The‐Asian‐learner‐as‐a‐rote‐learner Stereotype: myth or reality?

Abstract

Two studies are reported which compare the responses of 14‐16 year old Filipino and Nepalese school students to learning process questionnaires based on the 3P Model of Learning (Biggs & Telfer, 1987) to those previously reported for similar aged Australian and Hong Kong students. Evidence was found for a similar structure of learning processes in each culture. Moreover, in each culture students who reported deeper and more achievement‐oriented approaches to learning tended to be more successful academically and to have higher academic self‐esteem. However, little evidence was found to support the contention that Asian learners were more prone to rote learning than were the Australians. The Nepalese students in particular tended to report higher levels of both deep and achieving approaches to learning than the other students. A possible explanation for this is that the conceptions of learning on which the 3P Model is based may not be appropriate in Nepalese culture.