The article presents research on students’ independent self-learning. The applied method was an analysis of intentionally prepared documents. While conducting the research, an attempt was made to recognise: the manner of the understanding the notion of “learning” by the students; the manner of learning which they apply as well as evaluation of their own effectiveness in this scope. The participants in the research identify learning mainly as mnemonic acquisition of new knowledge in the situations related to the process of studying. In the majority of cases, they work unsystematically, applying ineffective techniques of learning and express negative judgements on their own learning effectiveness.