PREFERRED LEARNING APPROACHES, LEARNING METHODS AND LEARNING ENVIRONTMENTS: A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA (UiTM) SARAWAK, MALAYSIA

Abstract

Employers have been critical about graduates’ lack of employable qualities. One of
the steps to improve students’ quality is to understand their learning approach. Thus,
the aims of this research are: to determine the impact of students’ learning
approaches on their academic performance, to rank the learning methods and
learning environments preferred by them. The instruments used are the Revised SPQ,
and Jarvis and Woodrow’s learning environments and methods. The subjects (N =
400) of this study were undergraduates students of Universiti Teknologi MARA
Sarawak. The survey used self-administered questionnaire. The key findings were:
students using deep learning approach performed better academically than those
using surface learning approach; lecture, and hearing and explanation are preferred
by most students. In line with the findings, program management and academician
need to tailor their teaching with students’ specific needs. Furthermore, program
management needs to plan intervention programs – such as effective study skills – to
encourage students to be more independent, learn in groups and be more resourceful
learners.