Results of a survey of 42 college students concerning their conceptions of learning, good teaching, studying, insight and understanding, and application of knowledge are discussed. (MSE)

A study is reported that explores possible developmental differences in conceptions of learning among people with different learning experiences. The data, obtained from interviews with 90 people from 15 to 73 years old, and with 6 to 17 years of schooling, indicate distinctive differences in conceptions of learning and study methods. (Author/JMD)

Research on the application of descriptions of student learning to normal methods of studying is discussed, and a study is reported that examines student learning in actual working situations. It is concluded that learning styles and strategies apply to students in particular situations rather than to individual students per se. (Author/JMD)

The effects of the academic environment, which is defined as the organization of curricula, teaching, and assessment on student learning, are examined. Focus is on students' perceptions of their courses and teachers in six departments at a British university, and the different demands that various environments make. (Author/JMD)

Data describing college students' study orientations in relation to their evaluations of courses and preferences for different kinds of learning environment are reexamined in light of recent suggestions that failing students perceive their learning context atypically. Implications of this disintegration of coherent perception patterns are examined…

Analysis of literature concerning approaches to studying in higher education suggests that these vary systematically from one culture to another. Two common orientations are distinguished: comprehension of meaning of learning materials, and reproduction of them. The former is consistent and coherent, the latter fragmented and variable according to…

Two studies examined factors influencing the study approach of Australian college freshmen and seniors from a traditional psychometric perspective, supported by student comments. The first found that student interest, grades, and essay examinations encourage serious study; the second, that serious students see courses as encouraging independence…

A comparison of university and polytechnic students' attitudes toward educational and instructional quality found that university students are less likely than polytechnic students to use serious approaches to study. The university students experienced poorer teaching, and the polytechnic students saw their courses as a means to gain employment.…

A survey of Finnish freshman and fifth-year students in psychology (n=59) and medicine (n=116) found that older psychology students tended toward a constructivist conception of learning, while medical students saw learning as intake of knowledge. More freshman students, especially medical students, were dualist in approach. Four components were…