1 Introduction

In recent decades, the construct of self-regulated learning has become a topic of interest among professionals from various segments, including education (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2020}; ^{GANDA; BORUCHOVITCH, 2018}; ^{FRISON, 2016}; ^{SCHUNK; GREENE, 2018}). Seen as a process that, through regulation of motivational, behavioral, cognitive, and metacognitive factors, enables the control of one’s own learning (^{ZIMMERMAN, 2013}), self-regulated learning is crucial for training of autonomous, motivated and strategic individuals (^{AVILA; FRISON; VEIGA SIMÃO, 2016}; GÓES; BORUCHOVITCH, 2020; ^{WEINSTEIN et al., 2011}; ZIMMERMAN, 2013). Self-regulated learners skillfully use, among other tools, different cognitive and metacognitive learning strategies, which are key variables in the self-regulation process (WEINSTEIN; ACEE, 2018; ZIMMERMAN, 2000, 2013).

Learning strategies contribute to the acquisition, storage, and retrieval of information (^{MCCOMBS, 2017}; ^{OLIVEIRA; BORUCHOVITCH; SANTOS, 2009}; ^{SELI; DEMBO, 2020}). They are essential for a proper psychological and environmental context that favors adequate processing of information, as they enable planning, monitoring, and regulation of the behavior, motivation, and emotions of learners (GÓES; BORUCHOVITCH, 2020; MCCOMBS, 2017; ^{PELLISSON; BORUCHOVITCH, 2022}; ^{WEINSTEIN; HUSMAN; DIERKING, 2000}). Authors highlight that self-regulation skills, such as the use of learning strategies, can and should be taught, especially in initial teacher education. This way, future teachers are expected to overcome the challenges related to training and the profession and promote environments that favor strategic and self-regulated learning in their classes (^{BANDURA, 2006}; BORUCHOVITCH, 2014; ^{CALLAN; SHIM, 2019}; ^{CEREZO et al., 2019}; GÓES; BORUCHOVITCH, 2020; ^{LAWSON et al., 2018}).

Contemporary events, such as the remote learning system due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have only reinforced the fact that learners, especially future teachers, should make extensive use of learning strategies (^{ANTHONYSAMY; AH CHOO; SOON HIN, 2021}; ^{ESTRADA ARAOZ; GALLEGOS RAMOS, 2022}; ^{HONG; LEE; YE, 2021}; ^{KLEIN et al., 2021}; ^{PEREIRA NETO; FARIA; ALMEIDA, 2022}). However, unfortunately, the production in Brazil of studies in this field indicates that students in teacher education programs mostly use superficial learning strategies (MARINI; ^{BORUCHOVITCH, 2014}), have time management issues, find it difficult to maintain concentration and motivation, report poor use of self-assessment strategies, and tend to use self-handicapping strategies, such as procrastination (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2020}; ^{GANDA; BORUCHOVITCH, 2016}; ^{VERSUTI; ANDRADE; ZERBINI, 2020}).

Similarly, international studies show that, even among in-service teachers, it is common to have conceptual and practical gaps regarding this topic, which may eventually generate poor self-efficacy beliefs when teaching self-regulation and then create obstacles when teaching learning strategies and evaluating one’s own pedagogical practice, with consequent failure to promote learning environments for self-regulated learning (^{CALLAN; SHIM, 2019}; ^{DE SMUL et al., 2018}; ^{DIGNATH; BÜTTNER, 2018}; ^{HALAMISH, 2018}).

Considering the relevance of learning strategies for pre-service teachers and for daily lives of teachers, future teachers must expand their knowledge about them. Then, our study intends to map national and international descriptive correlational studies that address learning strategies used by pre-service teachers. More specifically, this study aims to investigate whether and how often they use these strategies, and which psychological, academic, and demographic variables may be related to such use.

2 Method

This study observed the most recent guidelines for systematic reviews according to the PRISMA model (^{PAGE et al., 2021}). The search was performed between January and March 2022 indexed in the following databases and virtual journals: Science Direct, Scopus, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal (Redalyc), Scientific Library OnLine (SciELO), and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes). This study analyzed studies published between 2017 and 2022.

The descriptors used in the search for international articles addressing the use of learning strategies among learners in teacher education programs were: learning strategies, self-regulated learning, self-regulated students, self-regulated learning strategies, study strategies, study habits, pre-service teachers, student teachers, and teacher education. To search for Brazilian studies on the same theme, the same descriptors were used in Portuguese as well. During the search, Boolean operators (and, or, and not) were used to combine the descriptors, and they could be located anywhere in the studies.

The inclusion criteria of this review were: peer-reviewed descriptive correlational studies, indexed in journals, whose target audience was undergraduate students enrolled in teacher education programs. Review studies, theoretical research, interventional studies, and papers for a target audience other than the one cited above were excluded. A total of 770 studies were identified in the six databases. After the identification, screening, and inclusion stages, 14 studies that met all inclusion criteria were analyzed in detail and included in this review.

3 Results and discussion

Table 1 shows the general characteristics of the studies included in this review. Regarding the origin of the articles, eight different nationalities can be observed. Only three studies conducted in Brazil were included when compared to international studies (n=11). Also, the studies were conducted from 2019 to 2022. No study was identified in 2017 and 2018. The authors were mostly supported by colleagues, since only two studies were published by a single author.

Data about the use of learning strategies were collected from selected studies through self-report instruments, including the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (^{PINTRICH et al., 1993}) and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) (^{WEINSTEIN; PALMER; ACEE, 2016}), used in three and two studies, respectively. The other ten instruments were addressed only once. Regarding initial training courses, it should be noted that these studies were mostly investigations of samples that included more than one course, with emphasis on Natural Sciences courses, present in four studies.

Two approaches to the analysis of the use of learning strategies by future teachers were observed in the international articles: characterization of general use and identification of use profiles, with seven international studies addressing the first type of analysis. The first study, by ^{Liu et al. (2019}), analyzed the learning strategies and motivation of 419 future teachers, using a Likert-scale questionnaire. The results showed moderate use of learning strategies. The most frequent strategies were elaboration and critical thinking. Regarding motivation, those students guided by the mastery goal approach used learning strategies more frequently than those students whose goal was to obtain good grades or avoid negative judgments about their ability.

Aiming to explore the learning strategies used by undergraduate and graduate students in teacher education programs, Jerónimo-Arango, Yaniz-Álvarez-de-Eulate, and Carcamo-Vergara (2020) investigated 431 undergraduate students. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire. The results indicated that, in general, undergraduate students presented a moderate use of learning strategies. The most common strategies were context control and information processing and use, while the least frequent were metacognitive strategies and information search and selection. Among first-year students and end-of-course students, no significant difference was observed in the use of most strategies, except for information search and selection, which was more frequent among end-of-course students.

^{Boon (2020}) analyzed the self-regulatory skills of 222 music students, using a Likert-scale questionnaire. The results indicated moderate use of learning strategies. However, differences were found according to demographic and academic variables. In this sense, female and male students presented different uses of strategies: female students showed higher use of goal setting and planning strategies, while male students reported higher use of help-seeking and group study strategies. Boon (2020) also identified that third-year students, when compared to second-year students, also presented higher use of help-seeking and group study strategies. Statistically significant differences showed that practicing a musical instrument for three or more hours a day was related to the use of strategies to plan, monitor, and evaluate academic experiences. Finally, self-regulated learning was, in general, influenced by the most recent grades of students - higher grades were related to higher proficiency in behaviors of motivation, attitude, planning, use of information processing strategies, and self-assessment.

An extensive study was conducted by ^{Körükcü (2020}) on cognitive flexibility and the metacognitive strategies used by 150 future teachers. Data were collected using a Likert scale and indicated high use of metacognitive strategies by students. More specifically, the most frequent strategy was related to the ability to identify environmental preferences during the study, while the least frequent strategy was related to the ability to manage emotions and anxiety along the study. Regarding gender, the use of general metacognitive, planning, and observation strategies was more frequent among female students. Regarding the moment of the training course, third-year students presented a better performance than the others in the general use of metacognitive strategies and evaluation and emotional control strategies.

Aiming to investigate self-regulated learning in teacher education programs during the period of remote classes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and analyze differences according to demographic and academic variables, ^{Özdemir and Önal (2021}) collected data from 353 students using a Likert scale. The results showed moderate use of learning strategies and the most frequent strategies were those related to environmental structuring and persistence. Help-seeking and metacognitive and time management skills were less frequently employed, although presenting moderate use. Significant differences were observed in demographic and academic variables: female students had better grades than male students, students reporting good or excellent digital skills had higher grades than those reporting basic skills, and students who dedicated five to six hours a day to online studies had better grades than those who dedicated one to two hours.

Another group of researchers analyzed the experiences of students enrolled in teacher education programs during the period of remote classes related to the COVID-19 pandemic (^{JURIŠEVIČ et al., 2021}). They wanted to identify learning and emotional regulation strategies of 337 students and relate them to the positive experiences they had during the pandemic. A questionnaire about learning strategies and a questionnaire about emotional regulation strategies, both using Likert scales, were the data collection instruments. The most common cognitive and metacognitive strategies among the students were environmental structuring and goal setting. The least common strategies were task strategies, which involved taking notes, writing study questions, and performing extra tasks. The results also indicated that strategies such as time management, goal setting, environmental structuring, and seeking help were positively associated with adaptive emotional regulation strategies, including positive reappraisal, acceptance, and reorientation of planning, and with positive experiences during the pandemic.

Finally, with a questionnaire of open-ended questions, Australian researchers sought to identify and classify the learning strategies used by 366 first-year students of teacher education programs and relate them to their beliefs of self-regulated learning and their academic performance (^{VOSNIADOU et al., 2021}). The students answered two questions - one to identify learning strategies used by them and one to identify the main types of strategies according to the students. The results indicated that most students reported cognitive strategies of low complexity, such as taking notes, repeating, and practicing. The second most frequent group of strategies was resource management, followed by deep cognitive and metacognitive strategies such as selection of key ideas, elaboration, comprehension monitoring, and self-testing. The least frequent group of strategies was planning metacognition. In the second open-ended question, the most important strategies were those related to the management of the study environment and those that involved direct information manipulation.

Among the studies that evaluated the use of learning strategies based on person-centered approaches, the investigation by ^{Häkkinen et al. (2019}), through a cluster analysis, identified the profiles of 872 students enrolled in teacher education programs, according to their strategic learning and willingness to collaborate. An adapted Likert-scale questionnaire of learning strategies was used to collect data. The use of cognitive, metacognitive, and resource management strategies by students was moderate. However, the profiles obtained in the analysis showed that strategic learning and willingness to collaborate of students were not homogeneous. Most of the sample showed moderate use of strategies and willingness to collaborate. A smaller portion showed moderate use of strategies and low willingness to collaborate. There was also a group of students who showed low use of strategies and moderate willingness to collaborate.

Students with high use of strategies and high willingness to collaborate constituted the fourth most frequent profile, while the least frequent profile represented students with poor use of strategies and low willingness to collaborate. According to the authors, the profiles could be explained by some demographic and academic variables, such as gender, average grade in high school, university admission grade, previous university studies, teaching experience, and anticipated life satisfaction for the next five years.

Also using cluster analysis, ^{Kingir, Gok, and Bozkir (2020}) investigated, among other factors, the profiles of 480 pre-service teachers based on their learning strategies, motivational beliefs, and constructivist perceptions of the learning environment. Data were collected using three Likert-scale questionnaires - one for learning strategies, one for motivational beliefs, and one for constructivist perceptions. The demographic and academic variables of students were compared and two groups of students were identified. Profiles were significantly characterized by gender. More precisely, the profile representing female students showed more frequent use of organization, elaboration, rehearsal, effort regulation, metacognitive regulation, and time and environment management strategies when compared to the profile representing male students. Also, female students showed higher use of mastery goal orientation and performance goal orientation. Constructivist perceptions of the learning environment were statistically similar for both groups.

^{Muwonge et al. (2020}) investigated the use of self-regulation strategies of 527 future teachers who answered a self-regulation questionnaire. They identified three distinct profiles - the most frequent profile showed high scores for the use of strategies, followed by the profile representing students who reported moderate use, and the profile showing poor use of strategies in all scales of the instrument. The authors also found that high use of strategies by the profiles resulted in stronger motivational beliefs, such as extrinsic orientation, task value, learning control beliefs, self-efficacy, and anxiety.

The article by ^{Reindl, Tulis and Dresel (2020}) addressed the emotional, motivational, cognitive, and metacognitive regulation strategies of 469 teacher training students in situations of academic errors. A questionnaire for emotional regulation strategies and a questionnaire for learning strategies, both using Likert scales, were used for data collection. Three distinct groups were identified: one with most students, who presented high scores for the use of adaptive and ambiguous emotional regulation strategies (capable of producing positive and negative impacts on learning) and low scores for maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. The second group referred to more frequent use, characterized by low scores for the use of adaptive strategies and a combination of high scores for ambiguous and maladaptive strategies. The third group was characterized by the frequent use of maladaptive strategies. The results also indicated that students who were able to adaptively regulate emotions after an adverse situation used deep learning strategies more frequently and had a stronger belief in their ability to overcome difficult situations. Also, they managed effort more effectively when compared to those who used adaptive emotional regulation strategies.

Among the Brazilian studies selected for the review, ^{Boruchovitch et al. (2020}) aimed to identify the study and learning strategies used by 163 university students enrolled in different teacher education programs and analyze them in relation to some demographic and academic variables. A questionnaire addressing academic and demographic variables and the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI), both using Likert scales, were answered. In general, the students showed moderate use of the explored strategies. The students showed a better performance in the scale related to the attitudes, while the worst performance was observed for self-testing strategies. Significant differences were observed in study and learning strategies in relation to six of total eight demographic and academic variables analyzed (age, gender, course semester, ethnicity, intention to remain in the course, and self-perception of performance).

^{Dias et al. (2021}) investigated the learning strategies used by students of teacher education programs in remote classes using a Likert-scale questionnaire. The results showed that students used less cognitive strategies when compared to metacognitive strategies. Passive and active note-taking and identifying key information during classes were the most frequent cognitive strategies. On the other hand, a low frequency of elaboration strategies involving the creation of questions about the studied subject was also observed. Among the metacognitive strategies, monitoring and regulation of reading, time management and planning were more frequent, while self-assessment was not frequently reported.

^{Arcoverde et al. (2022}) analyzed the learning strategies of 220 students in teacher training in Natural Sciences to find differences in the use of these strategies in relation to demographic variables. The results, obtained through the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, which used a Likert-type scale, indicated that, in general, students presented a moderate use of learning strategies. Students reported good information processing skills as well as motivation and positive attitudes towards learning. In contrast, they found it difficult to control anxiety, use self-testing strategies, seek help from academic resources, and manage time. Male students reported they were able to deal with anxiety much better than female students. Physics students were able to control anxiety better than the students from other courses. Mathematics and Chemistry students showed significantly more appropriate attitudes and time management when compared to Biological Sciences students. Also, students in the first and second semesters, when compared to those in the sixth to eighth semesters, showed better skills regarding attitude, self-testing, study strategies for tests, and use of academic resources, in addition to strategic and self-regulated learning as a whole. They also reported better control of concentration when compared to students in the middle of the course (third to fifth semester) and students at the end of the course (sixth to eighth semester).

The analysis of all studies included in this review helped identify that, in general, the use of learning strategies by students of teacher courses, in the last six years, has been moderate both in in-person and remote classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2022}; BOOM, 2020; ^{LIU et al., 2019}; ^{JURIŠEVIČ et al., 2021}; ^{ÖZDEMIR; ÖNAL, 2021}). However, the use of strategies is not homogeneous among these students, and distinct groups can be identified regarding such use (HÄKKINEN et al., 2020; ^{REINDL; TULIS; DRESEL, 2020}; ^{MUWONGE et al., 2020}).

According to our review, the use of some strategies, such as cognitive strategies of rehearsal and metacognitive strategies of study environment and goal setting management, is more frequent than others, including cognitive strategies of elaboration and metacognitive strategies of self-assessment, planning, preparation for tests and exams, and management of motivation and emotions (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2022}; ^{BORUCHOVITCH et al., 2020}; ^{DIAS et al., 2021}; ^{JURIŠEVIČ et al., 2021}; ^{KÖRÜKCÜ, 2020}; ^{LIU et al., 2019}; ^{VOSNIADOU et al., 2021}). Although all strategies have their importance and proper moments for use, students, especially those who intend to be teachers, must expand their declarative and conditional knowledge about the use of deep cognitive strategies and metacognitive strategies (GÓES; BORUCHOVITCH, 2020; ^{WEINSTEIN; ACEE, 2018}).

The studies included in this review also establish important relationships between strategic self-regulated learning and academic variables (field of knowledge, year of the course, daily study time, semester of the course, self-perception of performance, and intention to continue in the course), demographic variables (gender and age), and motivational and affective variables (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2020}; BOOM, 2020; ^{BORUCHOVITCH et al., 2020}; HÄKKINEN et al., 2020; ^{KINGIR; GOK; BOZKIR, 2020}; ^{KÖRÜKCÜ, 2020}; ^{ÖZDEMIR; ÖNAL, 2021}). They are all valuable data, as they can guide training actions and intervention projects to improve the use of learning and study strategies in teacher training, allowing special attention to groups that need to enhance the use of such strategies (^{SPURK et al., 2020}).

5 Final considerations

Our study aimed to identify the current state of national and international scientific studies addressing the learning strategies used by students in teacher training, in a period of six years. The search found 14 articles, three of which were conducted in Brazil. In general, participants reported moderate use of different strategies for the regulation of cognition and motivational and affective states, enabling a classification into different strategy use profiles. Most studies found important relationships between strategic self-regulated learning and other psychological, academic or sociodemographic variables. This fact reinforces the importance of considering several variables when promoting the use of learning strategies and, consequently, better internal and external conditions for learning.

This study offers valuable contributions to the expansion of knowledge on the subject, thus supporting further studies and intervention projects for future teachers, particularly at the national level after the end of the remote classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, its limitations should be highlighted. The number of databases analyzed in this review, the time frame, the descriptive correlational character, and the variables assessed here are important limitations that should be taken into account in future review studies.

Due to the relevance of learning strategies for future teachers, in terms of overcoming obstacles in pre-service teacher education and teaching them to future students, special attention should be dedicated to making learning strategies widely known and used by undergraduate teacher education programs (^{BANDURA, 2006}; ^{BORUCHOVITCH, 2006}, 2014; ^{FRISON; VEIGA SIMÃO; CIGALES, 2017}; RANDI, 2014). As theorists and evidence suggest that it is possible to teach self-regulation of learning and the use of learning strategies (^{ARCOVERDE et al., 2022}; ^{DEMBO, 2001}; ZIMMERMAN, 2000, 2013), the importance of future studies exploring this theme not only in undergraduate teacher education programs, but also in the continuing training of teachers, should be reinforced.