Diversity in Students’ Study Practices in Higher Education

Abstract

A plethora of studies document the profound contextual changes leading amongst other things to diversity of the student population in the higher education sector in the developed world in the last two decades. However, the existing literature is less clear about (a) patterns of students’ study practices, and (b) how the factors underpinning diversity of the student population shape their study practices. This paper seeks to fill this gap. Employing a large data set of survey responses from a leading Australian university, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of students’ perceptions about their study practices in the teaching and learning process. Analysis of the survey data entailed two stages. First, factor analysis explored themes (or dimensions) within the survey. Multivariate analysis of variance was then undertaken using students’ factor scores as dependent variables, with their age, sex, ethnicity, study discipline, study level, and academic performance as grouping variables. Four factors, (Concordance and Engagement; Disconnection and Disengagement; Reflection and Realisation; and Learning Impediments) reflected students’ study practices. The core difference between students in their study practices was influenced by age, ethnicity, academic performance, and sex-ethnicity interaction.