Evaluation of Student Learning Approaches and How They Tend to: Application of Mixed Research

The most important objective of the educational systems is to increase student's learning and trying to improve its quality. Such an ideal has special place in higher education. The main purpose of present research was to investigate students learning approaches and how student's attitudes tend to their learning approaches. Research approach was mixed-descriptive method. The study population consisted of the students at University of Tehran in 2009-10 school year. In the quantitative study, 220 subjects were randomly selected. For the second part of the extreme 6 individuals were selected. Two questionnaires (Inventory of two-factor learning approaches, Biggs et al 2001) and interviews were used to collect data. Reliability coefficient of the questionnaire for deep learning approaches was.73 and for surface approach.80.Quantitative analysis was used for clustering of students in learning approaches and test of MANOVA. In qualitative analysis coding of interviews were utilized. Quantitative results showed that Tehran University students used a more deep learning approach. Engineering majors and postgraduate students had more deep learning approach. In the qualitative analysis five major themes for why students tend to approach learning were identified: teacher’s teaching methods, teachers’ evaluation method, student learning objectives, learning strategies and curriculum content.