How University Students Understand Learning after a Learning-to-Learn Course: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of Reflective Portfolios

This qualitative study explored how undergraduate students understood learning and interpreted changes in their learning approaches following a compulsory Foundations of Learning course. The study was conducted at the International University of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where the course is offered as a compulsory general education course to undergraduate students across disciplines. Data were drawn from 154 complete reflective portfolios and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Reflexive thematic analysis generated four interconnected themes: (1) learning as meaning-making, application, and transformation; (2) becoming self-directed and reflective learners; (3) learning as social, resource-connected, and lifelong practice; and (4) perceived gains in learning and personal development. In their reflections, students contrasted memorisation and reproduction with understanding and application, and described greater awareness and regulation of their learning. They also described learning as extending beyond formal classroom settings through social, digital, professional, and everyday contexts. Students associated these changes with gains in understanding, retention, confidence, persistence, practical competence, and personal development. As these outcomes were self-reported, they should not be interpreted as objectively verified improvements or causal effects of the course. Rather, the findings provide insight into how students understand and experience learning development. By examining students’ interpretations rather than assuming demonstrable course effects, the study extends understanding of how learning-to-learn education is experienced in a Mongolian university context.

Keywords: learning conceptions; learning to learn; learning development; self-regulated learning; higher education; Mongolia.