scholarly journals A degree of studying? Approaches to learning and academic performance among student ‘consumers’

2019 ◽  
pp. 146978741986020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Bunce ◽  
Melanie Bennett
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Consumer Identity ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

The marketization of higher education and focus on graduate employability and earnings data has raised questions about how students perceive their roles and responsibilities while studying for their degree. Of particular concern is the extent to which students identify themselves as consumers of their higher education, for example, whether they view their degree as a purchasable commodity to improve future earnings. This is because research has found that a stronger consumer identity is related to lower academic performance. This study examined whether this relation could be explained by the impact of a consumer identity on the extent to which students adopt deep, surface or strategic approaches to learning. The hypotheses were that the relation between consumer identity and academic performance would be mediated by approaches to learning, whereby a consumer identity would be related to adopting a more surface approach, a less deep approach and less strategic approach. Undergraduates completed an online questionnaire that assessed the extent to which they identified as a consumer, their approaches to learning and academic performance. The analysis partly supported the hypotheses: a stronger consumer identity was related to a more surface approach to learning. However, a surface approach to learning did not mediate the relation between consumer identity and academic performance. Conversely, a deep approach to learning mediated the relation between consumer identity and academic performance, whereby a stronger consumer identity was related to lower academic performance through its negative impact on a deep approach to learning. There was no relation between consumer identity and strategic approach to learning. Implications of students identifying themselves as consumers of their higher education are discussed.

scholarly journals Calculus Self-Efficacy Inventory: Its Development and Relationship with Approaches to learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yusuf F. Zakariya ◽  
Simon Goodchild ◽  
Kirsten Bjørkestøl ◽  
Hans K. Nilsen
Keyword(s):  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Economics Students ◽  
Exploratory Factor Analyses ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

This study was framed within a quantitative research methodology to develop a concise measure of calculus self-efficacy with high psychometric properties. A survey research design was adopted in which 234 engineering and economics students rated their confidence in solving year-one calculus tasks on a 15-item inventory. The results of a series of exploratory factor analyses using minimum rank factor analysis for factor extraction, oblique promin rotation, and parallel analysis for retaining extracted factors revealed a one-factor solution of the model. The final 13-item inventory was unidimensional with all eigenvalues greater than 0.42, an average communality of 0.74, and a 62.55% variance of the items being accounted for by the latent factor, i.e., calculus self-efficacy. The inventory was found to be reliable with an ordinal coefficient alpha of 0.90. Using Spearman’ rank coefficient, a significant positive correlation ρ ( 95 ) =   0.27 ,   p <   0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the deep approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy, and a negative correlation ρ ( 95 ) =   − 0.26 ,   p <   0.05 (2-tailed) was found between the surface approach to learning and calculus self-efficacy. These suggest that students who adopt the deep approach to learning are confident in dealing with calculus exam problems while those who adopt the surface approach to learning are less confident in solving calculus exam problems.

scholarly journals STUDENT'S CONCEPTS OF AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THEM

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 620-632
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ahmad Alkhateeb ◽  
Osamah Abdel Qader Bani Milhem
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

The study attempted to characterize students’ conceptions of learning and approaches to learning and revealing the correlation between the students’ concepts and approaches to learning. The researchers used qualitative content analysis and a descriptive approach. The study population comprised 90 male and female students of the Faculty of Educational Science in the HU University, Jordan, during the 2019/2020 academic year. The quantitative concepts were dominating among students (87.77%), especially the concept of learning as a knowledge increase (33.33%). On the other hand, the qualitative concepts of learning were low (12.22%), especially on the person change (2.22%). In addition, there was an emergence of a new concept of learning outside the traditional concepts, namely learning as exam preparation. The results showed that the deep approach to learning was low, and the surface approach to learning was high. The results further showed a correlation between the quantitative concepts of learning and the surface approach to learning, as well as a correlation between the qualitative concepts of learning the deep approach to learning. Hence, the general conclusion implies that if teachers are to place learners at the heart of the learning process, they must be aware of the concepts of learning and learning approaches of the students.

University Students' Approaches to Learning First-Year Mathematics

2003 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 851-854
Author(s):  
Haitham M. Alkhateeb
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Learning Mathematics ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning

This study assessed reliability and validity of the Approaches to Learning Mathematics Questionnaire, for 218 university students. The study also identified the relationship between subscales. Internal consistency as Cronbach alpha was .77 for the Surface Approach to Learning scale and .88 for the Deep Approach to Learning scale. Principal components analysis yielded a two-factor solution accounting for only 34.6% of variance. The factors were interpreted as Surface Approach and Deep Approach to learning mathematics, as in Australia. The former subscale scores were negatively correlated –.2 with the latter subscale scores.

scholarly journals Detecting Learning Strategies with Analytics: Links with Self-reported Measures and Academic Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Gasevic ◽  
Jelena Jovanovic ◽  
Abelardo Pardo ◽  
Shane Dawson
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Flipped Classroom ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Trace Data ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
And Performance

The use of analytic methods for extracting learning strategies from trace data has attracted considerable attention in the literature. However, there is a paucity of research examining any association between learning strategies extracted from trace data and responses to well-established self-report instruments and performance scores. This paper focuses on the link between the learning strategies identified in the trace data and student reported approaches to learning. The paper reports on the findings of a study conducted in the scope of an undergraduate engineering course (N=144) that followed a flipped classroom design. The study found that learning strategies extracted from trace data can be interpreted in terms of deep and surface approaches to learning. The detected significant links with self-report measures are with small effect sizes for both the overall deep approach to learning scale and the deep strategy scale. However, there was no observed significance linking the surface approach to learning and surface strategy nor were there significant associations with motivation scales of approaches to learning. The significant effects on academic performance were found, and consistent with the literature that used self-report instruments showing that students who followed a deep approach to learning had a significantly higher performance.

scholarly journals Using Computer Technology to Foster Learning for Understanding

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-13
Author(s):  
ELAINE VAN MELLE ◽  
LEWIS TOMALTY
Keyword(s):  
Computer Technology ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Surface Approach ◽  
Specific Patient ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Surface Approach To Learning ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Learning For Understanding

The literature shows that students typically use either a surface approach to learning, in which the emphasis is on memorization of facts, or a deep approach to learning, in which learning for understanding is the primary focus. This paper describes how computer technology, specifically the use of a multimedia CD-ROM, was integrated into a microbiology curriculum as part of the transition from focusing on facts to fostering learning for understanding. Evaluation of the changes in approaches to learning over the course of the term showed a statistically significant shift in a deep approach to learning, as measured by the Study Process Questionnaire. Additional data collected showed that the use of computer technology supported this shift by providing students with the opportunity to apply what they had learned in class to order tests and interpret the test results in relation to specific patient-focused case studies. The extent of the impact, however, varied among different groups of students in the class. For example, students who were recent high school graduates did not show a statistically significant increase in deep learning scores over the course of the term and did not perform as well in the course. The results also showed that a surface approach to learning was an important aspect of learning for understanding, although only those students who were able to combine a surface with a deep approach to learning were successfully able to learn for understanding. Implications of this finding for the future use of computer technology and learning for understanding are considered.

scholarly journals Learning Approaches of Undergraduate Computer Technology Students: Strategies for Improvement

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suseela Malakolunthu ◽  
Alice Joshua
Keyword(s):  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Statistical Correlation ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Study Process ◽  
Almost All

Purpose – In recent times, quality of graduates and their performance has been questioned. Students’ performance is an indicator of the kind of approach (deep or surface) that is taken. This study investigates the kind of undergraduates take in their learning processes.   Methodology – This quantitative survey used Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F). Sixty-three students participated in the study. Findings – Results showed no significant difference between the types of approach by gender, nationality, year of study, and major. However, the rank ordering of the mean value indicated that almost all the students who participated in the study did not possess a deep approach to learning. The Pearson’s r analysis revealed a weak negative statistical correlation between the deep and surface approaches to learning and weak positive statistical correlation between surface strategy and deep approach. However, a significant relationship between deep strategy and deep approach (r = .903**, p < .01) was found.   Significance – The lack of deep approach to learning among students can be attributed to factors such as the conditions of learning, professional capacity of teachers, and lack of instructional rigor in the program or coursework. It is imperative that emphasis is placed on using deep approaches to learning in the university courses so that deep learning experiences are created for students.

Personality and approaches to learning as predictors of academic achievement

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åge Diseth
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Separate Analysis ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between personality, approaches to learning, and academic achievement was investigated. Two different undergraduate student samples, totalling 310 students, participated in the study. Results showed the expected significant correlations between the personality factors of openness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness, on the one hand, and deep, surface, and strategic approaches to learning, on the other. A significant negative correlation between surface approach and achievement was observed in sample 1. In sample 2, achievement was positively correlated with neuroticism, openness, and deep approach, and negatively correlated with agreeableness. Path analysis showed that each approach to learning was predicted by multiple personality traits, and that academic achievement was predicted by approaches to learning. A separate analysis showed that the relationship between openness and achievement was mediated by a deep approach to learning. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

scholarly journals Comparative Study Of Students‘ Approaches And Strategies To Learning: Implications For Counselling

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 268
Author(s):  
Fatimah Y. Tijani ◽  
O. Grace Abimbola ◽  
Namusoke Jane ◽  
T.S Adeyemi ◽  
Emmanuel A Egbekunle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Higher Institutions ◽  
Descriptive Survey

The researchers compared students’ approaches and strategies to learning in two African countries viz.; Nigeria and Uganda. Using a descriptive survey, fifty students, who were enrolled in the year 2012/2013 in guidance and counselling and computer science respectively, were sampled from the population. The students offered an ICT course separately in 200 level in the different institutions. The instrument used was the Approaches to study skills inventory (ASSIST) and the three hypotheses were postulated and tested. The results of the t-test analysis show that the null hypothesis was not statistically significant when using the strategic approach (t = 1.037, 1.056); p > .05 and the deep approach to learning of students in Nigeria and Uganda (t = -0.278, -0.279); p > .05. The second hypotheses revealed a no statistically significant difference in the Nigerian and Ugandan preferences for different types of courses in teaching and learning while the third hypothesis shows a significant correlation between a deep approach to learning and learning that supports understanding (r=.407; p <.001). It is recommended that lecturers need to accommodate their students’ individual differences in the teaching and learning process considering that most of the classes in higher institutions of learning are large for the prevalent part. Additionally, discussions on possible implications for counselling are discussed in the paper.

scholarly journals Teaching IFRS: evidence from course experience and approaches to learning in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Natoli ◽  
Zi Wei ◽  
Beverley Jackling
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Teaching Quality ◽  
Financial Accounting ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning

Purpose The introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) has brought about renewed calls for the learning environment to foster a deep approach to learning by students. Given this, the purpose of this paper is to determine what aspects of the learning environment, as measured by the Course Experiences Questionnaire, created in two semester-long financial accounting classes, influence students’ approaches to learning, as perceived by Chinese accounting students. Design/methodology/approach A logistic regression model based on responses from 497 accounting students across two universities in China is used to address this issue. Findings The findings provide original empirical evidence of the Chinese accounting students’ expectations of deep learning. The main results showed that teaching quality and clear goals and standards were significantly associated with a deep approach to learning. Research limitations/implications As two universities are included in the study, the findings are not necessarily generalisable to all accounting degree courses across China. There are practical implications for the teaching of IFRS in the financial accounting unit in China, and particularly for the two universities. Specifically, instructors need to foster students’ learning environment and inspire an enhanced approach to deep learning by focusing more on communicating their expected academic standards and improving their quality of teaching to reverse the passive approach taken by the vast majority of Chinese accounting students. Originality/value As one of the few studies from a Chinese accounting classroom context with respect to the learning approaches to teaching IFRS, this study will contribute to extend the existing knowledge of the learning environment of Chinese universities.

scholarly journals Los enfoques de aprendizaje en estudiantes universitarios catalanes mediante el approaches and study skills inventory for students (ASSIST)

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 479-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Montserrat Tesouro Cid ◽  
Dolors Cañabate Ortíz ◽  
Juan Puiggalí Allepuz
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Study Skills ◽  
Deep Approach ◽  
Education Students ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Technology Students ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Deep Approach To Learning ◽  
Las Mujeres ◽  
The University

Este trabajotiene como objetivos la creación y validación de una traducción al catalán delcuestionario Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST),analizar cuáles son los estilos de aprendizaje adoptados por los estudiantesuniversitarios y la influencia del género y de la modalidad de estudios. Se aplicó el instrumento a 834 estudiantes de la Universidad de Girona. De losresultados obtenidos se desprende que el alumnado encuestado presenta mayoritariamenteun enfoque profundo si bien en el análisis diferencial por género se observaque las mujeres optaron más por un enfoque estratégico mientras que en loshombres predomina el enfoque profundo. Respecto a si la modalidad de estudioinfluye en los estilos de aprendizaje, se observa que los alumnos de Ciencias yTecnología presentan una prevalencia en el enfoque profundo mientras que los deHumanidades y Educación presentan un enfoque más estratégico. The aim of this study is to measure the psychometric properties of a Catalan translation of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), and to analyse the different learning styles used by university students, considering the influence of gender and type of studies. The instrument was administered to 834 students at the University of Girona. The results showed that most students interviewed had a deep approach to learning, although the analysis by gender showed that females tended to use a more strategic approach, while males used a deep approach predominantly. As to whether the type of studies influenced learning styles, a prevalence of deep approach was found among Science and Technology students, while a more strategic approach was found among Humanities and Education students.

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