Personal and Instructional Variables Related to the Learning Process in Postgraduate Courses / Variables Personales e Instruccionales Relacionadas con el Proceso de Aprendizaje en los Estudios de Postgrado

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between different student characteristics (gender, reason for choosing the master's degree and specialty), the instructional context (perceived quality of the instructional process), and the characteristics of the learning process (practical learning strategies and study approach) in postgraduate study. METHOD: 621 students completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Inventory of Study Processes, the Inventory of Self-Regulatory Learning Processes and a questionnaire developed ad hoc about instructional processes. RESULTS: The data indicates notable differences between men's and women's involvement in their postgraduate study. Furthermore, the results also suggest that it is only when postgraduate courses are done for vocational reasons and students receive quality instruction that the two factors ensure students prioritize deep learning processes (e.g., significant learning, reflections on meaning, comprehensive learning) versus a surface learning approach. (e.g., memorization, lack of reflection). CONCLUSIONS: The results may be of interest for the design of postgraduate university education policy in relation to the selection processes for both students and teachers

ANTECEDENTES: en el presente estudio se pretendió analizar la relación entre diferentes características del estudiante (género, el motivo de la realización del máster y la especialidad realizada) y del contexto instruccional (percepción de la calidad del proceso instruccional recibido) y las características del proceso de estudio (estrategias de aprendizaje utilizadas y enfoque de estudio) en los estudios de postgrado. MÉTODO: 621 estudiantes contestaron al Motivated Startegies for Learning Questionnaire, al Inventario de Procesos de Estudio, al Inventario de Procesos de Autorregulación del Aprendizaje y a un cuestionario construido ad hoc sobre procesos instruccionales. RESULTADOS: los datos obtenidos muestran diferencias importantes en la implicación de hombres y mujeres en su formación de postgrado. Asimismo, también sugieren que únicamente cuando se accede a los estudios de postgrado por motivos vocacionales y, una vez dentro, se tiene lugar un proceso instruccional de calidad está garantizado que los estudiantes prioricen procesos de aprendizaje profundo (e.g., significativo, comprensivo) sobre el uso de un enfoque de estudio superficial (e.g., memorístico, sumativo). CONCLUSIONES: se concluye que los resultados obtenidos pueden tener interés para el diseño de la política educativa universitaria de postgrado, de cara al proceso de selección tanto de los estudiantes y como del profesorado

Personal and Instructional Variables Related to the Learning Process in Postgraduate Courses.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between different student characteristics (gender, reason for choosing the master's degree and specialty), the instructional context (perceived quality of the instructional process), and the characteristics of the learning process (practical learning strategies and study approach) in postgraduate study. METHOD: 621 students completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Inventory of Study Processes, the Inventory of Self-Regulatory Learning Processes and a questionnaire developed ad hoc about instructional processes. RESULTS: The data indicates notable differences between men's and women's involvement in their postgraduate study. Furthermore, the results also suggest that it is only when postgraduate courses are done for vocational reasons and students receive quality instruction that the two factors ensure students prioritize deep learning processes (e.g., significant learning, reflections on meaning, comprehensive learning) versus a surface learning approach. (e.g., memorization, lack of reflection). CONCLUSIONS: The results may be of interest for the design of postgraduate university education policy in relation to the selection processes for both students and teachers.