Research into Learning and Teaching in Universities

Abstract

This chapter describes the origins and development of research into both student learning and the influences of teaching on studying, providing a rationale for many of the research and development studies described in this book. The research is traced back to the emergence of cognitive psychology, with its distinction between meaningful and rote learning and its emphasis on generalized psychological ideas, like intelligence and motivation. Such concepts were initially used in research on student learning, but more specific, contextualized, concepts were subsequently identified that provided stronger evidence to explain differences in student learning outcomes. Involving students more directly in the research process provided descriptions of student learning and studying more readily recognized and valued by university teachers. Students’ learning processes were found to be influenced by departmental policies and teachers’ distinctive ways of teaching, with subsequent research focusing more directly on the effects of the whole teaching-learning environment on students’ learning outcomes. The concepts developed by educational researchers have stimulated university teachers’ ways of thinking about their practice and are still relevant in planning for an uncertain future. The value of this research depends crucially on its impact on practice, with studies increasingly taking account of the crucial variations in the implications of research across different subject areas and institutional contexts. This process is leading to a greater involvement of subject teaching staff and study advisers in considering and using research findings.