Occupational Therapy students’ Concepts of Learning: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Associations With Deep, Strategic, and Surface Study Approaches

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of the sample in the first, second and third study years.

	Study years
Variables	1^st study year (n = 178)	2^nd year (n = 163)	3^rd year (n = 191)
Sociodemographic variables	M (SD)	M (SD)	M (SD)
Age at enrollment (years)	22.9 (4.7)	22.3 (4.0)	22.7 (4.5)
Time spent on independent study (hours)	9.4 (7.1)	9.1 (6.8)	8.4 (6.7)
	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Female gender	142 (79.8)	131 (80.4)	147 (77.0)
Priority line of study	111 (62.4)	102 (62.6)	126 (66.0)
Prior higher education	78 (43.8)	64 (39.3)	78 (40.8)
Learning concepts	M (SD)	M (SD)	M (SD)
Learning as transforming	8.4 (1.2)	8.5 (1.2)	8.6 (1.2)
Learning as reproducing	8.5 (0.9)	8.4 (1.0)	8.3 (1.0)
Approaches to studying	M (SD)	M (SD)	M (SD)
Deep approach	56.7 (8.7)	57.3 (7.7)	57.5 (7.9)
Strategic approach	72.1 (10.2)	72.2 (9.7)	72.0 (9.1)
Surface approach	47.3 (9.2)	45.0 (8.5)	44.7 (9.6)

Note. Table content is mean and standard deviations for continuous variables, and frequency and proportions for categorical variables.

Table 2. The Conceptions of learning measure used with the first-year sample: Items, factor loadings, and scales.

When you think about the term ‘learning’, what does it mean to you?	Factor 1	Factor 2	Scale
2. Developing as a person	0.83	−0.05	Learning as transforming
6. Seeing things in a different and more meaningful way	0.82	0.16
3. Building up knowledge by acquiring facts and information	0.05	0.76	Learning as reproducing
1. Making sure you remember things well	0.05	0.70

Note. Factor loadings are extracted from the structure matrix.

Table 3. Cross-sectional associations with study approach scores in the first, second and third study years.

	1^st study year (n = 178)			2^nd study year (n = 162)			3^rd study year (n = 193)
Variables	Deep	Strategic	Surface	Deep	Strategic	Surface	Deep	Strategic	Surface
Sociodemographic variables
Age at enrollment	0.09	−0.01	−0.12	0.14	−0.08	−0.19*	0.23**	−0.08	−0.13
Female gender	−0.07	0.20**	0.05	−0.06	0.15	0.09	−0.04	0.10	0.01
Time spent on independent study	0.03	0.20**	0.10	0.12	0.26**	0.02	0.13	0.18*	0.07
Priority line of study	0.05	0.10	−0.19*	0.00	−0.01	−0.15	−0.01	0.08	−0.19**
Prior higher education	0.14	0.03	−0.07	0.14	0.05	0.03	0.09	−0.02	−0.03
Explained variance	5.9%	9.2%**	7.8%*	11.3%**	11.0%**	6.3%	15.8%***	7.2%*	6.9%*
Learning concepts
Transforming	0.37***	0.16*	−0.13	0.33***	0.10	−0.09	0.35***	0.17*	−0.17*
Reproducing	0.10	0.13	0.03	0.09	0.22**	0.14	0.02	0.21**	−0.06
R^2 change	15.2%***	4.2%*	1.7%	11.9%***	6.7%**	2.2%	11.6%***	7.6%***	3.3%*
Explained variance	21.1%***	13.4%**	9.5%*	23.2%***	17.7%***	8.5%	27.5%***	14.8%***	10.1%**

Note. Table content is standardized beta weights adjusted for all included variables.

* p < 0.05.

** p < 0.01.

*** p < 0.001.

Table 4. Longitudinal associations between first-year learning concepts and subsequent study approach scores.

	2^nd study year (n = 109)			3^rd study year (n = 123)
Variables	Deep	Strategic	Surface	Deep	Strategic	Surface
Sociodemographic variables
Age at enrollment	0.13	−0.09	−0.12	0.21*	−0.11	−0.12
Female gender	0.05	0.14	0.07	0.06	0.11	0.03
Time spent on independent study	0.12	0.18	0.02	0.14	0.20*	0.04
Priority line of study	−0.05	−0.05	−0.21*	−0.07	0.04	−0.14
Prior higher education	0.20*	0.12	−0.01	0.18*	−0.00	−0.05
Explained variance	10.3%*	8.4%	6.9%	11.5%*	8.4%	4.4%
Learning concepts
Transforming	0.31**	0.18	−0.16	0.27**	0.12	−0.10
Reproducing	0.06	0.11	0.11	0.04	0.23**	−0.05
R^2 change	9.9%**	4.6%	3.2%	7.7%**	7.1%*	1.3%
Explained variance	20.2%**	13.0%*	10.2%***	19.3%**	15.5%**	5.7%

Note. Table content is standardized beta weights adjusted for all included variables.

* p < 0.05.

** p < 0.01.

*** p < 0.001.