Where courses have as an aim the promotion of reflective practice, it will enhance the achievement of the goal if the level of reflective thinking is assessed. To do this in a satisfactory way requires a reliable protocol for assessing the level of reflection in written work. This article presents a protocol that can be used to guide the…

This article uses the case of designing a new course questionnaire to discuss the issues of validity, reliability and diagnostic power in good questionnaire design. Validity is often not well addressed in course questionnaire design as there are no straightforward tests that can be applied to an individual instrument. The authors propose the…

Examines the association between student approaches to learning and stages of reflective thinking using questionnaires. Focuses on undergraduate students (n=402) attending a Hong Kong university. Offers support for close association between approaches to learning and stages of reflection upon practice. (CMK)

The survey of about 1,000 students at a Hong Kong University found a decrease in students' use of a deep approach to study and an increased tendency to adopt a surface approach between their first and final years. Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, surface demands, workload, and teaching style are given as possible explanations. (Author/MLW)

Analysis of interviews with 55 undergraduate university students in Hong Kong finds student perceptions of teaching quality fit into four categories, or quadrants, formed from the interactions between their beliefs about learning (passive or active) and about teaching (transmissive or nontraditional). Results confirm the significance of implicit…

Examines the effectiveness of active learning implemented in two undergraduate programs at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Discusses student attitudes and the Study Process Questionnaire that measured student approaches to learning and reports that active learning helped in the development of independent learning skills and the ability to…

Based on interviews with 39 college teachers, a questionnaire was developed identifying 2 orientations to learning: knowledge transmission and learning facilitation. A survey of 170 faculty using the questionnaire found departments with high scores on knowledge transmission discouraged a deep approach to study; those in which learning facilitation…

Examines the attitudes of physiotherapy students toward the replacement of conventional lectures with self-learning packages at the Hong Kong Polytechnic. Highlights include learning processes; a comparison of physiotherapy students with other students; and correlations between evaluation questions and English language fluency. (Contains 10…

Discussion of need for academic support for distance education students and the role of study centers in providing such support highlights a survey of 1,144 students enrolled in external courses at Capricornia Institute (Australia). Current use of study centres and future use in light of advances in telecommunications are considered. (Author/LRW)