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Approaches to studying in higher education Portuguese students: a Portuguese version of the approaches and study skills inventory for students

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Abstract

This paper examines the validity of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students—short version (ASSIST; Tait et al. in Improving student learning: Improving students as learners, 1998), to be used with Portuguese undergraduate students. The ASSIST was administrated to 566 students, in order to analyse a Portuguese version of this inventory. Exploratory factor analysis (principal axis factor analysis followed by direct oblimin rotation) reproduced the three main factors that correspond to the original dimensions of the inventory (deep, surface apathetic and strategic approaches to learning). The results are consistent with the background theory on approaches to learning. Additionally, the reliability analysis revealed acceptable internal consistency indexes for the main scales and subscales. This inventory might represent a valuable research tool for the assessment of approaches to learning among Portuguese higher education students.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are obliged to Professor John Richardson (The Open University, UK) for language and content revision to Ida Lemos for helpful remarks on previous versions of this article. This research was supported by Acção 5.3 Formação Avançada de Docentes no Ensino Superior, Concurso 2/5.3PRODEP/2003 and Projecto S.P.A.S.H.E (POCTI/CED/42716/2001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CUIE, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139, Faro, Portugal

    Sandra Cristina A. T. S. Valadas & Fernando R. Gonçalves

  2. CIECC, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Sandra Cristina A. T. S. Valadas & Fernando R. Gonçalves

  3. Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, Departamento de Psicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal

    Luís M. Faísca

  4. Instituto de Psicologia Cognitiva, Desenvolvimento Vocacional e Social, FPCE, Universidade de Coimbra, 3001-802, Coimbra, Portugal

    Luís M. Faísca

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  1. Sandra Cristina A. T. S. Valadas
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  2. Fernando R. Gonçalves
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  3. Luís M. Faísca
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Correspondence to Sandra Cristina A. T. S. Valadas.

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Valadas, S.C.A.T.S., Gonçalves, F.R. & Faísca, L.M. Approaches to studying in higher education Portuguese students: a Portuguese version of the approaches and study skills inventory for students. High Educ 59, 259–275 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9246-5

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