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This thesis reports a programme of research consisting of five factor analytic studies which explores students' perceptions of teaching in relation to their approaches to studying. It does so using a number of different versions of the Approaches to Studying Inventory, which were modified throughout each of the five studies, along with different types of course perception items. Other types of items, concerned the particular ways in which students used their private study time, and the reasons they had for studying in higher education, were also used in some of the analyses. It was concluded that the types of course perception items generally used to obtain student feedback and evaluation on teaching and courses were not particularly useful in trying to establish empirical relationships with approaches to studying, probably due to the fact that they reflected rather general aspects of teaching and learning, and so suppressed individual differences in response. In response to this finding, items were developed which asked students to reflect on which types of lecturer, examination, course and tutor they would prefer. Analysis of these items produced interesting and meaningful response patterns indicating that 'meaning orientation' was empirically associated with preferences for types of teaching likely to encourage a deep approach, while 'reproducing orientation' was related to preferences for contrasting types of teaching which were likely to promote a surface approach. Thus the types of teaching which students said they would prefer were related partly to their intentions in studying. The range of preferences to be found within a class makes it difficult to interpret student 'feedback' questionnaires.