Associations Between Occupational Therapy Students’ Approaches to Studying and Their Academic Grade Results: A Cross-Sectional and Cross-Cultural Study

Tore Bonsaksen, OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan UniversityFollow
Ted BrownFollow
Hua B. LIM, Singapore Institute of TechnologyFollow
Kenneth Fong, Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityFollow
Milada C. Småstuen, Oslo Metropolitan University, OsloFollow

Document Type (Journals)

Original Research

Abstract

Students’ approaches to studying are generally viewed as essential for their learning outcomes and are often described as being either deep, strategic or surface. However, research on associations between study approaches and academic outcomes among occupational therapy students are rare, as are studies that include cross-cultural comparisons. The objective of this study was to assess the degree to which the deep, strategic, and surface approaches to studying were associated with occupational therapy students’ grade point average, in the total sample and when stratified by country, while controlling for age, gender and time spent on independent study. Seven hundred and twelve students from four countries (Australia, Norway, Hong Kong, and Singapore) completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students, and sum scores were calculated for the deep, strategic, and surface scales. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate associations between scale scores and grade point average, in the total sample and within each of the four sub-samples. The results showed that in the total sample, and in the Australia and Singapore sub-samples, none of the scales was associated with grade point average. In Hong Kong, lower deep approach scores and higher strategic approach scores were associated with higher grade point average. In Norway, higher strategic approach scores and lower surface approach scores were associated with higher grade point average. The study found that the approaches to studying scales were relevant for understanding academic performance among occupational therapy students in Norway and Hong Kong, but appeared less useful in the Australian and Singapore contexts.

Biography

Tore Bonsaksen, MSc is Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University in Oslo, Norway; and at VID Specialized University, Sandnes, Norway.

Ted Brown, PhD is Associate Professor at Monash University in Frankston, Australia.

Hua Beng LIM, MOT is Senior Lecturer at Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore.

Kenneth Fong, PD(OT), PD(OSH), Cert(CMH), BSc(HS), PgD(Biomech), MScHC(OT), PhD is Associate Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

Milada C. Småstuen, PhD is Associate Professor at Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Recommended Citation

Bonsaksen, T., Brown, T., LIM, H. B., Fong, K., & Småstuen, M. C. (2020). Associations Between Occupational Therapy Students’ Approaches to Studying and Their Academic Grade Results: A Cross-Sectional and Cross-Cultural Study. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 4 (1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040105