Analyzing the Academic Approaches to Learning of Portuguese College Students Through the Psychometric Study of a Questionnaire

Abstract

Background: Assessing the college students’ more often utilized approaches to learning, as they are understood by Biggs and his collaborators could be paramount to infer the way students learn. Such knowledge can be fundamental for the academic community, particularly when considering that the option for a deep approach to learning as opposed to a surface approach is often considered connected to a more significant learning. Aim: The present study focused on the adaptation and validation of the Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) [1] for the Portuguese college student population. Method: This study involved the participation of 241 male and 466 female college students and internet users, whose ages ranged between 18 and 40 years old (M = 22.96; SD = 4.41).

To be included in this research the participants had to: (1) be Portuguese and study in a Portuguese college institution, and (2) be willing to participate after learning the research objectives. Participants were recruited through direct contact with college institutions in Portugal and through informal social networks. Additionally the eligible internet users who agreed to participate were asked to refer their friends to participate in the study.

Besides the Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) [1], a socio-demographic questionnaire was able used to enable the characterization of the participants’ age, gender, degree and University/college attendance;

Results: The Portuguese version of the Revised Two Factor Study Process Questionnaire, unlike the original version which had 20 items only has 16 items. Furthermore, the factor analysis with varimax orthogonal rotation revealed a two factor structure, consistent with other researches of the instrument, but unlike the original’s four factor structure. In the Portuguese version found in this study, factor I (deep approach to learning) has a 9 items scope, and includes deep motives and deep strategies (α = .783); factor II (surface approach to learning) has a 7 items scope and includes surface motives and surface strategies (α = .751). Besides the validation of the questionnaire for the Portuguese learning, this research also focused in the separate analysis of deep and surface approaches, namely in what distinguished them in terms of age, gender and academic degree, and it was found that in all cases a significant statistical difference was found. This study help conclude that the Portuguese Revised Study Processes Questionnaire is an acceptable measure of the college student’s learning approaches.