What factors are important to UEL undergraduates to help them to learn effectively on their courses - Essay Example

?What factors are important to UEL undergraduates to help them to learn effectively on their s? Introduction Learning has wide-ranging meaningsfor different people. The concept of learning includes acquiring new knowledge, reproducing and memorising, applying procedures and facts, understanding, establishing clairvoyance and lastly, re-arranging the perspective of a person. These different conceptions can be held by different persons or by the same person in different circumstances. The list begins with consuming information. Therefore, the overall meaning of learning includes procuring meaning, interpreting the events, understanding and constructing knowledge. Learning also implies changing a person but that is a gradual process and takes significant amount of time. Learning effectively from their courses is an important aspect for the learners. The learning of today will better frame their future and transform them into better individuals (Carnell and Lodge, 2002; Hewitt, 2008; Billett and Henderson, 2011; Hativa, 2001). This report focuses on the important factors which lead to effective learning among the learners. This study is important from the perspective of both the learners and the university. The findings of the research will help the student to understand the factors that help them to learn better along with the university, who will derive special benefits from this report. Knowing the factors that are responsible for effective learning among the students, the university can frame their programs better by considering these aspects. This will not only enhance the learning process of the students, but will also make the job of the mentors easier. Research Methodology Two well-known ways of descriptive methods are qualitative and quantitative analysis, which analyses the research problem in an effective manner. Both the research methods are significant and similar to each other, but are quite different from each other. The research scholars have argued on the fact that the gap left by one of the research method is filled by the other one. In this case, for identification of the factors, both qualitative and quantitative analysis will be used. This is because of the reason that quantitative analysis will help in quantifying the data, which in turn will help in identifying the factors, but the qualitative analysis will help in recognizing the reasons for considering these factors with such importance. Quantitative research is based on numbers. For instance, in this research, the number of students considering class environment as an important factor is questioned. On the other hand, the qualitative research has originated from social sciences and the interpretation lies in reading from the people in real world. The factors that are left unidentified by the quantitative research are identified by the qualitative research. In order to conduct the analysis, the data required will be collected through a questionnaire survey and interviews that will be conducted on the students of University of East London (UEL). In order to identify the factors that lead to effective learning, students are the best persons who can help in identifying the factors; because of this reason, the students are chosen as the sample on which the study will be conducted. Among the other methods of conducting the study like, experiments, case study, action research and archival research, survey is the best method for this study as it requires analysing the current data collected from the university students. Moreover, the study does not involve any secondary data other than current data, which is also collected from the university students (Grinnell and Unrau, 2008; Collis and Hussey, 2009). A well-structured questionnaire comprising of close-ended questions, and interview questions comprising of open-ended questions will be used for conducting the survey on the students. The answers to the questionnaires will be analysed in quantitative manner, whereas the interview questions will be analysed in qualitative manner. Both the questionnaire and the interview questions will be prepared all together for the facilitation in better analysis. The next important task is the sampling technique that will be followed while conducting the study. Probabilistic and non-probabilistic samplings are the two types of sampling techniques. In this research, probability sampling is used. Random sampling will be used to extract the sample from the whole population. It is considered to be the purest form of probabilistic sampling. This technique will be used in this research as it offers known and equal opportunity to each member of the population for being selected (Som, 2007; Fowler, 2009; Lim and Ting, 2013). Therefore, the sample size for this research is 100 (Ardilly and Tille, 2006; Mandallaz, 2007; Cochran, 2007). Findings This section will deal with the findings of the questionnaire survey that is conducted on the students of University of East London. When the students were asked regarding the importance of effective learning from their courses, they stressed on the fact that learning from their courses is very important since it makes them a better individual. It is not only about the knowledge and skills that they gain from effective learning, but also regarding their personal development. They stressed on the fact that in today’s highly competitive environment, education plays a significant role in the personal development of the individual. They are transformed into more confident and competent person who can make their mark in the professional field and excel in their work. The students when given an option to choose the best mode of teaching, which led to effective learning among the individuals, majority of the respondents, about 75 percent, were in favour of both theoretical and practical mode of teaching. As per these respondents, both theoretical and practical mode of teaching is important. The theoretical concepts will make them aware of the constructs and reasons that act behind the application. On the other hand, the practical mode helps them in understanding the application of the concepts in real life scenarios. However, about 25 percent of the students opted for practical method. They said that practical method helps them in understanding the things better as opposed to theory. According to them, if practical application is not known, then it is not worth learning because at the course-end, they need to apply their knowledge in both the practical and professional field. None of the respondents were in favour of theoretical mode of teaching. Figure 1: Graphical representation of the reply Regarding the culture and parent’s involvement in the facilitation of the effective learning, almost 50 percent of the respondents said that both of them have certain amount of affect on the effective learning of an individual. They argued that the parents facilitate learning by encouraging the students towards gaining knowledge and skills while the culture defines the mode in which they can learn better. However, about 25 percent of respondents give higher importance to the impact of culture and not the involvement of parents. The is because they think that culture affects the way that the students prefers to learn, but involvement of the parents has zero effect as they are grown up and exercise their own will. However, another 25% has a different view to this aspect as parents’ involvement is more important than culture. Encouragement and the personal involvement of the parents in the well-being of the children are one of the most important factors that increase the effectiveness of learning. Figure 2: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents The students of UEL have given high importance to the behaviour, knowledge, lecture deliverance and involvement of the mentor. They emphasized on the fact that the behaviour of the mentor towards their students is very important. If the mentor is friendly and the students feel free to talk to him, then it is more likely for them to discuss their doubts, difficulties or any queries related to the course. Again, knowledge and the way they deliver the lecture is also important since knowledge possession is not enough. They need to transfer that knowledge to their students too. If the deliverance of the lecture involves more interactive sessions, then the understanding ability of the students will improve. Thus, the students opined that knowledge is not the sole factor, instead the factors that more important are the behaviour, deliverance of the lecture that leads to knowledge transfer from the mentor and involvement of the mentor. When the students were asked whether the environment of the classroom is an important factor that affects their learning process, about 80 percent of the respondents said ‘yes’, while the rest said ‘no’. 80 percent of the respondents believed that an enriched environment is necessary for extensively promoting every type of learning. The environment in the classroom, in this case, plays a vital role. The mentors, along with the other students who are present in the classroom, are the ones who are responsible for creating a calm atmosphere for further enhancement of learning. In this context, the mentors are also required to create an atmosphere which would not distract the students and help them to fully concentrate on their learning aspects. The relationship among the students is also important. Peer learning can facilitate and enhance their knowledge regarding the topics that are taught in the class. Figure 3: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents On being asked whether they agree to the fact that motivation and self-confidence among the students are helpful for an effective learning experience, about 50 percent of the respondents strongly agreed to it and 25 percent simply agreed. None of the respondents gave a neutral answer. Again, 10 percent of the respondents strongly disagreed to the fact and 15 percent of the respondents simply disagreed. Figure 4: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents When asked to choose the more important one between self-confidence and motivation, about 75 percent of the respondents have said that both the aspects are necessary for an individual. According to the students, they feel that when they are intrinsically or self motivated, they hold a higher potential to learn effectively. Their motivation is enhanced with gaining achievements in the learning activity and appreciations from their parents or friends. However, they have also stressed on the fact that extrinsic motivation is enhanced when they gain the same appreciation from their mentors. This motivation encourages them to put in efforts and learn new skills more perfectly. Self-confidence is also derived from the praises that they gain through their accomplishments. The students stress on the fact that when they are motivated and confident, they are more likely to take up challenges and work harder. On the other hand, only 10 and 15 percent have supported self-confidence and motivation respectively, as the main factors that lead to effective learning. For the respondents with any one of the two will automatically lead to the other. This signifies that if a student is motivated, then he will automatically gain self-confidence and vice versa. Figure 5: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents Almost 90 percent of the students have emphasized on the fact that learning cannot be a one-way process as it is a process that requires both the learner and the mentor to participate. In this context, they said that similar to the mentor, who requires delivering the knowledge and the concepts to the students in an effective way, the learner is also required to take initiative to accept the theory and gain a clear understanding regarding the concepts. If the learner faces any doubt, then they need to come up with the query and the mentor needs to clarify the same. Thus, participation of both the mentor and the learner is important in case of effective learning. However, 5 percent of the respondents were in favour of contribution of learner and another 5 percent favoured the contribution of the mentors. Figure 6: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents Among all the factors that were given in the questions like culture, involvement of the parents, mentor, classroom environment, motivation and self-confidence, about 30 percent of the respondents gave importance to motivation and self-confidence, 40 percent to the mentor, 20 percent of the respondents had given importance to classroom environment, 4 percent to culture and 6 percent to the involvement of the parents. Figure 7: Graphical representation of the reply of the respondents Analysis and Conclusion Learning is not about passively receiving the information. It is meant for changing the behaviour, belief and attitude of an individual regarding an idea that is being encountered. Learning does not involve simply knowing about different things from the mentors or the teachers, but it is more about gaining knowledge from experiences and transform into a more confident individual who can accept numerous challenges in life. It is like keeping a treasure within the mind and applying the same, as and when required. In this context, this research has regarded the identification of the factors which lead to effective learning. The overall findings of the survey suggest that the students of UEL prefer both theoretical and practical modes of study. This implies that only knowing the concepts is of no use if they do not know how to apply this knowledge in the real life scenario, which is only possible if they get a practical exposure. This suggests that the mode of delivering lecture and knowledge are both important factors in deciding the effectiveness of the learning. The study has also found that culture and involvement of the parents is important. Though the significance is very low compared to other factors, yet some of the effectiveness regarding learning is affected by these two factors. The study has found that the regional culture often affects the mode of effective learning among the students. On the other hand, involvement of the parents encourages the students to take initiatives towards effective learning. The mentor plays the most significant role in the process and is recognised as the most important factor that initiates effectiveness in learning among the students. The research has shown that the attitude and the involvement shown by the mentor towards the students impact more than the knowledge that he possesses. The findings has revealed that the students of UEL is more concerned about the deliverance of the lecture or the transfer of knowledge, rather that the knowledge that the mentor possesses. The environment in the classroom is also an important factor that contributes towards effective learning. The environment in the classroom depends a lot on the mentor and the students. The motivation and the self-confidence are important contributors towards effective learning among the students along with the student’s belief as they all go hand-in-hand towards the effective enhancement of learning process. However, the overall analysis suggests that both the both the mentors and the learners are active participants in the process of effective learning. If any one of the two is seen to be less involved in the process, then it may reduce the effectiveness of the process itself. Hence, it can be concluded that the main factors that lead to effectiveness in learning are the mode of study, role played by the mentors, participation of the students, the motivation and the self-respect of the students, culture, involvement of parents and lastly, classroom environment. Reference List Ardilly, P. and Tille, Y., 2006. Sampling methods: Exercises and solutions. Berlin: Springer. Billett, S. and Henderson, A., 2011. Developing learning professionals: Integrating experiences in university and practice settings. Berlin: Springer. Carnell, E. and Lodge, C., 2002. Supporting effective learning. London: SAGE. Cochran, W.G., 2007. Sampling techniques. 3rd ed. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2009. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Fowler, F.J., 2009. Survey research methods. London: SAGE. Grinnell, R.M. and Unrau, Y.A., (2008). Social work research and evaluation: Foundations of evidence-based practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hativa, N., 2001. Teaching for effective learning in higher education. BerlinSpringer. Hewitt, D., 2008. Understanding effective learning: Strategies for the classroom. New York: McGraw-Hill International. Lim, W.M. and Ting, D.H., 2013. Research methodology: A toolkit of sampling and data analysis techniques for quantitative research. Munich: GRIN Verlag. Mandallaz, D., 2007. Sampling techniques for forest inventories. New York: CRC Press. Som, R.K., 2007. Practical sampling techniques. 2nd ed. New York: CRC Press. Appendix Questionnaire for measuring the effectiveness of learning Name of the student: ____________________________________________________________ Programs: ______________________________ 1. Which type of teaching do you prefer in case of learning effectively? Why? a. Theoretical b. Practical c. Both of them ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Is the culture and parents involvement important in facilitation of learning? Why? a. Yes b. No c. Culture but not parent’s involvement d. Parent’s involvement but not culture ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Is the environment within the classroom an important factor that leads to effective learning? Why? a. Yes b. No c. Don’t know 4. Do you agree with the fact that motivation and self-confidence among the students leads to effective learning among the students? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 5. Which one is more important? Why? a. Motivation b. Self-confidence c. Both 6. Whose contribution is the most in generating effective leaning? Why? a. Learner himself b. The mentor c. Both 7. Which is the most important factor among the following that leads to effective learning? a. Culture b. Parent’s involvement c. Mentor d. Classroom environment e. Motivation and Self confidence II: Interview Questions 1. How important is learning for you from the course? 2. How important is the knowledge, lecture deliverance, involvement and behaviour of the mentor important in the process of effective learning? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What do you feel regarding the importance of the self-learning and motivation among the students for effective learning? Read More