Changing Students' Approaches to Learning: A Two-Year Study within a University Teacher Training Course

Inciting a deep approach to learning in students is difficult. The present research poses two questions: can a constructivist learning-assessment environment change students' approaches towards a more deep approach? What effect does additional feedback have on the changes in learning approaches? Two cohorts of students completed questionnaires measuring their approaches to learning in a pre-test post-test design. The constructivist learning environments in both conditions differed in the amount of feedback students received. Paired-sample t-tests indicated that students did not change their approach towards a more deep approach. Multiple regression analysis on deep approach on the post-test showed no effect for change in learning environment. This indicates that little alterations in the learning-assessment environment do not modify students' approaches to learning. (Contains 2 tables.)