The Mediating Role of Self-Directed Learning Strategies In Pre-University Students' Autonomy In Learning

This study aims to analyse the mediating role of self-directed learning strategies in pre-university students' autonomy in learning, specifically among applicants to a public university in Arequipa, Peru. It examines how preferences for e-learning, perceptions of academic performance, and a focus on sustainability influence academic autonomy by activating self-regulated strategies. The research adopts a quantitative approach, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and an explanatory scope. The sample consists of 715 high school graduates who voluntarily participate in the university admissions process. Data were collected between August and September 2025 using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale. The analysis is performed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), evaluating the measurement and structural models, as well as the mediation effects. The most relevant result shows that self-directed learning strategies are the main direct predictor of student autonomy (β = 0.609; p < .001) and significantly mediate the relationships between contextual variables and autonomy. In particular, a focus on sustainability has the most robust indirect effect. It is concluded that the autonomy of pre-university students depends not only on technological resources or academic perceptions, but fundamentally on the development of self-regulated strategies, which act as a central mechanism for consolidating autonomous competencies in the transition to higher education.