Abstract
Background Students' conceptualization of learning has been associated with their approaches to studying. However, whether students' learning concepts are associated with their personal characteristics is unknown. Aim To investigate whether sociodemographic, education-related, and personal factors were associated with the learning concepts of Norwegian occupational therapy students. Methods One hundred and forty-nine students (mean age 23.9 years, 79.2% women) participated in the study. The employed self-report questionnaires included the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Differences between student cohorts were analyzed with one-way analyses of variance and χ2 tests, whereas factors associated with the students' learning concepts were analyzed with bivariate correlation and linear regression models. Results The students' mean scores on the deep and surface learning concept scales were similar. Spending more time on the independent study was associated with having higher scores on the unidimensional learning concept measure. Conclusions The students' learning concept appears to encompass a surface concept as well as a deep concept of learning, and the two ways of conceptualizing learning were positively related to each other. Over time, a mature deep concept may add to, rather than replace, a basic surface concept of learning.
Highlights
According to Biggs [1], the factors important for students’ learning in higher education can be organized according to the presage, process, and product of learning—the three P model
This study found similar levels of deep and surface conceptions of learning among the Norwegian occupational therapy students
Personal, and education-related variables were included as explanatory factors in this study, but only a small proportion of the outcome variance was accounted for
Summary
According to Biggs [1], the factors important for students’ learning in higher education can be organized according to the presage, process, and product of learning—the three P model. The presage factors are those that constitute the student’s readiness for the tertiary educational experience, emphasizing intellectual inquiry, logical reasoning, and the development of a comprehensive understanding of the phenomena under scrutiny. These factors include the student’s background characteristics and the situational context within which learning takes place [1]. Aim. To investigate whether sociodemographic, education-related, and personal factors were associated with the learning concepts of Norwegian occupational therapy students. Differences between student cohorts were analyzed with oneway analyses of variance and χ2 tests, whereas factors associated with the students’ learning concepts were analyzed with bivariate correlation and linear regression models. A mature deep concept may add to, rather than replace, a basic surface concept of learning
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