Browsing by Subject "oikeustieteellinen tiedekunta"
Now showing items 1-2 of 2
-
(2016)Approaches to learning is one of the most important learning theory. Previous studies have shown that there are three different approaches to learning: surface, deep and organized. The aim to this study was to find out what kind of approaches to learning students' in faculty of law use and is there connection between approaches to learning, study success and collecting credit units. Also my goal was to explore students' self-efficacy beliefs and their connection to approaches to learning, study success and credit units. Hypothesis was that both deep and organized approach to learning are positively connected to self-efficacy beliefs and study success. The data was collected using Learn questionnaire which is a research instrument used for developing quality at the University of Helsinki. Data was collected from students' in Faculty of Law who were finishing their bachelor's degrees. Section measuring approaches to learning was based on ALSI questionnaire (Approaches to Learning and Studying Inventory) and section measuring self-efficacy beliefs was based on MSLQ questionnaire (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire). The data was collected by an online questionnaire in the spring of 2015 and there were 108 participants in the study. The data was analyzed using correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The results show that law students have very strong self-efficacy beliefs and they benefit deep and organized approach to learning in their studies. Negative connection was found between self-efficacy beliefs and surface approach as well as positive connection was found between self-efficacy beliefs and deep and organized approach to learning. Approaches to learning were not connected to either study success or collecting credit units but self-efficacy beliefs were connected to both. In future would be interesting to study further how self-efficacy beliefs develop during studies and what factors make them stronger.
-
(2016)In previous research, changes in self-efficacy have been studied only at group level. Very little research has been done on relations between self-efficacy and approaches to learning. The aim of this study was to explore changes in self-efficacy in first-year Law students at group level and individual level, and also relations between changes in self-efficacy and approaches to learning. The data were collected in the HowULearn project. First-year Law students filled in a questionnaire twice: at the beginning of the autumn term and at the end of the spring term. Altogether 133 students filled in the questionnaire at both times. Self-efficacy and approaches to learning were measured using the scales of the HowULearn questionnaire. Changes in self-efficacy at group level were analyzed by a paired samples t-test. Changes at individual level were explored using change groups and change profiles. Relations between changes in self-efficacy and approaches to learning were analyzed by Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA. On the group level, self-efficacy deteriorated between the measuring points. The individual analyses revealed that the number of students who showed deteriorating self-efficacy was equal to the number whose self-efficacy was unaltered. More than half of the students were placed in change profiles representing unaltered weak, moderate or strong self-efficacy. As self-efficacy increased, deep and organized approaches to learning also increased, while surface approach decreased. Compared with others, students with unaltered weak self-efficacy tended more toward a surface approach and less toward deep and organized approaches. Compared with others, students with increasing or unaltered strong self-efficacy were using more deep and organized approaches. In order to promote a deep approach to learning, students' self-efficacy should be strengthened through feedback focusing on successes. A promising direction for future research would be to focus on individual changes in self-efficacy in relation to factors such as study success and perceptions of the learning environment.
Now showing items 1-2 of 2