Faculty of Applied Sciences

Approaches to Learning and Studying

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  This questionnaire asks you to indicate your relative agreement or disagreement with comments about studying that have been made by other students. Please respond truthfully, so that the answers you give represent accurately your real ways of studying. Answer quickly but carefully, and above all honestly. Avoid using the “unsure” response wherever possible. The whole questionnaire will take about 15 minutes to complete.
 
The scores are used to indicate the following meanings:
1  Disagree
2 Disagree somewhat
3 Unsure
4 Agree somewhat
5 Agree

Try not to use 3 unless you really have to, or if the statement really does not apply.
 

1. I’m not prepared just to accept things I’m told: I have to think them out for myself

  2. One way or another I manage to get hold of books or whatever I need for studying
  3. Often I feel I’m drowning in the sheer amount of material we’re having to cope with on this course
  4. So far, I seem to have a good grasp of the subjects I am studying
  5. Sometimes I find myself thinking about ideas from the course when I’m doing other things
  6. I often have trouble in making sense of the things I have to remember
  7. Often I lie awake worrying about work I think I won’t be able to do
  8. Generally, I find the set work easy to do
  9. Although I can remember facts and details, I often can’t see the overall picture
  10. I make sure I find conditions for studying which let me get on with my work easily
  11. When I look back, I sometimes wonder why I ever decided to come here
  12. I seem to be able to grasp things for myself pretty well on the whole
  13. I try to relate ideas I came across to other topics or other courses whenever possible 
  14. I put a lot of effort into making sure I have the most important details at my fingertips 
  15. Coming here wasn’t really my choice: more other people’s expectations and no obvious alternative 
  16. I don’t usually have much difficulty in making sense of new information or ideas
  17. Sometimes I worry about whether I’ll ever be able to cope with the work properly
  18. I organise my study time carefully to make the best use of it 
  19. When I’m reading an article or book, I try to work out for myself exactly what’s
being said 
  20. I spend quite a lot of time repeating or copying out things to help me remember them 
  21. I know what I want to get out of this course and I’m determined to achieve it 
  22. Often I find myself reading things without really trying to understand them
  23. I usually set out to understand for myself the meaning of what we have to learn
  24. I’m not really sure what’s important, so I try to get down just as much as I can in Lectures
  25. I work hard when I’m studying and generally manage to keep my mind on what I’m doing
 
  26. When I’m working on a new topic, I try to see in my own mind how all the ideas fit together 
  27. I find I have to concentrate on memorising a good deal of what I have to learn
  28. It’s important to me to feel I’m doing as well as I really can on the courses here
  29. Ideas in course books or articles often set me off on long chains of thought about what I’m reading 
  30. I rather drifted into higher education without deciding for myself what I really wanted to do 
  31. I think I’m quite systematic and organised in the way I go about studying 
  32. When I’m reading, I examine the details carefully to see how they fit in with what’s being said 
  33. I often seem to panic if I get behind with my work 
  34. I generally try to make good use of my time during the day
  35. It’s important to me to be able to follow the argument or see the reasoning behind something 
  36. I think I’m on this course more to please other people than because I really wanted it myself 
  37. I work steadily throughout the course, rather than leaving everything until the last minute 
  38. I look at the evidence carefully and then try to reach my own conclusion about things I’m studying 

Discovering How You Learn - Your Approach to Learning

Now add up the scores for each colour code, and enter them into the box below

Code

Learning Approach

Score
  Deep Approach
  Surface Approach
  Strategic Approach
  Lack of Direction
  Academic Self-confidence

Your highest score shows your preferred learning style.

Most of us have preferred ways to perceive and process new information. These preferences are often called approaches to learning.

Clues to the sort of learning styles we prefer are revealed in statements such as these:

• That’s not the type of exam I like to take;
• I would not have started my project that way;
• I like the way she teaches, but I can’t learn from his style;
• This class is boring;
• I just can’t get anything out of this course;
• I feel lost.

These comments reflect just a few of the differences in the ways that people learn. The main point is to recognise that such differences exist and that there is not necessarily any one best way to learn. Indeed it is not only that individuals learn differently, but any one individual may have to use different styles at different times.

People who go through education without a knowledge or understanding of their approach to learning can end up feeling isolated or unskilled. When we learn in a way that is noticeably different from those around us, we might feel inadequate or unsuccessful.

Discovering our individual approaches to learning can change this. With this knowledge we can do three things:

• seek out experiences that draw on the strength of our approaches;
• adapt our speaking, writing, thinking and listening to the approach to learning of other people. This can enhance our effectiveness at all levels.
• make a conscious attempt to develop our skills at other approaches to learning.
 

Tutor's Comments

 

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Supporting Evidence
 If you wish, upload evidence to your statements