Student Beliefs about Learning: New Zealand Students in Year 11

Abstract

Learning requires intention and strategy on the part of a student. Deep intentions and methods are to do with transformation of knowledge for personal satisfaction while surface ones focus on accurate reproduction, often with the purpose of achieving desired grades in assessment. The beliefs about learning of over 700 15-year-old New Zealand secondary students were examined with multiple techniques (i.e., open and closed response survey questions and semi-structured focus groups). Students were found to exhibit strong ‘minimax’ beliefs involving the surface reproduction of taught material in order to maximise achievement in end of year, high-stakes qualifications assessments. In contrast, teachers (N=71) of English, mathematics, and science in the same schools were found to have deep learning beliefs. However, teachers had the same surface reproduction strategy beliefs towards learning that the students had. It is suggested that the external high-stakes assessments have contributed to this reliance on surface strategies and it is argued that teacher beliefs about the effectiveness of relying on surface strategies will need to change before student beliefs about learning change.