an attempt to reach other goals which, in the education field, are associated with reaching recognition, avoiding failures, being rewarded, … 

From a constructivist learning perspective, the college teacher must change the orientation of his/her role. Instead of being a specialist in a field he/she must become a mediator of the learning process, while the learning is left to the student. A teacher´s task must lie in doing all his/her best in favoring the students´ intellectual access to the contents and professional practice of the discipline dealt with.

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