Conceptions of learning, approaches to studying and personal development in UK higher education.
BACKGROUND
Students in higher education are known to vary in their conceptions of learning, their approaches to studying, and the personal development and personal change that result.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore the relationships among these four aspects of students' experience; to examine whether there were variations across academic subjects and across departments in each subject; and to explore whether there were changes from first year to after graduation.


METHODS
Students in the first year and the final year of the undergraduate programmes at 15 departments, five offering each of three subjects: bioscience, business studies, and sociology.


METHODS
Participants completed a questionnaire containing four instruments and were given a similar questionnaire roughly two years later (when the entering students were in their third year, and when the exiting students were in their second year after graduation).


RESULTS
The students' conceptions of learning showed a clear relationship with their approaches to studying, but the relationships with their personal development and personal change were much weaker. The students' scores were significantly related to age and gender and showed some significant differences across academic subjects and departments. However, there was little change in their scores over time.


CONCLUSIONS
Students' approaches to studying are influenced by their conceptions of learning and are relatively consistent across different contexts. In contrast, their reports of personal change and development seem to be determined by their implicit theories on entering higher education.
Edmunds
Robert
R
Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Richardson
John T E
JT
D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001290:Attitude; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003210:Concept Formation; D003469:Culture; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010553:Personality Development; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult