Complete thesis - Murdoch University

study orientations, and is one of the most widely used questionnaires on student learning inhigher education. In its most commonly used version, the ASI contains 64 items in 16 scales,however, a shortened version (32-item) of this instrument has been confirmed by Richardson(1990)’s work to possess adequate internal consistency and test – retest reliability. This latterfocuses on two of the four orientations (see Table 5.2):• a reproducing orientation indicates the use of a surface approach, with an emphasis onrote memorising, and a narrow syllabus-bound attitude, associated with both extrinsicmotivation and fear of failure• a meaning orientation indicated an intention to understand for oneself – comprehensionlearning, relating ideas, and using evidence being all motivated by interest in the ideaspresented. This orientation is characterised by a holistic style and intrinsic motivation.Table 5.2: ASI Scales for Reproduction and Meaning Orientation (Richardson, 1990)ScaleMeaningMeaning OrientationDeep Approachactive questioning in learningInterrelating ideasrelating to other parts of the courseUse of evidenceComprehension learningrelating evidence to conclusionsreadiness to map out subject area andthink divergentlyReproduction OrientationSurface approachSyllabus-boundnessImprovidenceFear of failurepre occupation with memorisationrelying on staff to define learning tasksover-cautious reliance on detailspessimism and anxiety about academicoutcomesReflections on Learning Inventory (RoLI)It has been suggested that a limitation of instruments such as the ASI is a focus on relatingconceptions of learning to other broad aspects of learning, rather than to the specific learningactivities in which students engage: it provides little information about relationships betweenconceptions of learning and the specific learning strategies that students use in a particularunit of study. The Reflections on Learning Inventory (Meyer and Boulton-Lewis, 1997) is aninstrument designed to capture this variation in student engagement of learning - typically in agiven disciplinary context or topic-specific ‘episode’ – and includes statements about students’beliefs about the nature of learning, how they know that they have learned something, andhow they feel when they are learning. The RoLI can also be used as a basis for developing thecritical first stage of metalearning capacity in students by representing responses as a graphic237