Learning Approaches in Relation with Demographic Factors
Main Article Content
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to identify the relationships between learning approach and various demographic factors. With these relationships identified, students’ learning approach can be predicted, and even in some case if we can change the factors students can adapt their learning approach toward deeper-oriented. The ASSIST questionnaire and a demographic factor one developed in house were used in this study. The survey was conducted on two Vietnam universities with a sample of 882 students, who were studying maths or math-related subjects. T-tests and ANOVA were applied in the analysis process. Many relationships between learning approaches of “deep”, “surface”, “strategic” and various demographic factors were disclosed; then solutions to encourage students to use less surface approach, and more deep approach in learning were discussed.
Keywords: Learning approach; demographic factor; education; student; ASSIST.
References
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[10] Biggs, J. B., Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: The Open University Press, 1999.
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[40] Watkins, D., & Hattie, J., A longitudinal study of the approaches to learning of Australian tertiary students. Human Learning, 4 (1985) 127.
[41] Marton, F., & Saljo, R., Approaches to learning. In Marton, F., Hounsell D. and Entwistle N. (Ed), The Experience of Learning. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1984.
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[44] Trigwell, K., Ellis, R. A., & Han, F., Relations between students' approaches to learning, experienced emotions and outcomes of learning. Studies in Higher Education, 37(7) (2012) 811.
[45] Entwistle, N. J., Approaches to learning and forms of understanding. In B. Dart B., & Boulton-Lewis G. (Eds.), Teaching and learning in higher education: from theory to practice (pp. 72-101), Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, 1998a.
[46] Entwistle, N., Reconstituting approaches to learning: a response to Webb. Higher Education, 33(2) (1997) 213.
[47] Biggs, J., Kember, D., & Leung, D.Y.P., The revised two-factor study process questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71 (2001) 133.
[48] Yonker, J. E., The relationship of deep and surface study approaches on factual and applied test-bank multiple-choice question performance. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(6) (2011) 673.
[49] Walker, R., Spronken-Smith, R., Bond, C., McDonald, F., Reynolds, J., & McMartin, A., The impact of curriculum change on health sciences first year students' approaches to learning. Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences, 38(6) (2010) 707.
[50] Case, J., & Marshall, D., Between deep and surface: procedural approaches to learning in engineering education contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 29(5) (2004) 605.
[51] Wilding, J., & Andrews, B., Life goals, approaches to study and performance in an undergraduate cohort. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(1) (2006) 171.
[52] Kyndt, E., Cascallar, E., & Dochy, F., Individual differences in working memory capacity and attention, and their relationship with students' approaches to learning. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 64(3) (2012) 285.
[53] Chiou, G., Liang, J., & Tsai, C., Undergraduate students' conceptions of and approaches to learning in biology: a study of their structural models and gender differences. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2) (2012) 167.
[54] Bliuc, A. M., Ellis, R. A., Goodyear, P., & Hendres, D. M., Understanding student learning in context: relationships between university students' social identity, approaches to learning, and academic performance, European Journal of Psychology of Education, 26(3) (2011) 417.
[55] Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Furnham, A., Mainly Openness: The relationship between the Big Five personality traits and learning approaches. Learning and Individual Differences, 19 (2009) 524.
[56] Kember, D., Sandra, N. G., Harrison, TSE, Eric T. T. W., & Mike, P., An examination of the interrelationships between workload, study time, learning approaches and academic outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 21(3) (1996) 347.
[2] Bilgin, A. A. B., & Crowe, S., Approaches to learning in statistics. Asian Social Science, 4(3), (2008) 37.
[3] Cooper, B. J., The enigma of the Chinese learner. Accounting Education, 13(3) (2004) 289.
[4] Kember, D., Misconceptions about the learning approaches, motivation and study practices of Asian students. Higher Education, 40 (2000) 99.
[5] Kember, D., & Gow, L., A challenge to the anecdotal stereotype of the Asian students. Studies in Higher Education, 16 (1991) 117.
[6] Biggs, J. B., The Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ): Manual. Vic: Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn, 1987b.
[7] Biggs, J.B., The Learning Process Questionnaire (LPQ): Manual. Vic: Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn, 1987c.
[8] Biggs, J. B., Approaches to the enhancement of tertiary teaching. Higher Education Research and Development, 8 (1989) 7.
[9] Biggs, J. B., Why and how do Hong Kong students learn? Using the Learning and Study Process Questionnaires. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University, 1992.
[10] Biggs, J. B., Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: The Open University Press, 1999.
[11] Biggs, J. B., & Kirby, J., Differentiation of learning processes within ability groups. Educational Psychology, 4 (1984) 21.
[12] Biggs, J.B., Teaching for Quality Learning, Buckingham: Open University Press, 2003.
[13] Ramsden, P., Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Routledge, 2003.
[14] Entwistle, N. J., & Ramsden, P., Understanding Student Learning. London and Canberra: Croom Helm, 1983.
[15] Marton, F., & Saljo, R., On qualitative differences in learning: I –Outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 46 (1976) 4.
[16] Entwistle, N. J., Styles of learning and approaches to studying in higher education. Kybernetes, 30 (5/6) (2001) 593.
[17] Ramsden, P., Students' learning and perceptions of teaching: school effectiveness reconsidered. In the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, 1988.
[18] Marton, F., Hounsell, D. and Entwistle, N., The experience of learning:implications for teaching and studying in higher education. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1997.
[19] Tait, H., & Entwistle, N., Identifying Students at Risk through Ineffective Study Strategies. Higher Education, 31(1) 1996) 97.
[20] Biggs, J. B. (1987a). Student approaches to learning and studying. Vic: Australian Council for Educational Research, Camberwell.
[21] Biggs, J. B., What do inventories of students' learning processes really measure? A theoretical review and clarification. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 63 (1993a) 1.
[22] Biggs, J. B., From theory to practice: a cognitive systems approach. Higher Education Research and Development, 12 (1993b) 73.
[23] Biggs, J. B., Individual differences in study processes and the quality of learning outcomes, Higher Education, 8(4) (1979) 381.
[24] Ramsden, P., Student learning and perceptions of the academic environment, Higher Education, 8(4) (1979) 411.
[25] Entwistle, N., & Tait, H., Approaches to studying and perceptions of the learning environment across disciplines. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 64 (1995) 93.
[26] Entwistle, N., Approaches and study skills inventory for students (ASSIST). Retrieved from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/questionnaires/ASSIST.pdf, (2000).
[27] Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Waterhouse, F, Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. Higher Education, 37 (1999) 57.
[28] Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M., Improving the quality of student learning: the influence of learning context and student approaches to learning on learning outcomes. Higher Education, 22(3) (1991) 251.
[29] Saljo, R., Learning approach and outcome: some empirical observations. Instructional Science, 10(1) (1981) 47.
[30] Entwitle, N., McCune, V., & Hounsell, J., Approaches to studying and perceptions of university teaching-learning environments: concepts, measures and preliminary findings. Retrieved from http://www.etl.tla.ed.ac.uk/publications.html, 2002.
[31] Entwistle, N., Tait, H., & McCune, V., Patterns of response to an approach to studying inventory across contrasting groups and contexts. European Journal of the Psychology of Education, 15 (2000) 33.
[32] Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K., Understanding learning and teaching. Buckingham: SHRE and Open University Press, 1999.
[33] Ramsden, P., Improving teaching and learning in higher education: the case for a relational perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 12(3) (1987) 275.
[34] Entwistle, N. J., Hanley, M., & Ratcliffe, G., Approaches to learning and levels of understanding. British Journal of Educational Research, 5 (1979b) 99.
[35] Baykan, Z., & Nacar, M., Learning styles of first year medical students attending Erciyes University in Kayseri, Turkey. Advances in Physiology Education, 31 (2007) 158.
[36] Regan, J., & Regan, L., Changes in university students’ study processes during the first year of their undergraduate courses in relation to age, gender and faculty, In the 25th Annual Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education, November (1995) 26.
[37] Leung, M.Y., Li, J., Fang, Z., Lu, X., & Lu, M., Learning approaches of construction engineering students: a comparative study between Hong Kong and mainland China. Journal for Education in the Built Environment, 1(1) (2006) 112.
[38] Ling, P., Arger, G., Filonenko, I., Chua, H., & Yin, C., Approaches to study: a comparison of Malaysian and Australian students. In Higher Education in a Changing World: Proceedings of the 2005 Annual International Conference of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Inc (HERDSA), Sydney, NSW: Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, 2005.
[39] Zeegers, P., Approaches to learning in science: a longitudinal study, British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71 (2001) 115.
[40] Watkins, D., & Hattie, J., A longitudinal study of the approaches to learning of Australian tertiary students. Human Learning, 4 (1985) 127.
[41] Marton, F., & Saljo, R., Approaches to learning. In Marton, F., Hounsell D. and Entwistle N. (Ed), The Experience of Learning. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press, 1984.
[42] Gijbels, D., Dochy, F., Van den Bosshe, P., & Segers, M., Review of Educational Research, 75(1) (2005) 27.
[43] Nelson, L., Thomas, F., Shoup, R., Kuh, G. D., & Schwarz, M. J., The effects of discipline on deep approaches to student learning and college outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 49(6) (2008) 469.
[44] Trigwell, K., Ellis, R. A., & Han, F., Relations between students' approaches to learning, experienced emotions and outcomes of learning. Studies in Higher Education, 37(7) (2012) 811.
[45] Entwistle, N. J., Approaches to learning and forms of understanding. In B. Dart B., & Boulton-Lewis G. (Eds.), Teaching and learning in higher education: from theory to practice (pp. 72-101), Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research, 1998a.
[46] Entwistle, N., Reconstituting approaches to learning: a response to Webb. Higher Education, 33(2) (1997) 213.
[47] Biggs, J., Kember, D., & Leung, D.Y.P., The revised two-factor study process questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71 (2001) 133.
[48] Yonker, J. E., The relationship of deep and surface study approaches on factual and applied test-bank multiple-choice question performance. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(6) (2011) 673.
[49] Walker, R., Spronken-Smith, R., Bond, C., McDonald, F., Reynolds, J., & McMartin, A., The impact of curriculum change on health sciences first year students' approaches to learning. Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning Sciences, 38(6) (2010) 707.
[50] Case, J., & Marshall, D., Between deep and surface: procedural approaches to learning in engineering education contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 29(5) (2004) 605.
[51] Wilding, J., & Andrews, B., Life goals, approaches to study and performance in an undergraduate cohort. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(1) (2006) 171.
[52] Kyndt, E., Cascallar, E., & Dochy, F., Individual differences in working memory capacity and attention, and their relationship with students' approaches to learning. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 64(3) (2012) 285.
[53] Chiou, G., Liang, J., & Tsai, C., Undergraduate students' conceptions of and approaches to learning in biology: a study of their structural models and gender differences. International Journal of Science Education, 34(2) (2012) 167.
[54] Bliuc, A. M., Ellis, R. A., Goodyear, P., & Hendres, D. M., Understanding student learning in context: relationships between university students' social identity, approaches to learning, and academic performance, European Journal of Psychology of Education, 26(3) (2011) 417.
[55] Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Furnham, A., Mainly Openness: The relationship between the Big Five personality traits and learning approaches. Learning and Individual Differences, 19 (2009) 524.
[56] Kember, D., Sandra, N. G., Harrison, TSE, Eric T. T. W., & Mike, P., An examination of the interrelationships between workload, study time, learning approaches and academic outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 21(3) (1996) 347.
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