This study investigates New Zealand secondary school students’ conceptions of learning in a pilot sample of 236 secondary students and then in a larger nationally representative sample of over 800 secondary students.

Items from Purdie and Hattie’s (2002) Conceptions of Learning Inventory and student focus group data was used to construct the 58 item conceptions of learning questionnaire (CoL-I).  Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis conducted on the pilot data revealed seven different conceptions of learning including learning is: gaining knowledge; increasing understanding; changing as person; for practical use; for community use; a process that requires effort; and is continuous or ongoing. Samejima’s Graded Response model was also used to select items with optimal measurement characteristics.

In a second survey, the 50 item CoL-II was administered to a nationally representative sample of over 800 secondary school students. A further sample of 250 students also completed the CoL-II and a standardised achievement test.  The paper will report the yet un-analysed results from this national profile of students’ conceptions of learning and the relationship between conception of learning and achievement.

AIMS

This study aimed to find out i) what New Zealand secondary students understand by the term learning; ii) the structure of students’ conceptions of learning and iii) the relationship between conceptions of learning and academic outcomes. In doing this we hoped to develop, test and validate a conception of learning instrument that could be used by teachers in the classroom.

THEORETICAL AND EDUCATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE

Numerous conceptions of learning have been identified (Saljo, 1979; Marton, Dall’Aba & Tse, 1993; Boulton-Lewis & Wilss, 2001). It is generally accepted that these conceptions can be placed on developmental hierarchy ranging from surface conceptions (learning is the acquisition of facts and information) at one end, to deep conceptions (learning is understanding and using knowledge) at the other. Conceptions of learning researchers have argued that more advanced conceptions are connected with higher quality learning outcomes (van Rossum & Schenk, 1984).

The majority of learning conception researchers have taken a phenomenographic approach, in which conceptions of learning are derived from interviews, primarily with tertiary students or written responses to open-ended questions (Purdie & Hattie, 2002). This methodological approach is time and labour intensive and often involves small samples from which it is difficult to establish and test a theory (Hattie & Purdie, 2002). This study therefore set out to develop and test a conceptions of learning questionnaire for New Zealand secondary students that could be used more widely in the classroom.

Our focus on New Zealand secondary students conceptions is particularly timely, as New Zealand ethnic and cultural mix is changing. While the proportion of those who identified themselves as New Zealand European increased by 3% over the past decade, there has been a 21% increase in Maori, a 39% increase in those claiming Pacific Island ethnic identity and 142% increase in those identifying as Asian (Statistics New Zealand, 2004). This change in New Zealand’s ethnic and cultural landscape means students are entering our secondary schools with more diverse beliefs about what learning is and these views are likely to affect the way they engage with learning and instruction. A tool which helps teachers identifies these conceptions of learning, so that misconceptions can be discussed and targeted, could therefore have a place in the teachers’ tool box.

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METHODOLOGY

The project grew out of a larger study looking at how students’ conceptions of assessment and feedback affect academic outcomes. Five focus groups were conducted with year 9 and 10 secondary students covering a wide range of socio-economic status. Analysis of the focus groups revealed that students see learning as an integral part of the assessment and feedback cycle: assessment leads to feedback which leads to more learning which is ultimately re-assessed. Students’ comments about learning and their understanding of what learning means was captured as part of these focus groups. While some of the students’ conceptions of learning were similar to those identified in the Purdie and Hattie (2002) Conceptions of Learning inventory, there were also important differences. These differences laid the groundwork for our study.

A conceptions of learning questionnaire was developed combining 43 new items extracted from our focus groups with 15 items from Purdie and Hattie’s (2002) Conceptions of Learning inventory. The pilot questionnaire was administered to 236 secondary students representing a varied SES background.  The data was then analysed, with poor discriminating items removed or qualified. The revised questionnaire (CoL-II) was then administered to a nationally representative sample of over 800 secondary students and to a further 250 students who also provided standardised achievement data in reading or mathematics (viz., asTTle scores – Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The pilot data was analysed using Mulitlog in order to remove items with poor discrimination. The data was then analysed with maximum likelihood factor analysis with oblique rotation and confirmed with measurement and structural equation models. 

The pilot questionnaire found seven inter-correlated conceptions of learning among 236 secondary school students.  The fit of the model to the data was marginal (χ² = 1819.24; df = 810; p = .000; TLI = .72; CFI = .734; RMSEA = .077).  Like Purdie and Hattie (2002) the conceptions of learning identified included: knowledge gain; using information; understanding; personal and community growth. New factors were also identified namely: learning as an ongoing continuous process; learning requires effort; and learning as developing knowledge objects. This new model of students’ conceptions of learning is promising. However, a larger sample is needed to provide a more robust analysis of the data. Data from the CoL-II administered to a nationally representative sample of over 800 secondary students will be presented and the relationship students’ conceptions of learning have with achievement will also be discussed.

This is the first study to look at New Zealand secondary students’ conceptions of learning and the first study to look at learning conceptions in a nationally representative sample. It also adds to the limited literature on secondary students conceptions of learning, as most of the previous research on conceptions has been focused on the tertiary sector. While we still need to analyse the data from our national questionnaire, the findings from our pilot suggest that the conceptions identified in secondary students contain similarities with those identified by Purdie and Hattie (2002) but there are also important differences. The similarities and differences will be discussed.