Understanding student learning in context : relationships between university students' social identity, approaches to learning, and academic performance

Ana-Maria Bliuc, Robert A. Ellis, Peter Goodyear, Daniela Muntele Hendres

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This research focuses on understanding how socio-psychological dimensions such as student social identity and student perceptions of their learning community affect learning at university. To do this, it integrates ideas from phenomenographic research into student learning with ideas fromresearch on social identity. In two studies (N=110, and N=97) the relationships between student social identity, perceptions of the learning community, approaches to learning, and academic performance were explored. Our findings suggest that a strong student social identity is associated with a deep approach to learning, which in turn is linked to higher academic performance. Also, perceptions of learning community mediate the relationship between student social identity and deep approaches to learning. Significantly, a surface approach turns out not to be associated with student social identity or perceptions of the learning community, but it is negatively related to academic performance. Our research argues for the value of an integration of complementary frameworks, emphasising social and psychological aspects of the learning experience that can be used to improve our understanding of how and why students vary in the quality of their learning.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)417-433
Number of pages17
JournalEuropean Journal of Psychology of Education
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011

Keywords

  • academic achievement
  • education_higher
  • group identity
  • learning
  • university students

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