中文导读 不少在高中成绩很好的学生，进入大学后发现原来的学习方法突然不管用了。美国佐治亚大学遗传学教授朱莉·斯坦顿（Julie Stanton）带领团队，研究了大学生的“元认知”（metacognition），也就是“对自己思考过程的思考”：会不会计划怎么学、能否检查自己是否真的懂了、事后能否判断方法是否有效。研究团队从大一到毕业，每年访谈北佐治亚大学的15名生物专业学生，整理了1600多页访谈记录，论文发表于《CBE—生命科学教育》。结果显示，学生一开始就具备部分能力，但不会把它们联系起来：有人明知学习小组总是跑题，下次仍打算这样复习；关键的一步，是开始用对上次考试的评估来制定下一次计划；到后来，部分（并非全部）学生才能把三种能力结合使用。研究者还指出，“每个人只适合一种学习风格”的说法基本是误解，过分依赖它可能让学生错过有用的方法。文章按“现象—概念—研究方法—发现—误区—局限”展开，阅读时可留意 suggests、may、largely、rather than 等词如何表达研究结论的边界。
正文 Many students who did well in high school get a shock in their first year of college . Their old study habits stop working , and their grades fall . A new study from the University of Georgia in the United States looks at what happens next . It suggests that learning how to learn is a skill that grows slowly , often over all four years of college
本段译文 许多在高中表现很好的学生，在大学第一年会受到打击。他们以前的学习习惯不再奏效，成绩也下降了。美国佐治亚大学的一项新研究关注了接下来会发生什么。研究表明，学会如何学习是一种成长缓慢的能力，往往要贯穿大学的全部四年。
The skill is called metacognition , which simply means thinking about your own thinking . A student with strong metacognition can plan how to study , check whether they really understand a topic , and judge afterward whether the plan worked . Julie Stanton , a professor of genetics who led the work , says most earlier research on this skill looked at children , not young adults
本段译文 这种能力叫作元认知，简单来说就是思考自己的思考。元认知能力强的学生能计划怎样学习，检查自己是否真正理解某个主题，并在事后判断计划是否奏效。领导这项研究的遗传学教授朱莉·斯坦顿说，此前关于这种能力的研究大多关注儿童，而不是年轻的成年人。
To fill that gap , her team followed 15 biology students at the University of North Georgia from their first year until they finished college . Once a year , the researchers interviewed each student about how they prepared for exams , why they chose those methods , and what they might change next time . The team then studied more than 1,600 pages of these interviews . The results were published in the journal CBE —Life Sciences Education
本段译文 为了填补这一空白，她的团队跟踪了北佐治亚大学的15名生物专业学生，从他们大一一直到大学毕业。研究人员每年访谈每位学生一次，询问他们如何准备考试、为什么选择这些方法，以及下次可能做出哪些改变。随后，团队研究了这些访谈的1600多页记录。研究结果发表在《CBE—生命科学教育》期刊上。
The researchers found that students arrive with some of these skills , but they do not connect them at first . Some students could see that a plan had failed yet they planned to use it again . One student , for example , wanted to keep studying with a group of classmates , even though the group often stopped working and talked about other things . A key step came when students began to use their judgments about past exams to shape their next plans . Later , some students , but not all , learned to use all three skills together .
本段译文 研究人员发现，学生入学时已具备其中一些能力，但起初并不会把它们联系起来。一些学生能看出某个计划失败了，却仍打算再次使用它。例如，有一名学生想继续和一群同学一起学习，尽管这个小组经常停下来聊别的事情。关键的一步出现在学生开始用自己对以往考试的判断来制定下一次计划时。后来，一些学生（但不是全部）学会了把这三种能力结合起来使用。
The study also points to a common belief that may get in the way . Some students said they chose certain methods because of their “learning style .” Stanton says people do have preferences , but the idea that each person learns best in only one way is largely a myth . Relying on it may lead students to ignore methods that could help them .
本段译文 这项研究还指出了一个可能造成阻碍的常见观念。一些学生说，他们选择某些方法是因为自己的“学习风格”。斯坦顿说，人们确实有各自的偏好，但认为每个人只能用一种方式学得最好的观点在很大程度上是一种误解。依赖这种观点可能会让学生忽视那些本可以帮助他们的方法。
Stanton believes teachers can speed up this process with simple questions . If a student says a method did not work , a teacher can ask why they plan to use it again . Because the study followed only 15 students at one university , it describes stages rather than proving what causes progress . The team’s next goal is to find out what helps or blocks that progress .
本段译文 斯坦顿认为，老师可以用简单的问题加快这一过程。如果学生说某种方法没有效果，老师可以问他们为什么还打算再用它。由于这项研究只跟踪了一所大学的15名学生，它描述的是发展阶段，而不能证明是什么带来了进步。团队的下一个目标是弄清楚哪些因素会促进或阻碍这种进步。
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