Approaches to learning and competitive attitude in students in higher education

Cassidy, SF ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6156-8941 2008, 'Approaches to learning and competitive attitude in students in higher education' , The Psychology of Education Review, 32 (1) , pp. 18-27.

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Abstract

The degree to which individuals are able to nominate or change their approach to learning in order to meet the needs of the learning situation opens a lengthy and complex debate. Some evidence exists for a shift in approach depending on the experience of the learner and demands of the task, while other evidence is available which indicates stability of approach to learning over time and across task. The present study examines the relationship between approaches to learning and competitive attitude in undergraduate students. Previous research has reported a link between constructs such as achievement orientation and personality traits and cognitive strategies and it was suggested here that competitive attitude may be one mediating factor in students’ approaches to learning. Findings did not reveal a convincing relationship between competitiveness and approaches to learning and it is suggested that further exploration of trait constructs such as competitiveness may not yield meaningful evidence regarding the stability of students’ approaches to learning. There was also no evidence that the student experience of higher education cultivates competitiveness in students as cross-sectional comparisons of student year groups revealed only negligible and statistically non-significant differences in competitive attitude.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Subjects outside of the University Themes
Schools:	Schools > School of Health and Society > Centre for Applied Research in Health, Welfare and Policy
Journal or Publication Title:	The Psychology of Education Review
Publisher:	The British Psychological Society
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0262-4087
Depositing User:	Users 29196 not found.
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2011 16:15
Last Modified:	11 Jan 2018 05:27
URI:	http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/12853

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