The relationship between perceived learning and satisfaction with college: An alternative view

Student and alumni reports of learning and development during college play an important role in research on educational outcomes. An intriguing finding of this research is the positive relationship between perceived learning and satisfaction with college. While studies have documented an association between perceptions of learning and satisfaction, the nature of the relationship is not clearly defined. This study evaluates two competing models of perceived learning and satisfaction. The first model represents a true relationship between learning and satisfaction, while the second treats the relationship as an artifact of a halo effect. Data came from subjects who completed learning and satisfaction questions as seniors and again two years after graduation. Analyses revealed that treating the learning-satisfaction relationship as an artifact of a halo effect provided the best representation of the data. Although not conclusive, results suggested that educational researchers and assessment practitioners should be careful in interpreting self-reports of learning and development, particularly as they relate to satisfaction with college.Presented at the Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Atlanta, Georgia, May 10–13, 1992.     

Plugging a gap? Soft skills courses and learning for work

Governments across Europe have been encouraged by the European Union (EU) to take measures to upskill their workforce to ensure growth and social inclusion. Low-skilled workers are particular targets and learning providers and employers are expected to provide learning opportunities for them. However, research shows that those with low skills often lack confidence and require support to engage in learning. This paper examines an European Structural Funds (ESF)-funded course aimed at developing soft skills in low-skilled employees through a course developed by a Scottish college. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with learners from two cohorts of the course to examine their experiences and gains from the course. Learners’ accounts demonstrate benefits from the course but workplace culture impacted on the level of gains. The paper questions the ability of one-off courses to deliver the aims of policy and suggests more coordinated and sustained effort is required.     

The Effects of Discipline on Deep Approaches to Student Learning and College Outcomes

“Deep learning” represents student engagement in approaches to learning that emphasize integration, synthesis, and reflection. Because learning is a shared responsibility between students and faculty, it is important to determine whether faculty members emphasize deep approaches to learning and to assess how much students employ these approaches. This study examines the effect of discipline on student use of and faculty members’ emphasis on deep approaches to learning as well as on the relationships between deep approaches to learning and selected educational outcomes. Using data from over 80,000 seniors and 10,000 faculty members we found that deep approaches to learning were more prevalent in Biglan’s soft, pure, and life fields compared to their counterparts. The differences were largest between soft and hard fields. We also found that seniors who engage more frequently in deep learning behaviors report greater educational gains, higher grades, and greater satisfaction with college, and that the strength of these relationships is relatively consistent across disciplinary categories.     

The relationship between alumni satisfaction and work experiences

Although alumni surveys frequently include questions about work experiences, little information is available about the relationship between work experiences and alumni satisfaction with college. The results of the present research indicate that work experiences are significantly related to alumni ratings of their college experiences. Specifically, alumni who are satisfied with their jobs are more likely to report being satisfied with their education experiences. The results of this research also indicate that women are less satisfied with their pay than men. Compared to men, women are neither more dissatisfied with the types of work they are performing nor more likely to be looking for another job. Counter to expectation, dissatisfaction with pay has a more significant effect on ratings of college experiences for women than for men. Presented at the 1993 AIR Forum, Chicago, May 1993.     

A study of the validity of four types of student ratings of college teaching assessed on a criterion of student achievement gains

The purpose of the study was to investigate relationships between student ratings of college teaching using four types of student rating instruments and pre- vs. post-student achievement gains in 36 sections of an undergraduate analytic geometry and calculus course. Student rating instruments used varied according to type of items (high vs. low inference) and focus (students rating their own perceived growth vs. rating the instructor). Data were collected on 799 students (66% freshmen; 16% sophomore; and 15% juniors) at the University of Florida, and relationships were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation technique. Significant relationships were not found between student ratings and student achievement.     

E‐Textbooks and Students’ Learning Experiences

The contribution of the e‐textbooks can be enormous considering their additional supporting features, but adoption has not crystallized yet. This study examines the relevant experiences of college students in terms of how the use of e‐textbooks may enhance their learning. A survey study was conducted to measure the perceptions of each student on how helpful an e‐textbook is for facilitating learning (i.e., E‐book Helpfulness), how well it promotes his/her involvement in learning (i.e., Student Involvement), and how much improvement it makes on learning outcome (i.e., Learning Outcome). Results indicate that e‐textbooks are perceived as enhancers of student learning experiences in two complementing routes: (1) E‐textbook Helpfulness enhances students’ learning outcomes directly and (2) Student Involvement plays an important mediating role between E‐textbook Helpfulness and Learning Outcome if students use e‐textbooks in class. These findings suggest that the successful adoption of e‐textbooks requires schools to provide necessary resources (e.g., computer labs) and instructors to actively engage students in using e‐textbooks.     

The Historical Experience of Liberal Studies for Vocational Learners in Further Education

This paper revisits the liberal studies movement – an important if under-researched episode in the history of education. It examines the lived experience of a set of former vocational students, the great majority of whom eventually went on to teach in further and higher vocational education. All participants had undertaken a course of liberal studies alongside a programme of work-related learning at an English college of further education at some point between the mid-1960s and the late-1980s. The paper presents two key findings: first, whilst participants’ experiences were varied and uneven, most seemed quite agnostic about liberal studies in their youth; second, the great majority of those who took part in the research were substantially more positive about their learning in retrospect.     

A structural model of perceived academic,personal, and vocational gains related to college student responsibility

The purpose of this paper was to develop and test a model of college gains using Pace's conceptual theory of student responsibility and perceived college environment as a guide. An analysis of student responses at 11 selected institutions was accomplished using EQS, a covariance structure modeling technique. Findings suggest that the principal determinant of student gains is the effort that students put into their academic and social experiences. This finding held for gains in general education, personal growth, and vocational preparedness. Results suggest that what students do while at college is more important in defining what is accomplished than their backgrounds. Student involvement is enhanced by the perception that the college provides a generally supportive and facilitative environment. Observed effects of major and gender are complex and suggest the importance of the microenvironment in college outcomes research. While these variables are important in understanding the process by which gains are made, they are unimportant in accounting for gains.     

Relationships between student perceptions of teaching behavior and learning outcomes in college biology

This study examined relationships between student perceptions of teaching behavior and learning outcomes in college biology. One-hundred one students who enrolled in an introductory college biology course reported the frequencies of 20 overt, in-class teaching behaviors exhibited by the instructor and rated the instructor on 12 measures of teaching effectiveness. Achievement tests were administered periodically throughout the two-semester time interval. A series of simple correlations between teaching behavior factors and both achievement and student ratings revealed a complex pattern of relationships. Moderately strong relationships were found between student perceptions of “information-transmitting” behaviors and achievement, while generally stronger relationships linked behavior factors with student ratings of teaching effectiveness.     

Examining the Relationship between Student Learning and Persistence

Using data from the 2006 cohort of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, we examined the relationships between three approaches to measuring student learning outcomes (direct-assessment learning gains, self-reported gains, and college grades) and student persistence from the first to second year. Results from a series of logistic regressions indicated that students’ grade-point averages had the largest explanatory power in student persistence, followed by self-reported gains. Direct-assessment learning gains had the least power in explaining persistence. The findings have implications for the national conversation on student success in college.     

Developmental Students: The Challenge of Peer Relationships

Despite increased program offerings at many community colleges, the retention and success of developmental students are often extremely low. Research has indicated that a complex set of challenges complicates developmental student success, but students' experiences with these variables are not well understood. In this paper, I report findings from a qualitative study that was conducted at a community college in New York City to explore the ways in which developmental students describe and understand their experiences with education. Findings indicated that students viewed their decision to attend college as a separation from high school peers whom they associated with academic failure; they continued to differentiate themselves from their peers when they entered college and were wary of developing college friendships because they viewed peers as a hindrance to educational success. However, relationships with like-minded college peers might prove to be a necessary source of support that is essential to their retention and success. These results indicate that students may need great assistance to develop the peer support networks that could assist them in pursuit of their educational goals. I offer recommendations for future research as well as specific suggestions to address developmental students' possible resistance to peer interaction including tutoring and learning community designs and collaborative/cooperative learning approaches.     

Undergraduate research experiences support science career decisions and active learning

The present study examined the reliability of student evaluations of summer undergraduate research experiences using the SURE (Survey of Undergraduate Research Experiences) and a follow-up survey disseminated 9 mo later. The survey further examines the hypothesis that undergraduate research enhances the educational experience of science undergraduates, attracts and retains talented students to careers in science, and acts as a pathway for minority students into science careers. Undergraduates participated in an online survey on the benefits of undergraduate research experiences. Participants indicated gains on 20 potential benefits and reported on career plans. Most of the participants began or continued to plan for postgraduate education in the sciences. A small group of students who discontinued their plans for postgraduate science education reported significantly lower gains than continuing students. Women and men reported similar levels of benefits and similar patterns of career plans. Undergraduate researchers from underrepresented groups reported higher learning gains than comparison students. The results replicated previously reported data from this survey. The follow-up survey indicated that students reported gains in independence, intrinsic motivation to learn, and active participation in courses taken after the summer undergraduate research experience.     

Reported Gains in Student Learning: Do Academic Disciplines Make a Difference?

This study examined differences in students' college experiences and learning outcomes using Biglan's typology of pure and applied disciplines. It was expected that students in applied disciplines would have more positive perceptions of the college environment, be more involved, and report greater gains in learning and intellectual development than students in pure disciplines. An analysis of data from one university identified significant differences in the college experiences and learning outcomes of students in pure and applied disciplines; however, differences in reported learning seemed to be related to disciplinary content, rather than Biglan's pure and applied topology.     

Learning through collaboration: student perspectives

This research examines the effectiveness of collaborative learning pedagogies from the perspective of students. There is a rich history of research on collaborative learning demonstrating the effectiveness and this has led to indexing educational quality by student engagement. However, the findings from this study question the efficacy of collaborative pedagogies in their actual implementation. While collaboration was a part of the most highly rated learning experiences, these pedagogies were typically described as ineffective. Key factors that students see associated with effective collaboration are reported. The students’ perceptions of learning as reflected in their comments on collaborative learning, implications for setting expectations for college learning, and needs for faculty development are discussed.     

Active learning not associated with student learning in a random sample of college biology courses

Previous research has suggested that adding active learning to traditional college science lectures substantially improves student learning. However, this research predominantly studied courses taught by science education researchers, who are likely to have exceptional teaching expertise. The present study investigated introductory biology courses randomly selected from a list of prominent colleges and universities to include instructors representing a broader population. We examined the relationship between active learning and student learning in the subject area of natural selection. We found no association between student learning gains and the use of active-learning instruction. Although active learning has the potential to substantially improve student learning, this research suggests that active learning, as used by typical college biology instructors, is not associated with greater learning gains. We contend that most instructors lack the rich and nuanced understanding of teaching and learning that science education researchers have developed. Therefore, active learning as designed and implemented by typical college biology instructors may superficially resemble active learning used by education researchers, but lacks the constructivist elements necessary for improving learning.     

Is More Always Better? The Curvilinear Relationships between College Student Experiences and Outcomes

Many higher education studies have examined linear relationships between student experiences and outcomes, but this assumption may be questionable. In two notable examples previous research that assumed a linear relationship reached different substantive conclusions and implications than did research that explored non-linear associations among the same constructs. Indeed, many relationships between college experiences and outcomes may actually be curvilinear; this study explored that possibility within a large, multi-institutional, longitudinal dataset. As expected, most of the significant positive relationships were accompanied by significant curvilinear associations, such that the magnitude of the relationship decreased with higher levels of involvement.     

Psychosocial learning environments and the mediating effect of personal meaning upon Satisfaction with Education

This article reports the quantitative phase of a mixed-methods study that was conducted to investigate the relationships between psychosocial learning environments and student satisfaction with their education as mediated by Agentic Personal Meaning. The interdisciplinary approach of the study integrated the fields of learning environment research, existential meaning research and positive psychology research. A postulated model was tested using structural equation modeling to determine goodness-to-fit with data obtained from secondary and college students in two progressive private schools in India. Findings indicate that the learning environment variables of Teacher Support, Task Orientation, Cooperation, Student Cohesiveness, Involvement and Equity were significantly correlated with student Satisfaction with Education and with Agentic Personal Meaning. Findings also provide evidence that existential meaning and life purpose mediates the relationships between the psychosocial learning environment variables of Teacher Support, Task Orientation and Cooperation and the outcome variable of student Satisfaction with Education.     

Evaluating the quality of middle school mathematics teachers,using videos rated by college students

Using experts in teaching to evaluate pre-college mathematics teachers is both time consuming and costly. This study examines the potential of letting undergraduate mathematics students perform this task, comparing their ratings of two dimensions, richness of instruction and mathematical correctness, to those previously assigned by an expert. Using 85 undergraduates of two U.S. institutions, who independently watched short videos of teachers, we found that student ratings of teachers’ correctness were a good match to the expert ratings; student ratings of richness of instruction, less so. A "halo effect" was observed in that students did not fully differentiate between richness and correctness in their ratings. Moreover, male students gave harsher ratings than did female students. Whereas undergraduates showed promise in accurately evaluating teachers of younger students, improvements in terms of rating items, attention to bias, and explicit training on the teaching dimensions to be rated should be addressed.     

‘Please remember we are not all brilliant’: undergraduates’ experiences of an elite,research‐intensive degree at a research‐intensive university

Undergraduate research experiences are being incorporated into degree programs with increasing frequency. However, there has been little study into their effectiveness in preparing students for research or into the learning gains that students realise from one or more research experiences. We surveyed science students in an elite, research‐based undergraduate degree program at a research‐intensive university. These students complete six research projects during their degree and we aimed to delineate factors that students perceive as leading to either good or bad experiences. Two factors stand out as contributing to a successful research experience: the supervisor, with students reporting both pedagogic and affective benefits of good supervision; and the feeling that they are doing authentic science. Surprisingly, given the research‐intensive nature of this degree, the learning gains students report relate to both an appreciation of what research is like and life skills, such as time management, rather than scientific thinking skills.