Abstract
Previous research has indicated that there is a strong relationship between the approaches to studying adopted by individual students and their qualitative perceptions of the context in which learning takes place. This study identified students who were considered to be academically ‘at risk’ and involved them in an intervention programme whose aim was to produce a qualitative change in perceptions of certain key elements of the learning context.
The intervention programme consisted of five forty-five minute sessions in which the focus was on three elements of the learning context, namely, the teacher/student relationship, perceptions of textbooks and notes, and the nature and role of tests and examinations.
Subsequent interviews indicated that most of the participating students had experienced a qualitative improvement in their perceptions of these contextual elements and that they perceived an attendant improvement in the quality of their learning. Quantitative analysis of the relative class positions before and after the intervention suggests that these changes were accompanied by improved performance. The implications of these findings for teaching practice in higher education are discussed.
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Parsons, P.G., Meyer, J.H.F. The academically ‘at risk’ student: a pilot intervention programme and its observed effects on learning outcome. High Educ 20, 323–334 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00136233
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00136233