What are students like as learners as they near the end of compulsory education? The answer matters greatly, not only because those with stronger approaches to learning get better results at school but also because young adults who are able to set learning goals and manage their own learning are much more likely to take up further study and become lifelong learners. This report analyses the results, focusing on students’ motivation, self-beliefs and use of various learning strategies. In particular, it looks at those characteristics that together make it more likely that a student will become a confident and self-managed learner.

Foreword
Chapter 1. The PISA Survey and Student Approaches to Learning
-Introductory Overview: Approaches to Learning and Why They Are Important
-The PISA Survey, and Where Approaches to Learning Fit In
-Existing Evidence on Approaches to Learning, and How This Frames PISA's Approach
-The PISA Questionnaire on Student Approaches to Learning, and What Student Characteristics It Defines
-What PISA Adds to Knowledge in This Field and What It Does Not
Readers' Guide
Chapter 2. Motivation, Self-Related Beliefs, Learning Strategies, and Performance: How They Are Associated in PISA
-Introduction
-Student Approaches to Learning and Student Performance
-How Do Student Approaches to Learning Relate to Each Other?
-The Factors in Combination: How Much Do These Characteristics Together Explain Differences in Student Performance and the Use of Control Strategies?
-Summary of Key Findings and Their Implications
Chapter 3. Comparing Countries: Profiles of Student Approaches to Learning
-Introduction
-In What Respects Can the Average Strength of Student Learning Approaches Be Compared Across Countries?
-International Comparisons of the Student Learning Characteristics
-Clusters of Students with Similar Characteristics
-Summary of Key Findings and their Implications
Chapter 4. Differences in the Approaches to Learning between Different Groups of Students
-Introduction
-Gender Difference in Approaches to Learning
-Family Background and Approaches to Learning
-Immigration Status and approaches to Learning: Differences between Students with and without an Immigrant Background
-Differences between the Learning Approaches of Weak and Strong Readers
Chapter 5. Key Findings and Policy Implications
-Introduction
-Key Results of Cross-National Analysis of Student Approaches to Learning
-Implications for Educational Policy and Practice
Annex A. PISA Questionnaire Items Measuring Student Characteristics as Learners
Annex B. Background to Scales Measuring Learner Characteristics
Annex C. Data Tables
Annex D. Standard Errors, Significance Tests, Effect Sizes, and Structural Equation Models
Annex E. The Development of the PISA Thematic Report - a Collaborative Effort