STUDENTS' APPROACHES TO LEARNING

Deep learning is not a new concept in higher education, it is already mentioned in 1976 in the research of Marton and Soljo. Deep learning aims at acquiring knowledge through actions and developing thinking skills. It focuses on the significance of information (evidences, arguments), on linking these with life experiences, on critical reflection about this information, on using these in the practice. The opposite of deep learning is the surface learning, which focuses on retention of information. Both of these two learning approaches are easy recognizable in schools/universities. The purpose of this paper is to gain insight into the learning approaches used by undergraduate and master students. The sample consisted of university students from Babes-Bolyai University. Data were obtained using an adapted version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), containing 10 items. The results show that a large percentage of respondents learn superficially, fact mentioned also in the literature of the field. This result raises a question mark about the quality of learning in the university and it highlights the importance of teaching students how to learn and changing methodology of teaching by the teachers.