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Articles

Investigating how students approach learning using generalizability theory

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Pages 1618-1632 | Received 30 Nov 2020, Accepted 19 Apr 2021, Published online: 20 May 2021
 

ABSTRACT

Investigating how students approach learning is important for designing effective teaching programmes and to ensure better retention and application of information learned. The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) is a widely used instrument for assessing approaches to students’ learning, but its ability to distinguish between dynamic and stable aspects of students’ learning has not been examined using an appropriate methodology. Generalisability theory (G-theory) is a robust method to differentiate between stable and dynamic patterns and establishing reliability in psychometric measurement. G-theory was applied to longitudinal data of 123 medical students who completed the R-SPQ-2F at three time points with 6-month intervals. Temporal reliability of the full scale was higher (Gr = 0.76) compared to individual subscales, suggesting that there is an overarching trait of optimised learning that involves shifting between deep and surface approaches to achieve the best academic outcome. Accordingly, deep and surface motivation and surface strategy facets displayed characteristics of a reliable state measure and can be used to evaluate the degree of applying these dynamic aspects of learning.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all participants who participated in this longitudinal study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval

The University of Auckland Human Participants Ethics Committee approved this study (Reference number 9758).

Consent to participate

Participation was voluntary and informed consent was obtained from each participant.

Consent for publication

All authors gave their consent for publication of this study.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

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