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Cultural specificity of approaches to studying in higher education: A literature survey

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Abstract

Students in higher education exhibit different approaches to learning, but there is evidence that these vary systematically from one culture to another. The broad distinction between an orientation towards comprehending the meaning of learning materials and an orientation towards merely reproducing those materials seems to be a universal feature of all systems of higher education. The former is both consistent and coherent, apparently reflecting the relatively high degree of agreement that exists across different cultures with regard to the goals and purposes of higher education. The latter reflects students' attempts to cope with academic practices that are inappropriate to those goals and purposes; it is more fragmented and more likely to be constructed in a way that is distinctive to each particular cultural context.

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  1. Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, UB8 3PH, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK

    John T. E. Richardson

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Richardson, J.T.E. Cultural specificity of approaches to studying in higher education: A literature survey. High Educ 27, 449–468 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01384904

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