Students’ Approaches to Learning in Relation to Their Cognitive Capacities

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: Examining the Effects of Culture, Cognitive Capacity, and Human Agency on Academic Achievement

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore the relation of working memory capacity and attention with students’ approaches to learning. Participants in this study were 128 second year bachelor. Results show a negative relationship between attention and deep approaches to learning. This negative relation seems to support the ‘compensation’ hypothesis that states that students who are capable of learning new things faster are lower in achievement striving. A hypothesis also supported by the marginally significant negative relation between working memory capacity and deep approaches to learning. However, although these high capacity students use less deep approaches, they do not incline towards surface approaches since working memory capacity is also significantly negative related to surface approaches to learning.

Authors

• Eva Kyndt, University of Antwerp

• Eduardo C. Cascallar, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven