THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEARNING APPROACHES AND LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT AND ESTIMATED TIME REQUIRED BY STUDENTS DURING THEIR PRACTICUM

Abstract

INTRODUCTION. During the training period every person chooses a way, or approach, to face different learning tasks. Biggs´ 3P model -Presage, Process, Product- describes teaching as a balanced system where all components are interrelated and mutually reinforcing. In recent decades there has been a large volume of research relating this construct with personal and academic variables. However, few studies have linked it with one of the key concepts in the new European Highe Education Area (EHEA) - the student’s workload. The objective of this study is to understand the relationships established between learning approaches, workload and performance. METHODS. The information is collected using a longitudinal survey design, involving 297 students from the Faculty of Education at the University of Leon. To measure learning approaches we use the R-SPQ-2F (which analyzes its psychometric properties). RESULTS. The results indicate a clear trend toward greater time commitment from students with deep approaches and lower commitmment in the case of the more superficial ones, as well as some differences in students´ grades based on their scores on learning approaches and the time they invest. DISCUSSION. The relationship between approaches and performance has been verified in the literature, especially regarding deep approach. The results seem to indicate that the time dedication may be a modulating factor.