Abstract

The student experience of learning literature (Marton, Hounsell, & Entwistle, 1984) argues that a student’s approach to learning is largely a response to elements of the learning context. For example, when students are faced with heavy workload, poor teaching, and content that they cannot relate to – important aspects of the learning context, they will more likely utilise the surface approach to learning due to stresses, lack of understanding and lack of perceived relevance of the content (Kreber, 2003; Lizzio, Wilson, & Simons, 2002; Ramdsen, 1989; Ramsden, 1992; Trigwell & Prosser, 1991; Vermunt, 2005). While this hypothesis receives theoretical support, there has been anecdotal and research evidence suggesting that students’ perceptions might be coloured by the way they go about learning and their academic achievement. Sambell and McDowell (1998) argued that students “are active in the reconstruction of the messages and meanings of assessment” (p. 391), and their interpretations are greatly influenced by their past experiences and motivations. If both positions are meaningful, a third hypothesis which suggests a bi-directional relationship between perception and learning approach is possible. Using the technique of structural equation modelling, the research reported in this paper investigated the direction of causation of students’ perception of their learning context and their learning approaches in economics education. Based on data collected from introductory level economics students (n = 434), competing models involving three variables in the learning process – perception of learning context, learning approach and learning outcome, were compared. Sensitivity tests were also conducted to assess the robustness of the parameter estimates. At the individual level, this study argues, the data is consistent with the hypothesis that students’ learning approaches influence their perceptions of contextual elements.