College of Education Students’Approaches to Learning and Study Skills

Abstract

Research on higher education identifies students’ approaches to learning and study skills as a significant factor affecting the quality of learning. If teacher educators are to find ways for improving educational experiences of their students, they must understand how their students learn and the effects of the learning environment on their learning approaches. For this reason, this study examines Turkish and American college of education students’ approaches to learning and study skills. Furthermore, this research attempts to investigate whether there is any difference in students’ approaches to learning in regards to their major, school year, and gender. The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) was adapted to Turkish to investigate Turkish students’ learning approach and study skills and original ASSIST was also used for describing those of American students. Findings indicated that most Turkish and American students prefer deep and strategic approaches to learning rather than surface ones. As the year of study increased, the use of deep approach inclined in contrast, while school year was increased the use of surface approach decreased. Turkish and American female students mostly prefer strategic approach whereas male students tend to use deep approach.