Student-Centred Approaches in Higher Education from the Student Perspective
Abstract
Teaching approaches in higher education have been the subject of considerable research, which has resulted in a paradigm shift from teacher-centred to student-centred approaches. The present study investigates this shift, focusing on student eagerness to participate in various aspects of education and their expectations of teachers’ roles. It includes 218 students enrolled in the Primary Education programme at the Faculty of Education, University of Maribor, in the 2023‒2024 academic year. Through a questionnaire, diverse student attitudes towards student-centred approaches were revealed. Students expressed a desire to participate in decision-making about their education, particularly in choosing types of assessment and, to a lesser extent, in designing the curriculum. They also expect teachers to transcend traditional roles, emphasising the need for sound pedagogical skills and a supportive learning environment. Based on their attitudes towards student-centred approaches, two distinct groups of students were identified. These groups exhibited statistically significant differences in their academic behaviour. The study underscores the need for ongoing professional development for teachers in order to meet students’ preferences.
Downloads
References
Åkerlind, G. S. (2004). A new dimension to understanding university teaching. Teaching in Higher Education, 9(3), 363–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/1356251042000216679
Asikainen, H., & Gijbels, D. (2017). Do students develop towards more deep approaches to learning during studies? A systematic review on the development of students’ deep and surface approaches to learning in higher education. Educational Psychology Review, 29(2), 205–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9406-6
Aškerc Veniger, K. (2016). University teachers’ opinions about higher education pedagogical training courses in Slovenia. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 6(4), 141–161. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.57
Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learning – A new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 27(6), 12–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.1995.10544672
Børte, K., Nesje, K., & Lillejord, S. (2020). Barriers to student active learning in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 28, 597–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1839746
Bremner, N., Sakata, N., & Cameron, L. (2022). The outcomes of learner-centred pedagogy: A systematic review. International Journal of Educational Development, 94, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102649
Byrne, B. M. (1998). Structural equation modelling with LISREL, PRELIS, and SIMPLIS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. L. Erlbaum Associates.
Cendon, E. (2018). Lifelong learning at universities: Future perspectives for teaching and learning. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 7(2), 81–87. https://doi.org/10.7821/naer.2018.7.320
Collins, J. W., & O’Brien, N. P. (Eds.). (2011). The Greenwood dictionary of education (2nd edition). Greenwood.
Cuban, L. (1983). How did teachers teach, 1890–1980. Theory Into Practice, 22(3), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405848309543056
du Plessis, E. (2020). Student teachers’ perceptions, experiences, and challenges regarding learner-centred teaching. South African Journal of Education, 40(1), 1–10. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/saje/article/view/194256
Elen, J., Clarebout, G., Léonard, R., & Lowyck, J. (2007). Student-centred and teacher-centred learning environments: What students think. Teaching in Higher Education, 12, 105–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510601102339
Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., MacCallum, R. C., & Strahan, E. J. (1999). Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 4(3), 272. https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.4.3.272
George, D., & Mallery, P. (2010). SPSS for Windows step by step: A simple guide and reference, 16.0 update. Pearson.
Guo, K. (2016). Empirical study on factors of student satisfaction in higher education. Revista Ibérica De Sistemas e Tecnologias De Informação, E11, 344–355. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/empirical-study-on-factors-student-satisfaction/doc-view/1861825209/se-2?accountid=28931
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (1998). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice Hall.
Ho, A., Watkins, D., & Kelly, M. (2001). The conceptual change approach to improving teaching and learning: An evaluation of a Hong Kong staff development programme. Higher Education, 42(2), 143–169. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1017546216800
Hoidn, S. (2016). The pedagogical concept of student-centred learning in the context of European higher education reforms. European Scientific Journal, 12(28), 439–458. https://doi.org/10.19044/esj.2016.v12n28p439
Hoidn, S., & Klemenčič, M. (2021). Introduction and overview. In S. Hoidn, & M. Klemenčič (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of student-centered learning and teaching in higher education (pp. 1–13). Routledge.
Hoidn, S., & Reusser, K. (2021). Foundations of student-centered learning and teaching. In S. Hoidn, & M. Klemenčič (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of student-centered learning and teaching in higher education (pp. 17–46). Routledge.
Kember, D. (1997). A reconceptualisation of the research into university academics’ conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction, 7(3), 255–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(96)00028-X
Kember, D. (2009). Promoting student-centred forms of learning across an entire university. Higher Education, 58(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9177-6
Klemenčič, M. (2017). From student engagement to student agency: Conceptual considerations of European policies on student-centered learning in higher education. Higher Education Policy, 30, 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-016-0034-4
Kramar, M. (2009). Pouk [Instruction]. Educa, Melior.
Lea, S. J., Stephenson, D., & Troy, J. (2003). Higher education students’ attitudes to student-centred learning: Beyond ‘educational bulimia’? Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 321–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070309293
Li, Y. D., & Ding, G. H. (2023). Student-centered education: A meta-analysis of its effects on non-academic achievements. SAGE Open, 13(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231168792
Mastrokoukou, S., Kaliris, A., Donche, V., Chauliac, M., Karagiannopoulou, E., Christodoulides, P., & Longobardi, C. (2022). Rediscovering teaching in university: A scoping review of teacher effective- ness in higher education. Frontiers in Education, 7, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.861458
McKenna, S., & Quinn, L. (2021). Misconceptions and misapplications of student-centered approaches. In S. Hoidn, & M. Klemenčič (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of student-centered learning and teaching in higher education (pp. 109–120). Routledge.
Mithans, M., Ivanuš Grmek, M., & Čagran, B. (2017a). Participation in decision-making in class: Opportunities and pupil attitudes in Austria and Slovenia. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(4), 165–183. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.369
Mithans, M., Ivanuš Grmek, M., Čagran, B., & Mulej, M. (2017b). Participation in decision-making in school: Opportunities and students’ attitudes in Austria and Slovenia. International Journal of Management in Education, 11(4), 424–436. https://www.inderscience.com/offers.php?id=86901
Mladenovici, V., & Ilie, M. D. (2023). A cross-lagged panel model analysis between academics’ conceptions of teaching and their teaching approaches. Studies in Higher Education, 48(11), 1767–1780. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2213716
Mowbray, F. I., Fox-Wasylyshyn, S. M., & El-Masri, M. M. (2019). Univariate outliers: A conceptual overview for the nurse researcher. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 51(1), 31–37. https://doi.org/10.1177/084456211878664
Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K. (1998). Understanding learning and teaching: The experience in higher education. Open University.
Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K. (2014). Qualitative variation in approaches to university teaching and learning in large first-year classes. Higher Education, 67(6), 783–795. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-013-9690-0
Schuh, K. L. (2004). Learner-centred principles in teacher-centred practices? Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(8), 833–846. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2004.09.008
Schweisfurth, M. (2013). Learner-centred education in international perspective: Whose pedagogy for whose development? Routledge.
Spencer, J. A., & Jordan, R. K. (1999). Learner-centred approaches in medical education. British Medical Journal, 318, 1280–1283. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.318.7193.1280
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.
Treesuwan, R., & Tanitteerapan, T. (2016). Students’ perceptions on learner-centered teaching approach. The New Educational Review, 45, 151–159. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ888411
Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (1996). Congruence between intention and strategy in university science teachers’ approaches to teaching. Higher Education, 32(1), 77–87. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3447897
Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Taylor, P. (1994). Qualitative differences in approaches to teaching first year university science. Higher Education, 27(1), 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01383761
Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Waterhouse, F. (1999). Relations between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning. Higher Education, 37(1), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1003548313194
Uiboleht, K., Karm, M., & Postareff, L. (2018). The interplay between teachers’ approaches to teaching, students’ approaches to learning and learning outcomes: A qualitative multi-case study. Learning Environments Research, 21(3), 321–347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-018-9257-1
Wagner, E. D., & McCombs, B. L. (1995). Learner centered psychological principles in practice: Designs for distance education. Educational Technology, 35(2), 32–35. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44428961?seq=1
Weimer, M. (2002). Learner-centred teaching: Five key changes to practice. Jossey-Bass.
Yap, W. L., Neo, M., & Neo, T. K. (2016). The impact of the role of teacher and balance of power in transforming conventional teaching to learner-centered teaching in Malaysian institution of higher education. Pertanika Journal of Social Science & Humanities, 24(4), 1849‒1868.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors are confirming that they are the authors of the submitted article, which will be published online in the Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal (for short: CEPS Journal) by University of Ljubljana Press (University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Kardeljeva ploščad 16, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia). The Author’s/Authors’ name(s) will be evident in the article in the journal. All decisions regarding layout and distribution of the work are in the hands of the publisher.
- The Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit themselves to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
