The Approaches to Learning of Australian Tertiary Students: A Replication

Watkins, David

doi:10.1080/0729436860050207

Cited by 81 publications

(107 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…A possible reason why mastery goals are not successful is that too often the outcomes of tasks and assessments are at the surface level and having mastery goals with no strategic sense of when to maximise them can be counter-productive. 62 Having goals, per se, is worthwhile-and this relates back to the general principle of having notions of what success looks like before investing in the learning. The first step is to teach students to have goals relating to their upcoming work, preferably the appropriate mix of achieving and deep goals, ensure the goals are appropriately challenging and then encourage students to have specific intentions to achieve these goals.…”

Section: Synthesis Of the Input Phases Of The Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model

2016

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The purpose of this article is to explore a model of learning that proposes that various learning strategies are powerful at certain stages in the learning cycle. The model describes three inputs and outcomes (skill, will and thrill), success criteria, three phases of learning (surface, deep and transfer) and an acquiring and consolidation phase within each of the surface and deep phases. A synthesis of 228 meta-analyses led to the identification of the most effective strategies. The results indicate that there is a subset of strategies that are effective, but this effectiveness depends on the phase of the model in which they are implemented. Further, it is best not to run separate sessions on learning strategies but to embed the various strategies within the content of the subject, to be clearer about developing both surface and deep learning, and promoting their associated optimal strategies and to teach the skills of transfer of learning. The article concludes with a discussion of questions raised by the model that need further research. There has been a long debate about the purpose of schooling. These debates include claims that schooling is about passing on core notions of humanity and civilisation (or at least one's own society's view of these matters). They include claims that schooling should prepare students to live pragmatically and immediately in their current environment, should prepare students for the work force, should equip students to live independently, to participate in the life of their community, to learn to 'give back', to develop personal growth. 1 In the past 30 years, however, the emphasis in many western systems of education has been more on enhancing academic achievement-in domains such as reading, mathematics, and science-as the primary purpose of schooling. 2 Such an emphasis has led to curricula being increasingly based on achievement in a few privileged domains, and 'great' students are deemed those who attain high levels of proficiency in these narrow domains.This has led to many countries aiming to be in the top echelon of worldwide achievement measures in a narrow range of subjects; for example, achievement measures such as PISA (tests of 15-year olds in mathematics, reading and science, across 65 countries in 2012) or PIRLS (Year-5 tests of mathematics, reading and science, across 57 countries in 2011). Indeed, within most school systems there is a plethora of achievement tests; many countries have introduced accountability pressures based on high levels of testing of achievement; and communities typically value high achievement or levels of knowledge. 3 The mantra underpinning these claims has been cast in terms of what students know and are able to do; the curriculum is compartmentalised into various disciplines of achievement; and students, teachers, parents and policy makers talk in terms of success in these achievement domains.Despite the recent emphasis on achievement, the day-to-day focus of schools has always been on learning-how to know, how to know more efficiently a...

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Section: Synthesis Of the Input Phases Of The Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model

2016

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“…Watkins and Hattie (1985) used the ASI and reported that over three years a deeper approach to learning declined in Australian students. A study from first and third year students in Hong Kong found that deep approach use declined in third year students, but that older students tended to use deep approaches more (Gow & Kember 1990).…”

Section: Learning Inventoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in approaches to learning over three years of university undergraduate study

McDonald

Reynolds

Bixley

et al. 2017

TLI

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This study aimed to evaluate and compare approaches to learning by a longitudinal cohort of undergraduate students as they progressed from their first to third years of study in anatomy and physiology. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) was completed at the beginning and end of their first year of university study, and in their final semester. At first year, a surface learning approach predominated; however, at third year, students showed a significant increase in their use of deep and strategic learning approaches compared to first year, although surface learning approaches were retained. The extent to which third-year students took both strategic and deep approaches to learning was positively correlated with their performance on assessment. As students progress through a three-year science degree, they develop deeper and more strategic learning approaches, and assessment and teaching styles probably promote these approaches to learning.

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“…The student approaches learning with the intention to understand and seek meaning, and, consequently, searches for relationships among the material and interprets knowledge in light of previous knowledge structures and experiences (Watkins and Hattie, 1985;Biggs, 1987a;Eley, 1992;Ramsden, 1992;Biggs and Moore, 1993;Gow et al, 1994;Beattie et al, 1997;Sharma, 1997;Booth et al, 1999;Prosser and Trigwell, 1999). A deep approach to learning is more likely to result in better retention and transfer of knowledge (Ramsden, 1992) and may lead to quality learning outcomes, such as a good understanding of the discipline and critical thinking skills (Booth et al, 1999).…”

Section: Approaches To Learning Of Accounting Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing the learning environment to promote deep learning approaches in first-year accounting students

Hall

Ramsay

Raven

2004

Accounting Education

212

168

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Developing deep approaches to learning is claimed to enhance students' engagement with their subject material and result in improved analytical and conceptual thinking skills. Numerous calls have been made for accounting educators to adopt strategies that produce such results. This paper reports on changes to the learning environment centring on the introduction of group learning activities that were designed to improve the quality of students' learning outcomes. The impact of changes in the learning environment on students' approaches to learning, as measured by the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) (Biggs, 1987b), was then assessed. Results indicate that across the semester, accounting students exhibited a small but statistically significant increase in their deep learning approach, and a small but statistically significant reduction in their surface learning approach. The results suggest that accounting educators, through changes in the learning environment, may be able to influence the learning approaches adopted by accounting students.

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The Approaches to Learning of Australian Tertiary Students: A Replication

Cited by 81 publications

References 7 publications

Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model

Learning strategies: a synthesis and conceptual model

Changes in approaches to learning over three years of university undergraduate study

Changing the learning environment to promote deep learning approaches in first-year accounting students

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