Search

[EN] Student learning approach can change due to different factors than can classified as contextual, perceived, or personal. The contextual factors can include the type of studies, institutional setting, assessment, or classroom activities, subject or course where the subject is framed. Students can choose between a deep approach, where meaning and comprehension is sought, or a surface approach, with lack of personal connection and reflection, use of memory and minimum effort. Assessment of the learning approach can help to select the most suitable strategies of teaching, with the purpose of facilitating the engagement of the students in the subject and to maximize their learning process. Some questionnaires have been developed to assess the student approach to learning of the student, and the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire is one of the most used. In this study, students of the Biotechnology degree were assessed with the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire for their student approach to learning in one subject of first course (2018-19). The same students were assessed in the following year (2019-20) in another subject of second course. Results allowed the validation of the reliability of the questionnaire for the main scales of the questionnaire but no for the subscales. Differences were recorded according to the subject for the deep approach but not for the surface approach. No differences were observed according to the language used as medium of instruction and differences regarding gender were observed for the surface approach. On student basis, deep approach decreased from first-course subject to second- course subject while surface approach increased, but some students showed the opposite behaviour. Results showed that students can vary their student approach to learning according to the subject., The publication of this work has been funded by a project of Educational Improvement and Innovation awarded by the Vice Dean for Studies, Quality and Accreditation of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain).

[EN] Student approach to learning can vary between students depending on different factors. Those factors can be classified as contextual, perceived or student factors. Contextual factors are the type of studies, the subject, the classroom activities or the assessment system among others. Some of those factors are in the teacher domain and can be modified to influence student approach to learning. In the present study, the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire was completed by freshmen students of Biotechnology degree at the beginning and the end of a General Genetics subject. The students showed a higher deep approach than surface approach and differences were observed depending on year, gender and language used as medium of instruction. Pre- and post-test comparison showed no variation in deep approach while a slight increase in surface approach. The item reliability of the questionnaire was high, and correlations were found between the main scales and secondary subscales. The methodology, classroom activities and assessment system used in the subject seem to maintain the initial interest of the students in the subject but more studies should be made to get more involvement of the students in their own learning and improve their results., The publication of this work has been funded by a project of Educational Improvement and Innovation awarded by the Vice Dean for Studies, Quality and Accreditation of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain).

[EN] In higher education, where students are able to choose the seating position from where they are attending their lectures, the seating choice becomes an interesting, and curious, matter of research. Up to date, most of the published works have related the position in class to the academic performance, measured mainly through grades. The interest of this contribution relies in the use of the student approach to learning of each student ¿classified as Deep Approach or Surface Approach, measured using the Biggs¿ R-SPQ-2F questionnaire- as possible explanatory variable for their most frequent seating position. A correlation analysis allows to state if there is any relationship between these elements. A sample of students from first year of the Degree in Biotechnology at Universitat Politècnica de València was gathered to assess this relationship. Their most frequent position in class was determined by a series of pictures that were taken throughout the course and the student approach to learning was assessed at the beginning of the term with the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire. Results can provide instructors with some guidelines to address their attention and intention in-class activities to the groups that they target., The publication of this work has been funded by a project of Educational Improvement and Innovation awarded by the Vice Dean for Studies, Quality and Accreditation of the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain).