Abstract
D.Ed.
The aim of this research is to determine teaching for the development of meaningful learning by Educational students at Vista University. determine these teaching strategies, the objectives were formulated:
To determine the factors which have an influence on earning strategies.
To determine the learning strategies of the first year Education students at Vista University.
To identify teaching strategies that would encourage meaningful learning.
Firstly a review is given of the research done in the field of learning strategies. The work done in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia and the USA is discussed. The learning
strategies identified by these researches are then divided into two groups, those encouraging a surface learning strategy and those encouraging a deep learning strategy;
The latter resulting in meaningful learning.
In the second instance, factors influencing learning strategies are discussed. These factors aredivided into personal factors (cognitive style, previous experience, motivation, conception of learning, background knowledge, intellectual ability, personality, self-concept, age, sex and cerebral hemispherisity) and institutional factors (subject area and departmental context, the nature of the task and task demands, the student's perception of the teaching and learning context, teaching and evaluation). An indication is also given of which factors and which specific aspects of the factors give rise to either a surface learning strategy or a deep learning strategy.
Thirdly, one of the factors, namely teaching is discussed by referring to how it influences a student's choice of a learning strategy. Aspects such as teaching styles, teaching methods, media, effective teaching and the student's perception of teaching are discussed.
Fourthly, a second factor, evaluation is discussed by looking at evaluation and objectives, ways of evaluating, evaluation techniques, criteria and prerequisites for
evaluation, the role of evaluation in the teaching situation and the relationship between evaluation and the student's learning. Throughout the discussion on teaching and
evaluation, an attempt is made to give an indication of the status quo concerning these aspects at Vista University. An attempt is also made to identify which aspects of these two factors encourage either a surface or a deep learning strategy.
In order to determine the learning strategies of first year Education students at Vista University, an empirical research is undertaken. In the quantitative part of the
research the measuring instrument used is the Approaches to Studying Inventory developed by Entwistle and Ramsden. The SOLO Taxonomy as developed by Biggs and Collis is used in the qualitative part of the research. The research group consists of the first year Education students at the Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Welkom, Sebokeng and Soweto campuses of Vista University during 1988. From the research the conclusion can be drawn that the students do have a meaning orientation towards learning but the learning strategy that they apply is reproductive.
Lastly, an attempt is made to determine teaching strategies that would encourage meaningful learning. The conclusion is reached that the lecturer's intention with regard to his teaching must be brought in line with the student's perception of the teaching situation. In order to bring this about meta-teaching strategies are proposed as the
teaching strategies that would lead to meaningful learning.