Nothing Special   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Skip to main content
Log in

Lecturers' approaches to teaching and their relationship to conceptions of good teaching

  • Published:
Instructional Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Previous research has established a close link between students'conceptions of learning, approaches to study and learning outcomes.Until recently, there have been few studies of lecturers' approaches toteaching in higher education and their relationship with conceptions ofteaching. This study aimed to characterise the alternative approaches toteaching of university lecturers, and to examine the relationshipbetween lecturers' approaches to teaching and their conceptions of goodteaching. This study adopted an open naturalistic approach. Seventeenlecturers in three departments in a university were selected forinterview based on their rank, years of teaching and industrial orprofessional experience. Lecturers were interviewed individually abouttheir conceptions of good teaching, motivational strategies andeffective teaching. The interview records were then content analysed bythe two researchers of the study. The study found that (a) it waspossible to characterise lecturers' approaches to teaching with onemotivation and five strategy dimensions; (b) the conceptions of teachingof the lecturers were best described by two main orientations oftransmissive and facilitative teaching; (c) lecturers who conceivedteaching as transmitting knowledge were more likely to usecontent-centred approaches to teaching, while those who conceivedteaching as facilitative tended to use learning-centred approaches. Thestudy concludes by suggesting that fundamental changes to the quality ofteaching and learning are unlikely to happen without changes tolecturers' conception of teaching.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Biggs, J. (1987). Student Approaches to Learning and Studying. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dart, B. & Boulton-Lewis, G., eds (1998). Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gow, L. & Kember, D. (1993). Conceptions of teaching and their relationship to student learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology 63: 20–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D. (1996). The intention to both memorise and understand: Another approach to learning? Higher Education 31: 341–351.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D. (1997). A reconcepualization of the research into university academics' conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction 7(3): 255–275.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kember, D. & Gow, L. (1994). Orientations to teaching and their effect on the quality of student learning. Journal of Higher Education 65(1): 58–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marton, F. & Säljö, R. (1976). On qualitative differences in learning, outcome and process I. British Journal of Educational Psychology 46: 4–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marton, F., Dall'Alba, G. & Beaty, E. (1993). Conceptions of learning. International Journal of Educational Research 19(3): 277–300.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marton, F., Hounsell, D. & Entwistle, N. (1984). The Experience of Learning. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, D.D. (1992). Conceptions of teaching. Adult Education Quarterly 42(4): 203–220.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsden, P. (1992). Learning to Teach in Higher Education. London: Kogan Page.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards, T.J. & Richards, L. (1991). The NUD•IST qualitative data analysis system. Qualitative Sociology 14(4): 307–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Säljö, R. (1979). Learning in the learner' perspective, I – some commonsense conceptions. Reports from the Institute of Education. University of Gothenburg, No. 77.

  • Sheppard, C. & Gilbert, J. (1991). Course design, teaching method and student epistemology. Higher Education 22: 229–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trigwell, K. & Prosser, M. (1996a). Congruence between intention and strategy in university science teachers' approaches to teaching. Higher Education 32: 77–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trigwell, K. & Prosser, M. (1996b). Changing approaches to teaching: A relational perspective. Studies in Higher Education 21(3): 275–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trigwell, K., Prosser, M. & Taylor, P. (1994). Qualitative differences in approaches to teaching first year university science. Higher Education 27: 75–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Rossum, E.J. & Schenk, S.M. (1984). The relationship between learning conception, study strategy and learning outcomes. British Journal of Educational Psychology 54: 73–83.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kember, D., Kwan, KP. Lecturers' approaches to teaching and their relationship to conceptions of good teaching. Instructional Science 28, 469–490 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026569608656

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026569608656

Navigation