Individual differences in study processes and the Quality of Learning Outcomes

This paper is concerned with the relationship between students' study processes and the structural complexity of their learning. Study processes are conceived in terms of three independent dimensions — utilising, internalising and achieving — each of which has a cognitive (strategic) and an affective (motivational) component; these are assessed by the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ). Learning quality is expressed in terms of the complexity of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome by applying the SOLO Taxonomy described below. A preliminary study involving 60 undergraduates' responses to education research abstracts is described, in which SOLO levels and short and long term retention of factual material are related to their study processes.