Owning the Learning: Empowering Students
Learning is not a passive process, and students are not merely sponges ready to soak up facts and figures. Passive learning often leads to memorisation without true understanding. Alternatively, active learning encourages students to engage meaningfully with the material, understanding the facts as well as their relevance and how they can best learn them. Hence, it is evident that active learning requires student ownership of learning.
Educators should first understand what contributes to students’ reluctance to take ownership of their learning. One is the fear of failure. Bandura (1997) states that the fear of making mistakes often drives students to minimise risks, leading to a more passive approach where they do only enough to get by. A lack of self-regulation skills (Zimmerman, 2002) can also hinder students from organising their thoughts, managing their time effectively, and adopting a disciplined approach to their learning activities, preferring instead to place the burden on teachers to teach. Furthermore, the traditional teacher-centred approach to education, where information is delivered in a one-way flow, can be formidable to students, causing them to tune out or disengage from the learning process.
So, why is student ownership of learning important? When students acknowledge ownership, they become accountable for their learning. This responsibility includes completing assignments, asking for assistance when needed, sharing their ideas, and engaging with materials to enhance their understanding. Such ownership fosters intrinsic motivation and cultivates critical thinking skills essential for their future success. Research shows that students who take responsibility for their learning are better prepared to navigate challenges and develop a growth mindset (Dweck, 2006). This mindset is vital as graduates face an increasingly complex work environment.
To promote student autonomy and encourage self-directed learning, educators can implement several strategies:
Introduce ‘Productive Struggles’: This strategy encourages flexible thinking, active engagement, and perseverance among students. Through a trial-and-error approach, students make inquiries to navigate complex problems. They examine issues critically by asking themselves questions about the problem and consider their perspectives as well as potential solutions. This is a form of inquiry-based learning that can activate critical thinking. Over time, this fosters a problem-solving mindset — a skill applicable beyond the classroom. However, for this effort to be successful, it is crucial that we provide students with support, constructive feedback, and to emphasise that initial failures are a necessary part of the learning journey.
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Embed Metacognition in Learning Activities: Metacognitive skills enable students to analyse their thinking and develop effective learning strategies (Flavell, 1979). We can foster metacognition by encouraging students to pose questions, articulate their reasoning, and evaluate their thought processes before arriving at conclusions. Incorporating ‘Pause and Ponder’ moments during lessons allows students to reflect on their learning. Interactive tools such as polls, debates, and peer feedback can further enhance communication and elicit idea-sharing among students, which helps them view their perspective vis-à -vis their peers.
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Incorporate Technology in Teaching: With digital natives in classrooms, using online platforms like Khan Academy and Coursera can help students explore topics at their own pace. Tools like Panopto allow pauses in learning, enabling students to evaluate their understanding through embedded quizzes. AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini provide an opportunity to teach students to use these tools as research assistants instead of simply seeking answers. We can integrate technology to enhance their learning (Zimmerman & Schunk, 2011) and show how AI tools do not replace thinking, but are great support for determining direction.
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Connect Content to the Real World: One common concern of students is the relevance of the material to their lives or future careers. By connecting academic content with real-world situations, we can increase engagement and boost motivation. Research shows that applying concepts through project-based learning empowers students to develop vital life skills while achieving a deeper understanding and better academic outcomes (Mohamed et al., 2022; Krajcik & Blumenfeld, 2018).
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Promoting student ownership of learning is critical to nurture lifelong learners who are motivated, resilient, and capable of independent thought. By implementing strategies that promote active engagement, metacognition, and self-directed learning, we can create environments where students feel empowered to take charge of their learning experiences. Student ownership will be essential for preparing learners to thrive in a dynamic world that demands analytical skills, resilience, flexibility and agility, creative thinking, motivation, self-awareness and lifelong learning (World Economic Forum, 2025). Learning must be learner-owned for it to be meaningful.
REFERENCES
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Random House.
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34(10), 906-911.
Krajcik, J. S., & Blumenfeld, P. C. (2018). Project-based learning. In Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction (2nd ed., pp. 441-470). Routledge.
Mohamed, A., Ali, R., & Al-Mahdi, G. (2022). Real-world connections: Enhancing student engagement through practical applications. Journal of Educational Research, 115(4), 354-367.
University of San Diego. (2023, May 31). What is productive struggle? [+ strategies for teachers].
World Economic Forum (2025). Future of Jobs Report.
Zimmerman, B. (2002). Becoming a Self-Regulated Learner: An Overview. Theory Into Practice. 41. 64-70. 10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (2011). Self-Regulated Learning and Performance. In B. J. Zimmerman, & D. H. Schunk (Eds.), Handbook of Self-Regulation of Learning and Performance (pp. 1-12). New York: Routledge.
Vijaya Malar Arumugam
School of Hospitality and Service Management
Email: @email