Abstract:

Student’s approach to learning can be classified in deep approach and surface approach to learning. Deep approach is characterized by a look for meaning by the student, while surface approach focuses on meeting the requirements of the subject. The student’s approach to learning is not a fixed characteristic, since it can be influenced by several factors in each subject. These can be classified as contextual, perceived, and student’s factors. Contextual factors are determined by the type of studies, the methodology and assessment system of the subject, or the year or program where the subject is located, among others. Perceived factors like workload, clarity or relevance of the methodology or assessment system can also influence the election of the learning approach by the student. Finally, personal factors like age, gender, motivations, or individual circumstances also affect student approach to learning. In the present study, the influence of some of those factors is studied in an undergraduate students’ population from a small campus located in the city of Huesca, in the north of Spain. The influence of variables such as subject, year, and degree is discussed together with the relevance of personal factors, such as gender, previous performance or employment situation. The R-SPQ-2f questionnaire was used in subjects from four degrees to determinate student’s approach to learning, and results are compared with previous studies in larger campus. The questionary reliability is acceptable for the main scales of the questionnaire but not for the secondary scales with high correlation between the main scales and their corresponding subscales. Most of the students showed a deep approach, but surface approach was also observed..

Keywords:

R-SPQ-2F, deep and surface approach, motivation.