Measuring Student Learning Approaches and Generic Skills: A Multi-Group Analysis of Gender Differences

Abstract

The present study sought to measure student learning approaches and generic skills and to determine the influence of learning approaches on the undergraduates’ generic skills. By utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), the study aimed to identify if there are any gender differences in the relations. The study adapted the Revised Approaches to Studying (RASI) (Duff, 1997) in order to measure the learning approaches and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) (Wilson & Lizzio, 1997) to tap into the students’ generic skills. A total of 233 undergraduates from various religious studies disciplines took part in the survey. The study utilized purposive sampling in the data collection in which only final year students were sampled. Using multi-group analysis via SEM, the data showed that the models for boys and girls differed in which the girls’ surface approach negatively influenced their generic skills. Unlike the girls, the boys’ strategic and surface approaches are related to generic skills, each having a positive and negative relationship respectively. Interestingly, the boys’ model also accounted for a higher explained variance (47%) compared to that of the girls’ (23%). A model of the relationship between the learning approaches and generic skills used was subsequently proposed. The study uncovered how the boys’ and girls’ learning approaches may influence the teaching and learning in the classroom and on students’ generic skills, subsequently graduate employability. A number of suggestions have been forwarded so as to escalate the use of generics skills among the students of various religious studies disciplines and those of girls in particular.