Abstracts - Earli

continuing his reading. In this study new methodological and theoretical aspects were tested. Thisline of study can be beneficial for developing science texts for school purposes. Keywords:cognitive conflict, conceptual change, eye tracking, text comprehensionI 630 August 2007 14:30 - 16:30Room: 7.14SymposiumConditions for assessment to enhance learningChair: Mien Segers, University of Leiden, NetherlandsOrganiser: David Gijbels, University of Antwerp, BelgiumOrganiser: Mien Segers, University of Leiden, NetherlandsDiscussant: Sari Lindblom-Ylänne, University of Helsinki, NorwayToday, there is consensus that assessment is one of the most salient contextual variables that hasinfluence on students’ approaches to learning and their learning results is (e.g. Crooks & Mahalski,1985; Ramsden, 1992; Scouller & Prosser, 1994; Thomas & Bain, 1984). However, empiricalstudies regarding the effects of the learning and assessment environment show that the expectedlearning outcomes are not always demonstrated (Segers, 1996). Recent research shows that theway the learning and assessment environment is perceived by the students affects to a large extenthow students cope with the learning environment and consequently their learning results (Segers& Dochy, 2001). This means that investigating the way the learning and assessment environmentis perceived by the students seems to be crucial for interpreting their learning outcomes, both interms of approaches to learning and study results (Segers, et al., 2003). In this symposium 4 paperswill be presented in order to enlarge our understanding of the relationship between studentsperceptions of the learning and assessment environment and the conditions under which thiscontributes to the development of deep approaches to learning and better learning results.Students’ perceptions of assessment demands and their approaches to learning in a constructivistlearning and assessment environmentDavid Gijbels, University of Antwerp, BelgiumMien Segers, University of Leiden, NetherlandsElke Struyf, University of Antwerp, BelgiumRecent research shows that, as students interpret the demands of the assessment tasks, they varytheir study approaches in order to cope with the assessment tasks. Three research questions arecentral in the present paper: (1)Can a constructivist learning-assessment environment changestudents’ perceptions of assessment demands towards more assessment of deep learning skills? (2)Can a constructivist learning-assessment environment change students’ approaches to learningtowards a more deep approach? (3) Are students’ changes in perceptions of assessment demandsrelated to changes in students’ approaches to learning? Students following the course ‘Educationand psychology’ of the teacher training program at the University of Antwerp competed twoquestionnaires during the first lesson and the final lesson of the course. One to measure theirapproaches to learning and one to measure their general perceptions of the assessment demands.The course ‘Education and psychology can be labeled as a ‘constructivist learning environment’– 486 –