dissertation on teaching approaches

• USF Research
• USF Libraries

Digital Commons @ USF > College of Education > Teaching and Learning > Theses and Dissertations

Teaching and Learning Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Beliefs of Male Elementary School Special Education and General Education Teachers Regarding Full Inclusion for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Saudi Arabia , Sultan Alanazi

The Integration of Assistive Technology by Female In-Service Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A Qualitative Interview Study , Badriah Alotaiby

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Saudi Parents as Advocates for Their Young Children with Disabilities: Reflections on The Journey , Sadeem A. Alolayan

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Graduate Teaching Assistants’ Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Students with Disabilities in Higher Education , Yanlys De La Caridad Palacios

High School Teachers’ Perceptions of Promoting Student Motivation and Creativity through Career Education , Kyeonghyeon Park

The Specifics of Specific Learning Disability: An Analysis of State-Level Eligibility Criteria and Response to Intervention Practices , Lora M. Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Saudi Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of Gender Roles in Children's Dramatic Play , Dalal Alanazi

Barriers to Reducing the Assistive Technology use for Students with Autism as Perceived by Special Education Teachers in Saudi Arabia , Othman Ahmed Alasmari

Saudi Teachers’ Perspectives on Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Specifically Designed for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Ahmad Saad Alghamdi

Perceptions of Preservice Teachers of Students with Intellectual Disabilities About their Preparation for Inclusive Education , Abdullah Aljudaya

Experiences of Saudi Arabian Mothers of Young Children with Disabilities: An Exploratory Study , Samirah Bahkali

Persistence Like a Mother: Nursing the Narrative toward Doctoral Completion in English Education—A Poetic Autoethnography , Krista S. Mallo

Warming Up and Cooling Down: Perceptions and Behaviors Associated with Aerobic Exercise , Balea J. Schumacher

A Multimodal Literacy Exploration: Lived Experiences of Haitian Immigrant Adolescent Girls in The Bahamas , Natasha Swann

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Perceptions of Preservice Teachers of Students with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities in their Teacher Preparation Programs in Saudi Arabia , Salman Almughyiri

Mapping Narrative Transactions: A Method/Framework for Exploring Multimodal Documents as Social Semiotic Sites for Ethnographic Study , Anne W. Anderson

The Effects of Augmented Reality (AR)-infused Idiom Material on Iranian Students’ Idiom Achievements, Motivation, and Perceptions , Babak Khoshnevisan

An Examination of Changes in Muscle Thickness, Isometric Strength, and Body Water Throughout the Menstrual Cycle , Tayla E. Kuehne

How the Use of Learner-Generated Images and Authentic Materials Affects the Comprehension and Production of Vivid Phrasal Idioms in L2 English Learners , Melissa Larsen-Walker

Explore L2 Chinese Learners' Motivation through L2MSS: Selves, Mental Imagery, and Pedagogical Implications , Yao Liu

Exploring Adult Indigenous Latinxs’ English Language Identity Expressions and Agency: A MALP®-informed Photovoice Study , Andrea Enikő Lypka

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Use of Assistive Technology with Students with Severe Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Saudi Arabia: Teachers’ Perspectives , Khalid Mohammed Abu Alghayth

Saudi Special Education Preservice Teachers’ Perspective towards Inclusion , Sarah Binmahfooz

The Teacher Evaluation Conundrum: Examining the Perceptions of Special Education Teachers , Gordon Brobbey

Illuminating Changes in Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions about Teaching Elementary Mathematicsin an Introductory Methods Course , Elaine Cerrato

International Teaching Assistants’ Perceptions of English and Spanish Language Use at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez , Edward G. Contreras Santiago

Psychological Responses to High-Intensity Interval Training Exercise: A Comparison of Ungraded Running and Graded Walking , Abby Fleming

The Effects and Students’ Views of Teachers' Coded Written Corrective Feedback: A Multiple-Case Study of Online Multiple-draft Chinese Writing , Jining Han

Autism and Inclusion in England’s Multi Academy Trust: A Case Study of a Senior Leadership Team , Danielle Lane

Promoting L2 Idiomatic Competence among Chinese College Students via WeChat , Zhengjie Li

EFL Student Collaborative Writing in Google Docs: A Multiple Case Study , Quang Nam Pham

Threats to Teaching: An Investigation Into the Constructs of Compassion Fatigue in the Classroom , April M. Steen

A New Literacy Coach and Two English Language Arts Teachers Learn Together: A Narrative Inquiry , Christiana C. Succar

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

General Education Teachers’ Perceptions of Response to Intervention Implementation: A Qualitative Interview Study , Adhwaa Alahmari

A Study of Ghanaian Kindergarten Teachers' Use of Bilingual and Translanguaging Practices , Joyce Esi Bronteng

Deaf Lesbian Identity , Noël E. Cherasaro

Beyond Replicative Technology: The Digital Practices of Students with Literacy-Related Learning Difficulties Engaged in Productive Technologies , Aimee Frier

Once Upon a Genre: Distant Reading, the Newbery Medal, and the Affordances of Interdisciplinary Paradigms for Understanding Children’s Literature , Melanie Griffin

Learning in the Margins: The Educational Experiences of an African American Male with Disabilities , Aisha Holmes

Including children with learning differences: Experiences of independent school teachers , Lisa M. Lockhart

The Effects of Music Choice on Perceptual and Physiological Responses to Treadmill Exercise , Taylor A. Shimshock

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Perceptions of Arab American Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Study , Haifa Alsayyari

It’s Not All Sunflowers and Roses at Home: A Narrative Inquiry of At-Risk Girls and Their Perceptions of Their Educational Experiences , Jessica Aggeles Curtis

Exploring Mathematics Teacher Education Fieldwork Experiences through Storytelling , Melody Jeane Elrod

Improving Reading Comprehension of Children with ASD: Implication of Anaphoric Reference Support with Computer Programming , Seda Karayazi Ozsayin

A Qualitative Content Analysis of Early Algebra Education iOS Apps for Primary Children , Lissa S. Ledbetter

Cultivating Peace via Language Teaching: Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs and Emotions in an EFL Argentine Practicum , María Matilde Olivero

Collaboration with Families: Perceptions of Special Education Preservice Teachers and Teacher Preparation , Mehmet Emin Ozturk

Perspectives of AP U.S. History Teachers in Title I Schools , Mark Lance Rowland

What Does It Mean to Be a Service-Learning Teacher? - An Autoethnography , Kristy Causey Verdi

Early Childhood Mathematics Through a Social Justice Lens: An Autoethnography , Jennifer Ward

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Urban English Language Arts Teachers’ Stories of Technology Use: A Narrative Inquiry , Bridget Abbas

Teachers’ Third Eye: Using Video Elicitation Interviews To Facilitate Kuwaiti Early Childhood Preservice Teachers’ Reflections , Hessa Alsuhail

Foreign Language College Achievement and the Infusion of Three Selected Web 2.0 Technologies: A Mixed Method Case Study , Eulises Avellaneda

Emotional Self-Regulation: Voices and Perspectives of Teachers within Diverse Socio-Cultural Contexts , Anna Paula Peixoto Da Silva

The Effect of Exercise Order on Body Fat Loss During Concurrent Training , Tonya Lee Davis-Miller

Subtext of Decisions: Literacy Practices in the Context of Coding , Julia Hagge

The Role of Prep Schools in the Middle to High School Transition of Students in Southeastern Turkey , Mucahit Kocak

“It’s Not Pixie Dust”: An Exploratory Qualitative Case Study of a School-Based Multimodal Tablet Initiative , Erin Elizabeth Margarella

Influence of Language Arts Instructional Practices on Early Adolescents’ Motivation to Read: Measuring Student and Teacher Perceptions , Sarah E. Pennington

Educators' Oral Histories of Tampa Bay Area Writing Project Involvement , Margaret Hoffman Saturley

Anti-Fat Attitudes and Weight Bias Internalization: An Investigation of How BMI Impacts Perceptions, Opinions and Attitudes , Laurie Schrider

Use of a Game-Based App as a Learning Tool for Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities to Increase Fraction Knowledge/Skill , Orhan Simsek

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Examining Experiences of Early Intervention Providers Serving Culturally Diverse Families: A Multiple Case Study Analysis , Wendy Lea Bradshaw

"I want to be the Sun": Tableau as an Embodied Representation of Main Ideas in Science Information Texts , Margaret Branscombe

A Case Study of Teachers' in Professional Learning Communities in a Campus Preschool , Victoria Jacqueline Damjanovic

Student-teacher Interaction Through Online Reflective Journals in a High School Science Classroom: What Have We Learned? , Megan Elizabeth Ehlers

Novice Teachers' Stories of Solving Problems of Practice , Yvonne Franco

Facilitating Motivation in a Virtual World Within a Second Language Acquisition Classroom , Andrew Warren Gump

IWitness and Student Empathy: Perspectives from USC Shoah Foundation Master Teachers , Brandon Jerome Haas

Precalculus Students' Achievement When Learning Functions: Influences of Opportunity to Learn and Technology from a University of Chicago School Mathematics Project Study , Laura A. Hauser

The Role of the Interruption in Young Adult Epistolary Novels , Betty J. Herzhauser

A Conceptual Analysis of Perspective Taking in Support of Socioscientific Reasoning , Sami Kahn

Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors as Strengths, not Weaknesses: Evaluating the Use of Social Stories that Embed Restricted Interests on the Social Skills of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Maya Nasr

Job Satisfaction of Adjunct Faculty Who Teach Standardized Online Courses , Claudia A. Ruiz

Relationships between the Algebraic Performance of Students in Subject-Specific and Integrated Course Pathways , Derrick Saddler

The Common Core State Standards: Its Reported Effects on the Instructional Decision Making of Middle School Social Studies Teachers , Tracy Tilotta

The Influence of Types of Homework on Opportunity to Learn and Students' Mathematics Achievement: Examples from the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project , Yiting Yu

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Picturing the Reader: English Education Pre-service Teachers' Beliefs About Reading Using Photovoice , Michael Dicicco

The Effect of Music Cadence on Step Frequency in the Recreational Runner , Micaela A. Galosky

Balanced Artistry: Describing and Explaining Expert Teacher Practice as Adaptive Expertise , Nina Graham

The Fight Within: Experiences of School District Employees Who Advocate for the Rights of Their Own Children with Disabilities Inside the Districts Where They Work, a Heuristic Case Study , Keri Haley

A Phenomenological Study of the Experiences of Higher Education Students with Disabilities , Allen J. Heindel

Constructing an "Appropriate" Education in Florida Special Education Due Process Final Orders , Michelle Henry

The Effect of Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs on Practice , Milton David Huling

Perceptions, Beliefs and Practices about Technology among Teachers in a Jamaican Infant School , Suzette Anissia Kelly

"Choosing My Words Carefully": Observing, Debriefing, and Coaching Four Literacy Teachers' Through Their Lessons , Iveta Maska

Presentation of Civic Identity in Online High School Social Studies Discussion Forums , Holly Mcbride

In Our Image: The Attempted Reshaping of the Cuban Education System by the United States Government, 1898-1912 , Mario John Minichino

The Hypertrophic Effects of Practical Vascular Blood Flow Restriction Training , John Francis O'halloran

Science Teachers' Understandings of Science Practices before and after the Participation in an Environmental Engineering Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program , Dilek Özalp

The Effects of Emotive Reasoning on Secondary School Students' Decision-Making in the Context of Socioscientific Issues , Wardell Anthony Powell

Interagency Collaboration for the Provision of Services to Migrant Children with Disabilities: An Exploratory Study , Georgina Rivera-Singletary

Reflections in the Classroom: Perspectives on Teaching for Social Justice from Secondary Social Studies Educators , Gregory Lee Samuels

A Case Study of the Roles and Perceptions of Writing Coaches , Amy June Schechter

Genres of Children's Websites: A Comprehensive Methodology for Analyzing Digital Texts , James L. Welsh

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Attitude Toward Digital and Print-Based Reading: A Survey for Elementary Students , Diedre D. Allen

Playing in Trelis Weyr: Investigating Collaborative Practices in a Dragons of Pern Role-Play-Game Forum , Kathleen Marie Alley

Curriculum Gatekeeping in Global Education: Global Educators' Perspectives , Robert Wayne Bailey

Reading Assessment Practices of Elementary General Education Teachers: A Descriptive Study , Sarah Mirlenbrink Bombly

Advanced Search

• Email Notifications and RSS
• All Collections
• USF Faculty Publications
• Open Access Journals
• Conferences and Events
• Theses and Dissertations
• Textbooks Collection

Useful Links

• Rights Information
• SelectedWorks
• Submit Research

Home | About | Help | My Account | Accessibility Statement | Language and Diversity Statements

Privacy Copyright

Advertisement

Approaches to teaching in higher education: the perspective of network analysis using the revised approaches to teaching inventory

• Open access
• Published: 22 September 2021
• Volume 84 , pages 255–277, ( 2022 )

Cite this article

You have full access to this open access article

• Velibor Mladenovici 1   na1 ,
• Marian D. Ilie   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4807-5258 1 , 2   na1 ,
• Laurențiu P. Maricuțoiu 1 , 3   na1 &
• Daniel E. Iancu 1  

13k Accesses

13 Citations

1 Altmetric

Explore all metrics

Over time, the academics’ approaches to teaching (i.e., content- or learning-focused approach) were intensively studied. Traditionally, studies estimated the shared variance between the items that describe a behavioral pattern (i.e., the psychometric approach), defined as a learning- or content-focused approach to teaching. In this study, we used a different perspective (i.e., network analysis) to investigate academics’ approaches to teaching. We aimed to bring in new insights regarding the interactions between the elements that define academics’ approaches to teaching. We used the Revised Approaches to Teaching Inventory to collect responses from 705 academics (63.97% female) from six Romanian universities. The main results indicated that academics’ conceptions about the subject matter are central to their preferences concerning the adoption of a content-focused or a learning-focused approach to teaching. The estimated network is stable across different sub-samples defined by the academic disciplines, class size, academics’ gender, and teaching experience. We highlighted the implications of these findings for research and teaching practice in higher education. Also, several recommendations for developing pedagogical training programs for academics were suggested. In particular, this study brings valuable insights for addressing academics’ conception about the subject matter and suggests that this could be a new topic for pedagogical training programs dedicated to university teachers.

Similar content being viewed by others

Know-who linking faculty’s networks to stages of instructional development.

Teaching and learning high-school mathematics via WhatsApp: teachers’ perspectives

Promoting educational innovations and change through networks between higher education teachers

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

Introduction

One of the main challenges of higher education institutions is to ensure that academics’ approaches to teaching influence effective students’ approaches to learning (e.g., a deep approach to learning). A deep learning approach involves meaningful engagement in the learning process and understanding of the subject matter (Asikainen & Gijbels, 2017 ). On the contrary, the surface learning approach is undesirable because it involves unreflective studying practices (i.e., memorization and focus on reproducing the learning material) (Asikainen & Gijbels, 2017 ).

Empirical evidence showed that academics’ approaches to teaching can influence the way students approach their learning (Entwistle, 2009 ; Kember & Gow, 1994 ; Trigwell et al., 1999 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ). When academics use a learning-focused approach to teaching, students are more likely to adopt deeper learning approaches, as compared with the cases when academics use content-focused approaches (e.g., Ho et al., 2001 ; Trigwell et al., 1999 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ). In other words, teachers’ behavior is important because it facilitates students’ learning through a student-centered approach. Therefore, academics should have advanced knowledge regarding the initiation and the guidance of students’ learning processes. However, research has shown that the academics’ choice of a particular approach to teaching could be explained based on their conceptions of teaching or based on their understanding of the subject matter (e.g., Kember, 1997 ; Prosser et al., 2008 ). For this reason, it becomes imperative for academics to be aware of how they understand the subject matter taught, about their teaching approach, and how these variables influence students’ learning process. Thus, research on these subjects could provide relevant information for stimulating academics towards adopting a student-centered approach, which represents one of the most important aims of the pedagogical training programs dedicated to academics (Hicks et al., 2010 ).

Research evidence emphasized the importance of pedagogical training programs in helping academics increase their pedagogical awareness (e.g., Postareff et al., 2008a ). Studies have shown that these programs have a positive impact on the academics’ conception of teaching (e.g., Ginns et al., 2008 ; Ho et al., 2001 ; Kember, 1997 ), can help academics to make the transition from a content-centered approach towards a more learning-centered approach to teaching (Gibbs & Coffey, 2004 ; Postareff et al., 2007 ; Stes et al., 2010a ; Stewart, 2014 ; Trautwein, 2018 ; Vilppu et al., 2019 ), and can improve academics’ reflection skills and habits (Karm, 2010 ; Nevgi & Löfström, 2015 ) as well as academics’ self-efficacy (Noben et al., 2021 ). However, a recent meta-analysis on pedagogical programs for academics showed that the current practices have only a small effect on academics’ outcomes ( d  = 0.315, Ilie et al., 2020 ). Thus, even if approaches to teaching have been extensively investigated, more research is needed on this topic to highlight relevant training subjects and ensure a more effective practice for academic development.

Traditionally, the investigation of human behavior is dominated by the latent factor perspective (Sava, 2004 ). Based on this perspective, researchers assumed that teachers’ behaviors could be explained by latent variables that capture their shared variance. For example, the academic approaches to teaching have been investigated in relation to the factorial structure of different versions of Approaches to Teaching Inventory (Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a ; Trigwell & Prosser, 2004 ; Trigwell et al., 2005a ). Using this perspective, researchers can identify the teaching approach adopted by their respondents (i.e., content- or learning-focused). The network analysis perspective is a new alternative approach that can be used to explain the shared variance between teaching behaviors. Unlike the traditional assumption of the latent factor perspective, network analysis assumes that observed correlations between the behaviors that describe the phenomenon (i.e., approaches to teaching) are due to mutual influences between each other (Fonseca-Pedrero, 2017 ). By changing our perspective on the teaching behaviors (i.e., focus on the relationships between the various intentions and strategies interdependently and not interchangeably like in the latent variables approach), we could bring new insights for the understanding of academics’ teaching approaches. Thus, we can identify strategies or intentions that are most weighty (i.e., are central in the network) in shaping (or adopting) a specific approach to teaching in higher education. The information offered by the network perspective could advance relevant topics for pedagogical training programs dedicated to academics.

This study aimed to identify the central elements of the network that may activate or deactivate the complex network of academics’ intentions and conceptions that constitute their approaches to teaching. To achieve this aim, we used the network analysis perspective on responses to the Revised Approaches to Teaching Inventory (R-ATI, Trigwell et al., 2005b ). We began by presenting current information about teaching approaches in higher education and the network psychometric approach. Then, we presented the design, the procedures, and the results of our study. Further, we discussed our findings and advanced several recommendations for academic development practice and future research in the field. Additionally, we presented details on the translation and adaptation of the R-ATI (Trigwell et al., 2005a ) in the Romanian context.

Teaching approaches in higher education

The teaching approach is defined as “a combination between one’s intention of teaching and teaching strategy” (Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a , p. 78). Because teaching approaches and conceptions of teaching have been found to correlate (Eley, 2006 ; Kember & Kwan-Por, 2000 ), conceptions of teaching are considered to represent the basis for teaching practices (Gow & Kember, 1993 ). In this vein, academics with a particular conception of teaching are inclined to have specific intentions, which lead to corresponding teaching strategies (Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a ; Kember & Kwan-Por, 2000 ). The investigation of academics’ teaching intentions and strategies is of particular importance for increasing the quality of higher education. Research has shown that those correlate with the student learning approach (Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ; Postareff & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2008 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ).

Teaching intentions were found to range from one in which the teacher wants to transmit the content of the subject to the student to one in which the teacher aims to help students’ change their conceptions of the content (Trigwell et al., 1994 ). Consequently, teaching approaches in higher education could be classified into two broad categories: learning-focused or content-focused approaches to teaching (Kember & Kwan-Por, 2000 ). Previous studies have used various terminology when defining the two main teaching approaches. For example, some studies used “student-focused” and “teacher-focused” (Prosser & Trigwell, 1999 ; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996b ) or “student-centered” and “teacher-centered” (Jacobs et al., 2020 ) while other studies utilized the “content-focused” and “learning-focused” terminology (Kember & Kwan-Por, 2000 ; Samuelowicz & Bain, 1992 ; Postareff & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2008 ). The present study uses the terminology learning-focused , student-centered , and learning-centered , as well as content-focused , content-centered , and teacher-centered approaches as interchangeable throughout the paper.

Teachers that use a content-focused approach to teaching consider teaching as a process of knowledge transmission. Thus, one of the main teaching strategies used by the academics in a content-focused approach is the presentation of their own knowledge of the subject matter (Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ). Such a teaching approach is undesirable because it is correlated with the students’ adoption of a surface approach to learning (Trigwell et al., 1999 ; Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ). On the other hand, academics who adopt a learning-focused approach to teaching intend to help students change and build their own conception of the subject matter (Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ). Therefore, academics employ teaching strategies that help students develop new ways of thinking through addressing their individual needs, through engagement in the learning process, and interaction (Postareff & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2008 ; Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ). The academics’ adoption of a learning-focused approach to teaching is desirable due to the existing correlation between such an approach to teaching and students’ adoption of a deep approach to learning (Prosser & Trigwell, 2014 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ).

Academics do not always employ a single approach to teaching and use elements from both approaches; this may be resulting in a dissonant teaching approach (Postareff et al., 2008b ; Stes & Van Petegem, 2014 ; Uiboleht et al., 2018 ). In this vein, previous studies also suggested that a dissonant teaching approach could be an intermediary step into the development process of teaching approach from a content-focused approach to a learning-focused approach (Postareff et al., 2008b ; Stes & Van Petegem, 2014 ). However, the relationship between an academics’ dissonant approach to teaching and students’ approaches to learning is not consistently supported by previous research. Initially, evidence suggested that when academics use a dissonant approach, students tend to adopt a surface approach to learning, and learning outcomes are slightly lower (Prosser et al., 2003 ). More recent evidence provided by Uiboleht et al. ( 2018 ) showed that using a dissonant approach to teaching does not always result in lower quality of student approaches and their learning outcomes.

The academics’ decision to adopt one or another from the abovementioned approaches to teaching could vary depending on different variables such as class size, study year (Lindblom-Ylänne et al., 2006 ), discipline (Nevgi et al., 2004 ), or teachers’ characteristics (e.g., gender, nationality, status, and experience; Prosser et al., 2003 ). For example, academics are more prone to adopt a content-focused approach as the class size and class level increase (Singer, 1996 ). Also, some studies (Lindblom-Ylänne et al., 2006 ; Lueddeke, 2003 ) came across the conclusion that teachers’ belonging to a “soft discipline” (Becher, 1989 ) (e.g., linguistics) or an “applied soft” (e.g., education) are more learning-centered in their teaching approach than teachers belonging to a “pure hard” discipline (e.g., mathematics) or to an “applied hard” discipline (e.g., medicine). There is also some effect of gender on teaching approaches, with men scoring significantly higher on the teacher-focused approach (Nevgi et al., 2004 ). In a study by Prosser et al. ( 2003 ), students who perceived the learning environment as of a higher quality reported a deep approach to learning, but there was also a significant difference between senior teachers and junior teachers’ approaches to teaching. These results were not confirmed by Stes et al. ( 2008 ), who reported insignificant differences regarding the learning-focused scale between classes with different sizes or between different study years. Moreover, these authors found no relationship between teachers’ characteristics (i.e., gender, teaching experience, age, academic status) and the teachers’ learning-focused approach. Consequently, more research is needed to conclude regarding the factors that may influence the variability of the approaches to teaching across different contexts. In this study, by using the network analysis perspective, we can investigate if the emergence of academics’ preference for an approach to teaching involves similar emerging processes regardless of the teachers’ or context-specific characteristics. Thus, given the results of previous studies, we investigated the stability of our network on subsamples based on academic’ gender, teaching experience, class size, and taught discipline.

The network psychometric approach

All research studies presented above used the latent variable models to investigate the teaching approaches. Latent variable models are traditionally used in research for the measurement of psychological attributes (Sava, 2004 ). These models are used to estimate the shared variance of the items that describe a particular behavioral pattern. For example, in the case of approaches to teaching, researchers developed items that described content- and learning-focused approaches and investigated how these items group in two- or four-factor solutions that explained the shared variance of the items. Recent approaches in the study of the complex psychological attributes both used and recommended “Network analysis” as being potentially better in terms of efficiency (Borsboom & Cramer, 2013 ; De Schryver et al., 2015 ). In educational research, the network analysis was used recently by Smarandache et al. ( 2021 ) to investigate the students’ approaches to learning.

Network psychometrics offers new perspectives regarding the shared variance of the item responses, which are viewed as interdependent variables that interact and reinforce each other. According to Constantini and Perugini ( 2017 ), there are three main ways in which the network analysis brings new perspectives on the phenomenon. We will describe in the case of teaching approaches. Firstly, the network perspective assumes that a particular teaching approach results from the interactions between the behaviors that describe it. Therefore, the covariance of the components (or the behaviors) of a particular teaching approach is understood as evidence of interactions between these components. Secondly, components have different roles in the emergence (or activation) of the entire network of complex behaviors. Finally, the network perspective assumes that some elements are more important (i.e., are more central) for the emergence of teaching approaches, while other elements are peripheral. This means that opting for a particular teaching approach can be understood as a result of some particular behaviors that define that approach, while other behaviors are less important.

In the case of academics’ approaches to teaching, the network analysis approach will focus on the relationship between the various intentions and strategies (i.e., inter-dependency) and will not treat them as interchangeable (i.e., like in the latent variables approach). By using network analysis and implicitly by comparing the intentions and strategies that describe the preference for a particular teaching approach, the role of variables within the network can be observed more precisely. More exactly, the network approach provides evidence on the weakest and the strongest relations between the elements that constitute a preference for a particular teaching approach. In our case, the network analysis could compare the relations between the intentions and strategies of adopting a content−/teacher-focused approach with intentions and strategies of adopting a learning−/student-focused approach to teaching. Therefore, using a network perspective, we could check if there are any central activators (e.g., either only content-focused intentions or strategies, either learning-focused intentions or strategies, either from all) for the entire network.

The present study

In the present study, we used the network psychometric approach to analyze academics’ approaches to teaching. Our main objective was to identify the central elements of the network that may activate or deactivate the complex network of intentions and conceptions that constitute the academics’ approaches to teaching. Also, we investigated the stability of this network considering four variables: the specific of the discipline, the class size, the influence of the teachers’ gender, and the teaching experience.

Over time, several quantitative instruments were developed for the assessment of teachers’ conceptions and approaches to teaching. These scales include the 22-item Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a ); the 16-item ATI (Trigwell & Prosser, 2004 ); the 22-item Revised-ATI (Trigwell et al., 2005a ); the Instruction Preference Questionnaire (IPQ, Hativa & Birenbaum, 2000 ); and the Teacher Beliefs Survey (TBS, Woolley et al., 2004 ). Of all these tools, the ATI (Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a ) is the most cited tool and had been extensively used, being adapted and validated on many different populations (Harshman & Stains, 2017 ). Anyway, like any other instruments, ATI has been criticized by some authors for its conceptual underpinnings and development (Eley, 2006 ; Harshman & Stains, 2017 ). Over time, to improve it, ATI’s authors developed several versions of the inventory (e.g., Trigwell & Prosser, 1996a , 2004 ; Trigwell et al., 2005b ). These versions of ATI were effectively used in many studies (e.g., Postareff et al., 2007 , 2008a ; Stes et al., 2010a ), and almost all the validation studies have shown good reliability results (e.g., China (Zhang, 2001 ); Dutch (Stes et al., 2010b )).

Considering the most recent finding, there is greater evidence for better psychometric properties (i.e., internally consistent and fit statistics) for the R-ATI with 22 items than the 16-item ATI (Harshman & Stains, 2017 ). For this reason, in the present study, we use the R-ATI version with 22 items (Trigwell et al., 2005a ).

Participants

The Center of Academic Development (CAD) of the West University of Timişoara (WUT) offers yearly pedagogical training programs for academics from within the WUT and other Romanian university partners. The impact of each CAD activity is assessed, and this involves the participation of CAD beneficiaries (i.e., academics) and their students. Participation in the activities as well as in the impact assessment process is voluntary. Therefore, between September 2017 and March 2020, at the beginning of each training activity, all the academics that attended the CAD programs were asked to complete the paper-and-pencil form of the Romanian version of R-ATI (Trigwell et al., 2005b ). Before completing the questionnaire, one research team member read to the participants one standard procedure to fill out the questionnaire (i.e., informed consent, data anonymity, etc.). It was mentioned that the academics must refer to their teaching approaches adopted at one specific discipline (i.e., one of the disciplines they teach at the moment). Following the World Medical Association Helsinki declaration and the minimal risk nature of the study, no ethical board approval was required.

Our sample, as presented in Table  1 , was a convenience sample and consisted of a total of 705 in-service academics (63.97% female, mean age = 40.4) from six Romanian universities. Regarding teachers’ specializations, we used Becher’s classification and we grouped them as follows: “pure hard” (i.e., Chemistry, Biology, Geography, Mathematics, and Informatics); “applied hard” (i.e., Medicine); “pure soft” (i.e., Linguistics, History, and Theology); and “applied soft” (i.e., Law, Administrative Sciences, Economy and Business Administration, Physical Education and Sports, Social Sciences, Philosophy, and Communication Sciences) (Becher, 1989 ).

We used R-ATI (Trigwell et al., 2005b ) to investigate the teaching approach. The R-ATI contains two main scales (i.e., “conceptual change/student-focused” (CCSF) and “information transmission/teacher-focused” (ITTF)) and two subscales (i.e., intentions and strategies) into each of it. The CCSF scale describes teaching intentions and strategies that focus on the student intended to enhance their understanding of the subject matter. The ITTF scale describes a teacher−/knowledge-focused approach in which teachers are concentrated on what they do in teaching and on the content to be taught. The R-ATI has 22 items and respondents must assess each item using a 5-point Likert scale (from never/only rarely true of me to always/almost always true of me ). Details regarding the adaptation of R-ATI are presented in the First Supplemental Material .

Data analysis

The main data analysis involved the use of several R packages to analyze our dataset. We followed the recommendations provided by Constantini and Perugini ( 2017 ) for conducting network analysis. Therefore, we had four steps: network estimation (i.e., estimation of the Graphical Gaussian Model), node centrality (i.e., estimation of the importance of each R-ATI item), network stability (i.e., we bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals for all edges and all centrality indices), and network replication (i.e., we compared the networks of subsets of participants). This procedure is similar to the approaches followed by Fried et al. ( 2018 ) and Smarandache et al. ( 2021 ).

Because R-ATI responses are on an ordinal scale, we estimated the network using the Graphical Gaussian Model available in the qgraph package (Epskamp et al., 2012 ). Graphical representations of the estimated networks display partial correlations between any pair of R-ATI items, while controlling for the variance of all other items. In the graphical representations, thicker lines represent stronger partial correlations, while the direction of the relationship was represented by colors (i.e., red lines for negative relations). Because most partial correlations have very small values, we simplified the interpretation of our network using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) (Friedman et al., 2008 ), with the extended Bayesian Information Criterion model (EBIC) selection (Foygel & Drton, 2010 ). This approach replaces the small correlation values with the value zero, while allowing for an optimal ratio between false-positive decisions (i.e., correlations that should be removed) and true-positive decisions (i.e., correlations that should not be removed). Next, we used the qgraph (Epskamp et al., 2012 ) to compute and to plot the centrality indices for all nodes. In the third stage, we estimated the stability of our network using the bootstrapping procedures implemented by bootnet R package (Epskamp et al., 2018a ). Finally, we compared the networks of subsets of participants using the NetworkComparisonTest R package (van Borkulo et al., 2017 ).

Network estimation

The descriptive statistic of the variables of the R-ATI is presented in Table  2 . The network based on the partial correlations between all R-ATI items is presented in Fig.  1 . We found that the teacher-focused approach involved strong relationships between two teacher-focused strategies which have a formal assessment as the main goal (i.e., items ITTF9 and ITTF11) and strong associations between teacher strategies regarding the efficient transmission of information (i.e., items ITTF1, ITTF16, and ITTF19). Regarding the student-focused approach, the strongest relationships were found in the case of teacher intentions regarding helping students to build their understanding of the discipline (i.e., items CCSF17, CCSF20, and CCSF21), and in the case of teachers’ intentions regarding development of students’ ideas (i.e., items CCSF5 and CCSF15).

Network of approaches to teaching. Note: Network representation using the EBICgLasso algorithm

Node centrality indices

Because the items are grouped based on their content (i.e., teacher-focused and student-focused), the items that bridge these two hemispheres are most important. In this case, the analysis focused on the investigation of the centrality indices of each item. We calculated three centrality measures (i.e., strength, closeness, and betweenness) for each item (or network node), and their standardized values are presented in Fig.  2 . The most central node is a teacher-focused item (i.e., item ITTF16— In this subject, my teaching focuses on the good presentation of information to students ), which had the highest values on two of the centrality indices (i.e., strength and betweenness). The second node in terms of centrality importance is an item that describes an intention of student-focused teaching (i.e., item CCSF20— Teaching in this subject should help students question their own understanding of the subject matter ). Another student-focused teaching central to this network is item CCSF17 ( I see teaching as helping students develop new ways of thinking in this subject ). The third node in terms of centrality importance is a strategy focused on content (i.e., item ITTF11— In this subject, I provide the students with the information they will need to pass the formal assessments ). Altogether, centrality indices of the present study underline the importance of the focus on presenting good information , facilitation of student self-reflection and providing students with the information they need to pass the formal assessments as key elements in understanding the teaching approaches network.

Standardized centrality indices for the EBIC graphical LASSO network, for all items of the R-ATI

Network stability

We used bootstrapping procedures to estimate the stability of our previous findings (Hevey, 2018 ). Using the R bootnet package (Epskamp et al., 2018b ), we estimated the accuracy of all partial correlations (i.e., for each partial correlation, we computed the 95% confidence interval). The partial correlation estimates and the associated 95% confidence interval plotted in Fig.  3 indicated that all partial correlation values are close to the estimated bootstrap mean.

Bootstrapped confidence intervals of estimated edge weights. Note: The black line indicates the bootstrapped mean values of the confidence interval, the red line indicates the sample values, and the gray area the 95% confidence intervals

Next, we examined the stability of the centrality indices using the bootnet package (Epskamp & Fried, 2018 ). In this case, we used a case-dropping bootstrap that estimates the centrality indices on subsamples of the original dataset and correlated these new values with the original (or full-sample) value. Our analyses re-estimated these indices on 100 subsamples with diminished sizes of up to 75% (i.e., subsamples that included only 25% of the original responses). Results indicated that our centrality indices are stable: all three centrality indices of the subsamples (i.e., betweenness, closeness, and strength) will still correlate at r  = .70 with the initial values, even if we drop 51.6% of our sample. This value is within the range suggested by Epskamp and Fried et al. ( 2018 ), who concluded that drop percentages above 50% indicate good stability of the centrality indices. The most precisely estimated centrality index is Strength which even if we drop 67.2% of our sample, will still correlate at r  = .70 (Fig.  4 ).

Centrality stability of the network

Network replicability

Because previous research suggested that teaching approaches are related to various demographics (e.g., teachers’ gender, teaching experience) or context-related variables (e.g., class size, academic discipline), we investigated whether our network is replicable in different contexts. Using the NetworkComparisonTest package (van Borkulo et al., 2017 ), we estimated different networks for each subsample (e.g., male and female academics). The NetworkComparisonTest package (van Borkulo et al., 2017 ) provides three indices of network replicability: the correlation between the edges of the two networks, the number of statistically different edges from one network to another, and the correlation between the stability indices of each item (i.e., estimated in each network).

Firstly, we investigated whether the network estimated on a male subsample ( N  = 201) is similar to the network estimated on a female subsample ( N  = 451). We found that the values of the edges in these two networks are correlated (ρ = .44), with no edges being significantly different from one network to another. The centrality indices of the two networks are also correlated (ρ = .45). Thus, we can conclude that the network is similar in both gender-based subsamples.

Secondly, we grouped our respondents into two groups based on their teaching experience (i.e., more and less than five years). The edges of the two networks were correlated (ρ = .55), with no edges being significantly different from one network to another. The centrality indices of the two networks are also correlated (ρ = .68). As in the case of gender sub-samples, in the case of teaching experience sub-samples, we can conclude that the network is similar.

Thirdly, we investigated whether the network is replicable across the class size (< 30 students and > 30 students). We also found similar network solutions in both groups (i.e., the values of the edges in these two networks are correlated at ρ = .50, the centrality indices are also correlated at ρ = .51, and none of the edges were significantly different from one network to another).

Finally, we grouped our respondents into four groups based on the taught discipline (i.e., pure hard, applied hard, pure soft, and applied soft specializations) (Becher, 1989 ). We estimated different networks for each category, and we conducted pairwise comparisons. Our results suggested that the four networks are similar in terms of centrality indices (i.e., the correlation values of their centrality indices are ρ > .65) and in terms of edge strengths (i.e., 95% of the edges were not statistically different).

Recent theoretical and methodological developments in psychology put forward a new paradigm that assumes that the covariances between human behaviors can be interpreted using a network perspective (Epskamp et al., 2018a ; Constantini & Perugini, 2017 ). Thus, we used network analysis and examined the relationships between academics’ teaching intentions and strategies by estimating a graphical LASSO network of R-ATI items (Trigwell et al., 2005a ). We investigated how the teacher-focused or student-focused teaching approaches are connected and identified two central nodes (i.e., ITTF16 and CCSF20) that are negatively associated, one for each teaching approach. A commonality of the two items seems to be the subject matter. On the one hand, the academics emphasize the need for “good presentation of information” regarding the subject matter. On the other hand, endorsements of this statement are associated with the rejection of the idea that students should “question their own understanding of the subject matter.” This central place of the subject matter is not surprising. Previous studies (Prosser et al., 2008 ; Trigwell & Prosser, 2020 ) showed a moderately strong relationship between teachers’ understanding of the subject matter and their teaching approaches. For example, teachers who are more focused on overall conceptual understanding and development (i.e., have a holistic understanding of the subject matter) are more likely to adopt a learning-centered approach to teaching than teachers focused on individual isolated problems (i.e., on the parts of the subject matter) (Prosser et al., 2008 ).

We found that focusing on the good transmission of information is negatively associated with the idea that students should question their understanding of the subject matter. The negative correlation between these two teaching strategies indicated that most of our sample academics prefer only one of these strategies. According to the network perspective, teachers’ preferences for only one of these two strategies will activate the network of behaviors specific to that teaching approach and will deactivate the network of behaviors specific to the other teaching approach. Consequently, the entire network will be activated, and we will observe a preference for a content-centered approach to teaching (in the case of Transmitting knowledge teaching conceptions ) or a preference for a learning-centered approach (in the case of Changing students’ understanding ) . Therefore, it is possible that academics that display a dissonant teaching approach do not see these two strategies as mutually exclusive: one can be effective in transmitting information to students and simultaneously encourage them to question their understanding of the subject matter. In previous studies, there is a broad agreement regarding dissonant teaching approaches as intermediary teaching profiles between content-focused approach and learning-focused approach (Postareff et al., 2008a ; Stes & Van Petegem, 2014 ). Thus, our finding is particularly important because it indicates which could be the first instructional suggestion (i.e., encourage students to address questions) to stimulate a dissonate teaching approach as an intermediary step towards the desirable learning-centered approach to teaching. Trigwell and Prosser ( 1996a ) advanced a similar idea highlighting that academics with a more learning-centered conception of teaching saw questions as an important part of their teaching approach. On the opposite side, academics who adopt more content-centered conceptions of teaching saw questions as an irrelevant instructional strategy.

From a network perspective (Constantini & Perugini, 2017 ), the academics’ conceptions towards the subject matter activate the central nodes, and will activate other nodes directly, which will activate other nodes. Regarding the nodes that have the strongest relations with the central nodes, there are two different shades. In the context of the content-centered approach, the items continue to reflect the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter (i.e., ITTF1—student should focus their study on what the teacher provides them —and ITTF19—the teachers’ teaching focuses on delivering what he/she knows to the students ). On the other hand, the nodes for the learning-centered approach show teachers’ intentions to help students to learn (i.e., CCSF21 —teaching should include helping students find their own learning resources —and CCSF17— teaching should be seen as a way of helping the student develop new ways of thinking ), suggesting teaching strategies based on teacher–student interaction. This could indicate that content- or learning-centered approaches to teaching might result from a content-to-interaction ratio: if the subject matter is viewed as something that must be memorized and/or retained, then teachers are more likely to adopt a content-centered approach to teaching, while if they understand the subject matter as a means to contribute to students’ intellectual development/conceptual change, then they are more likely to interact with students and, consequently, adopt a learning-centered approach to teaching. To some extent, these results are consistent with the previous findings (e.g., Kember, 1997 ; Stes & Van Petegem, 2014 ; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996b ), which highlighted the role of interaction in adopting specific teaching approach. For example, Stes and Van Petegem ( 2014 ) concluded that even if content- and learning-centered approaches are distinct types of approaches to teaching, “they can also be seen as poles of a continuum as well” (Stes & Van Petegem, 2014 , p. 655). In this continuum, the intermediary phases are presented as dissonant approaches to teaching. Moreover, along this continuum, the progress from a content-centered approach to a learning-centered approach is sustained by more interaction between teacher and students, and students to students. Our results can neither confirm nor infirm the existence of a continuum of the teaching approaches but showed a possible role of the academics’ disposition to interact with their students for adopting a learning-centered approach to teaching. Moreover, our study completed previous research results by showing that the academics’ disposition to interact with their students is based on their own conception about the subject matter.

In our comparative analyses, we grouped our respondents using demographic characteristics or context-related characteristics and we obtained similar networks. Our results suggested that the emergence of academics’ preference for an approach to teaching involves similar emerging processes, regardless of the academic disciplines, class size, academics’ gender, and teaching experience. Therefore, any potential differences between these academic categories cannot be attributed to different emerging processes but to different situational clues that may activate or deactivate the network. Previous studies (Nevgi et al., 2004 ; Lueddeke, 2003 ; Prosser et al., 2003 ; Singer, 1996 ) mentioned that teaching approaches vary depending on context variables such as class size, academics’ gender, teaching experience, and specific of the discipline. On the other hand, other research studies reported opposite findings (e.g., Stes et al., 2008 ). Our study could complete this picture highlighting that regardless of their or contextual characteristics (e.g., class size, academics’ gender, teaching experience), academics decide to adopt a specific teaching approach (content or learning-centered) using a decision-making process based on a content-to-interaction ratio.

Implications for academic development practice

The main objective of university teachers’ pedagogical development programs is to stimulate academics towards adopting a consonant student-centered approach to teaching (Hicks et al., 2010 ). To achieve this aim, several previous studies highlighted that the focus of these professional development programs should be on changing university teachers’ conception of teaching (e.g., Postareff et al., 2008a ; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996b ), since changes in their instructional strategies are more likely after such conceptual changes (Ho et al., 2001 ; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996b ). Our results suggested that changing academics’ conception of the subject matter could be the first step to change academics’ conception of teaching. Thus, changing academics’ conception of the subject matter should be an important objective of pedagogical trainings dedicated to academics. Although Trigwell et al. ( 2005b ) advanced a similar call more than 15 years ago, a recent meta-analysis on studies investigating the effectiveness of pedagogical training for academics identified several initiatives that aimed to change academics’ conception of teaching, but none addressed changes in academics’ conception of subject matter (Ilie et al., 2020 ).

Previous research showed that academics’ conceptions of teaching change slowly, even if this process varies depending on academics’ teaching experience (e.g., Postareff et al., 2007 ; Postareff & Nevgi, 2015 ; Vilppu et al., 2019 ). Consequently, if aimed to change conceptions, pedagogical programs must be specifically designed for this cause. Thus, we advanced some suggestions to design programs aimed to change academics’ conceptions of subject matter. First, before developing such programs, one must clarify what it means to change academics’ conceptions of subject matter . In this vein, different theoretical frameworks (e.g., Prosser et al., 2005 , 2008 ; Trigwell et al., 2005b ; Visser-Wijnveen et al., 2009 ) could be chosen as referential. For example, Prosser et al. ( 2005 , 2008 ) proposed a five-point continuum for the experience of understanding the subject matter, ranging between focusing on the parts of the subject matter and focusing on the subject matter as a whole . The authors also reported moderately strong relations between academics’ understanding of subject matter and their teaching approach (Prosser et al., 2008 ).

Second, one could use lessons from previous pedagogical training to change academics’ conception of teaching (e.g., Ginns et al., 2008 ; Ho et al., 2001 ; Kember, 1997 ) to develop instructional models for changing academics’ conception about the subject matter. For example, Ho et al. ( 2001 ) used four theories of conceptual change and developed an instructional model for conceptual change programs with four main elements (i.e., self-awareness , confrontation , alternative conception , and commitment building ). After implementing one program based on this instructional model, Ho et al. ( 2001 ) reported positive results on changing academics’ teaching concepts.

Third, reflection seems to be a key instructional approach to change teachers’ conceptions (e.g., Ho et al., 2001 ). However, using reflection as an instructional approach in an effective way is not always as easy as it could seem (Chan & Lee, 2021 ; McAlpine et al., 2006 ). For such an approach, one should carefully organize the instruction task, respecting several conditions for the reflection process (Karm, 2010 ) to stimulate the process beyond an intuitive approach towards an in-depth reflection process.

Finally, previous studies (e.g., Prosser et al., 2005 , 2008 ; Trigwell et al., 2005a ; Visser-Wijnveen et al., 2009 ) highlighted a statistically significant correlation between teachers’ understanding of the subject matter, teaching, and research. In this vein, one could use action research, evidence-based teaching, or research–teaching nexus (e.g., Kaasila et al., 2021 ) as frameworks for their instructional approaches to stimulate changes in academics’ conception about the subject matter.

Limitations and implications for future research

There are some limitations that should be considered. Firstly, our analyses are based on a limited pool of items (i.e., R-ATI; Trigwell et al., 2005b ). Future studies should also include items from other similar scales such as the Instruction Preference Questionnaire (Hativa & Birenbaum, 2000 ) or any other relevant inventory specially constructed to assess the teaching conceptions like the Questionnaire of Conceptions about Teaching (QCAT; Perez-Villalobos et al., 2019 ) or the Conceptions on Learning and Teaching of Teachers Questionnaire (COLT; Jacobs et al., 2020 ). A similar analysis on a larger pool of items could provide additional insights regarding academics’ conceptions or their preferences for teaching approaches.

Secondly, we used cross-sectional data. Therefore, our results should not be interpreted in a causal key. Future longitudinal research studies could evaluate the temporal order of these nodes, using statistical apparatus that is available (Epskamp et al., 2018b ). Moreover, controlled trials could investigate whether the preference for a learning-centered approach to teaching can be enhanced by programs aimed at changing academics’ conceptions about the subject matter. If such interventions will report positive results, they will provide causal evidence regarding teachers’ conceptions of the subject matter in determining the preference for a learning-centered approach of teaching.

Thirdly, future studies should investigate the network replicability considering variables such as the quality of the teaching and learning environment, main teaching method of the course, academics’ self-efficacy beliefs, academics’ conceptions, or self-regulation skills.

Fourthly, our results allow us to advance a call for more in-deep studies investigating the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter. For example, using the phenomenographic approach to explore this subject could advance our knowledge about the latent variables that define the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter. For such studies, Prosser’s works could be a useful starting point (Prosser et al., 2005 , 2008 ). In addition, the result of the phenomenographic investigation could represent the basis for the development of specific quantitative scales that measure the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter. Such instruments would be helpful for stimulating the discussion among groups of academics to raise awareness of the variation in qualitatively different ways of understanding and approaching the subject matter and the implications of these aspects on students’ learning. Also, instruments that will investigate the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter quantitatively could be used for monitoring the impact of pedagogical training for academics as those proposed above in the Implications for academic development practice section.

Finally, there is an interesting debate about how academics’ approaches and conceptions of teaching are related in the literature. While most of the studies concluded that changes in academic’ instructional strategies are more likely after a change in academics’ conceptions (Ho et al., 2001 ; Trigwell & Prosser, 1996b ; Gibbs & Coffey, 2004 ), other studies (i.e., Guskey, 2002 ; Pedrosa-de-Jesus & Silva Lopes, 2011 ) concluded that changes in teaching practices preceded changes in teaching conceptions. This latter conclusion is also partially supported by a recent study published by Cassidy and Ahmad ( 2019 ). Our results seem contrary to that advanced by Cassidy and Ahmad ( 2019 ) by concluding that academics’ conception (about the subject matter) could be the first variable that impacts the academics’ adoption of one particular approach to teaching. The network analysis perspective could be helpful to advance our knowledge on this debate. For example, Tang et al. ( 2020 ) applied network analyses (i.e., co-occurrence analysis and correlation-based analysis) to investigate the relationship and difference between curiosity and interest.

This study is one of the first studies in educational research that used the network analysis. We found that academics’ conceptions about the subject matter could be the first variable responsible for how academics develop their teaching approach preferences. Furthermore, we found that these relationships are stable across different contextual variables (i.e., the academic disciplines, class size, academics’ gender, and teaching experience). Additionally, we provided further evidence for the adaptation of the R-ATI (Trigwell et al., 2005b ) on the Romanian context. Consequently, we called for more studies that investigate the academics’ conceptions about the subject matter and their implication on teaching in higher education and, complementary, for pedagogical training programs that address these topics.

According to our results, academic developers should help teachers raise their awareness about their teaching by properly addressing their conceptions of the subject matter. It is our hope that a better understanding of the academics’ conceptions of the subject matter taught will bring valuable insights not only for the academics’ mastery of learning-focused approaches to teaching but also for meaningful student learning approaches. Also, following the example of Smarandache et al. ( 2021 ), the present study invites researchers to use the network psychometrics perspective in educational research (e.g., to investigate teachers’ conceptions, approaches to teaching, and students’ approaches to learning in higher education). We argue that the network psychometrics analysis could be useful to bring valuable insights on ongoing debates presented in the literature at this moment (e.g., the co-occurrence of approaches and conceptions of teaching), and could enhance our understanding of these phenomena.

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

Article   Google Scholar  

Becher, T. (1989). Academic tribes and territories: Intellectual enquiry and the cultures of disciplines. Bristol, PA., USA: The Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University press.

Borsboom, D., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2013). Network analysis: An integrative approach to the structure of psychopathology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9 (1), 91–121. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-050212-185608

Cassidy, R., & Ahmad, A. (2019). Evidence for conceptual change in approaches to teaching. Teaching in higher education , 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1680537 .

Chan, C. K. Y., & Lee, K. K. W. (2021). Reflection literacy: A multilevel perspective on the challenges of using reflections in higher education through a comprehensive literature review. Educational Research Review , 32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100376

Constantini, G., & Perugini, M. (2017). Network analysis for psychological situations. In D. Funder, J. F. Rauthmann, & R. Sherman (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of psychological situations . Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190263348.013.16

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Costantini, G., Epskamp, S., Borsboom, D., Perugini, M., Mõttus, R., Waldorp, L. J., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2015). State of the art personality research: A tutorial on network analysis of personality data in R. Journal of Research in Personality, 54 , 13–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2014.07.003

De Schryver, M., Vindevogel, S., Rasmussen, A. E., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2015). Unpacking constructs: A network approach for studying war exposure, daily stressors and post-traumatic stress disorder. Frontiers in Psychology, 6 , 1896. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01896

Eley, M. G. (2006). Teachers’ conceptions of teaching, and the making of specific decisions in planning to teach. Higher Education, 51 (2), 191–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6382-9

Entwistle, N. (2009). Teaching for understanding at university . Palgrave Macmillan.

Book   Google Scholar  

Epskamp, S., Cramer, A. O. J., Waldorp, L. J., Schmittmann, V. D., & Borsboom, D. (2012). Qgraph: Network visualizations of relationships in psychometric data. Journal of statistical software, 48 (4), 1-18. doi: https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v048.i04 .

Epskamp, S., & Fried, E. I. (2018). A tutorial on regularized partial correlation networks. Psychological Methods, 23 (4), 617. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000167

Epskamp, S., Borsboom, D., & Fried, E. I. (2018a). Estimating psychological networks and their accuracy: A tutorial paper. Behavioral Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-017-0862-1

Epskamp, S., van Borkulo, C. D., van der Veen, D. C., Servaas, M. N., Isvoranu, A.-M., Riese, H., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2018b). Personalized network modeling in psychopathology: The importance of contemporaneous and temporal connections. Clinical Psychological Science, 6 (3), 416–427. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617744325

Foygel, R., & Drton, M. (2010). Extended bayesian information criteria for gaussian graphical models. Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems, 23 , 604–612.

Google Scholar  

Fonseca-Pedrero, E. (2017). Network analysis: A new way of understanding psychopathology? Revista de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental (English Edition), 10 (4), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpsmen.2017.10.005

Fried, E. I., Eidhof, M. B., Palic, S., Costantini, G., Huisman-van Dijk, H. M., Bockting, C. L., & Karstoft, K. L. (2018). Replicability and generalizability of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) networks: A cross-cultural multisite study of PTSD symptoms in four trauma patient samples. Clinical Psychological Science, 6 , 335–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617745092

Friedman, J., Hastie, T., & Tibshirani, R. (2008). Sparse inverse covariance estimation with the graphical lasso. Biostatistics, 9 (3), 432–441. https://doi.org/10.1093/biostatistics/kxm045

Gibbs, G., & Coffey, M. (2004). The impact of training of university teachers on their teaching skills, their approach to teaching and the approach to learning of their students. Active learning in higher education , 5 (1), 87-100. 10.1177%2F1469787404040463.

Ginns, P., Kitay, J., & Prosser, M. (2008). Developing conceptions of teaching and the scholarship of teaching through a graduate certificate in higher education. International Journal for Academic Development, 13 (3), 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/13601440802242382

Gow, L., & Kember, D. (1993). Conceptions of teaching and their relationship to student learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 63 (1), 20–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1993.tb01039.x

Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and teaching, 8 (3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/135406002100000512

Harshman, J., & Stains, M. (2017). A review and evaluation of the internal structure and consistency of the approaches to teaching inventory. International Journal of Science Education, 39 (7), 918–936. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1310411

Hativa, N., & Birenbaum, M. (2000). Who prefers what? Disciplinary differences in students’ preferred approaches to teaching and learning styles. Research in Higher Education, 41 (2), 209–236. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007095205308

Hicks, M., Smigiel, H., Wilson, G., & Luzeckyj, A. (2010). Preparing academics to teach in higher education. Final report . Australian Learning and Teaching Council.

Hevey, D. (2018). Network analysis: A brief overview and tutorial. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 6 (1), 301–328. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2018.1521283

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

Ilie, M. D., Maricuțoiu, L. P., Iancu, D. E., Smarandache, I. G., Mladenovici, V., Stoia, D. C. M., & Toth, S. A. (2020). Reviewing the research on instructional development programs for academics. Trying to tell a different story: a meta-analysis. Educational Research Review , 30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100331

Jacobs, J. C., Wilschut, J., van der Vleuten, C., Scheele, F., Croiset, G., & Kusurkar, R. A. (2020). An international study on teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching and corresponding teacher profiles. Medical Teacher, 42 (9), 1000–1004. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1772465

Kaasila, R., Lutovac, S., Komulainen, J., & Maikkola, M. (2021). From fragmented toward relational academic teacher identity: The role of research-teaching nexus. Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00670-8

Karm. (2010). Refection tasks in pedagogical training courses. International Journal for Academic Development, 15 (3), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2010.497681

Kember, D. (1997). A reconceptualisation of the research into university academics’ conceptions of teaching. Learning and Instruction, 7 , 255–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0959-4752(96)00028-X

Kember, D., & Gow, L. (1994). Orientations to teaching and their effect on the quality of student learning. The Journal of Higher Education, 65 (1), 58–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1994.11778474

Kember, D., & Kwan-Por, K. (2000). Lecturers’ approaches to teaching and their relationship to conceptions of good teaching. Instructional Science, 28 , 469–290. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026569608656

Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Trigwell, K., Nevgi, A., & Ashwin, P. (2006). How approaches to teaching are affected by discipline and teaching context. Studies in Higher Education, 31 (3), 285–298. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600680539

Lueddeke, G. R. (2003). Professionalising teaching practice in higher education: A study of disciplinary variation and teaching-scholarship. Studies in Higher Education, 28 (2), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/0307507032000058082

McAlpine, L., Weston, C., Timmermans, J., Berthiaume, D., & Fairbank-Roch, G. (2006). Zones: Reconceptualizing teacher thinking in relation to action. Studies in Higher Education, 31 (5), 601–615. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600923426

Nevgi, A., & Löfström, E. (2015). The development of academics’ teacher identity: Enhancing reflection and task perception through a university teacher development programme. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 46 , 53–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.01.003

Nevgi, A., Postareff, L., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2004). The effect of discipline on motivational and self-efficacy beliefs and on approaches to teaching of Finnish and English university teachers. Study presented at SIG higher education conference , June 18-21, 2004.

Noben, I., Deinum, J. F., Douwes-van Ark, I. M., & Hofman, W. A. (2021). How is a professional development programme related to the development of university teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and teaching conceptions? Studies in Educational Evaluation, 68 , 100966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2020.100966

Pedrosa-de-Jesus, M. H., & Silva Lopes, B. (2011). The relationship between teaching and learning conceptions, preferred teaching approaches and questioning practices. Research Papers in Education, 26 (2), 23–243.

Perez-Villalobos, C. E., Bastias-Vega, N., Vaccarezza-Garrido, G. K., Glaria-Lopez, R., Aguilar-Aguilar, C., & Lagos-Rebolledo, P. (2019). Questionnaire on conceptions about teaching: Factorial structure and reliability in academics of health careers in Chile. Questionnaire on conceptions about teaching. J Pak Med Assoc, 69 , 355–360.

Postareff, L., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2008). Variation in teachers' descriptions of teaching: Broadening the understanding of teaching in higher education. Learning and Instruction, 18 (2), 109–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.01.008

Postareff, L., Katajavuori, N., Lindblom-Ylänne, S., & Trigwell, K. (2008a). Consonance and dissonance in descriptions of teaching of university teachers. Studies in Higher Education, 33 (1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701794809

Postareff, L., Lindblom-Ylänne, S., & Nevgi, A. (2007). The effect of pedagogical training on teaching in higher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23 (5), 557–571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.11.013

Postareff, L., Lindblom-Ylänne, S., & Nevgi, A. (2008b). A follow-up study of the effect of pedagogical training on teaching in higher education. Higher Education, 56 (1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-007-9087-z

Postareff, L., & Nevgi, A. (2015). Development paths of university teachers during a pedagogical development course. Educar, 51 (1), 37–52.

Prosser, M., Martin, E., Trigwell, K., Ramsden, P., & Lueckenhausen, G. (2005). Academics’ experiences of understanding of their subject matter and the relationship of this to their experiences of teaching and learning. Instructional Science, 33 , 137–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-004-7687-x

Prosser, M., Martin, E., Trigwell, K., Ramsden, P., & Middleton, H. (2008). University academics’ experience of research and its relationship to their experience of teaching. Instructional Science, 36 , 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-007-9019-4

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

Prosser, M., & Trigwell, K. (1999). Relational perspectives on higher education teaching and learning in the sciences. Studies in Science Education, 33 (1), 3–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057269908560135

Prosser, M., Ramsden, P., Trigwell, K., & Martin, E. (2003). Dissonance in experience of teaching and its relation to the quality of student learning. Studies in Higher Education, 28 (1), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070309299

Samuelowicz, K., & Bain, J. D. (1992). Conceptions of teaching held by academic teachers. Higher Education, 24 (1), 93–111. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138620

Sava, F. A. (2004). Analiza datelor în cercetarea psihologică: Metode statistice complementare [data analysis in psychological research: Complementary statistical methods] . Romanian Cognitive Sciences Association.

Singer, E. R. (1996). Espoused teaching paradigms of college faculty. Research in Higher Education, 37 (6), 659–679. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01792951

Smarandache, I. G., Maricuțoiu, L. P., Ilie, M. D., Iancu, D. E., & Mladenovici, V. (2021). Students’ approach to learning: Evidence regarding the importance of the interest-to-effort ratio. Higher Education Research and Development. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1865283

Stes, A., Coertjens, L., & Van Petegem, P. (2010a). Instructional development for teachers in higher education: Impact on teaching approach. Higher Education, 60 , 187–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9294-x

Stes, A., & Van Petegem, P. (2014). Profiling approaches to teaching in higher education: A cluster-analytic study. Studies in Higher Education, 39 (4), 644–658. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2012.729032

Stes, A., Gijbels, D., & Van Petegem, P. (2008). Student-focused approaches to teaching in relation to context and teacher characteristics. Higher Education, 55 (3), 255–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-007-9053-9

Stes, A., De Maeyer, S., & Van Petegem, P. (2010b). Approaches to teaching in higher education: Validation of a Dutch version of the approaches to teaching inventory. Learning Environments Research, 13 (1), 59–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-009-9066-7

Stewart, M. (2014). Making sense of a teaching programme for university academics: Exploring the longer-term effects. Teaching and Teacher Education, 38 , 89–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.11.006

Tang, X., Renninger, K. A., Hidi, S. E., Murayama, K., Lavonen, J., Salmela-Aro, K. (2020). The differences and similarities between curiosity and interest: Meta-analysis and network analyses. 10.31234/osf.io/wfprn.

Trautwein, C. (2018). Academics’ identity development as teachers. Teaching in Higher Education, 23 (8), 995–1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2018.1449739

Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (2020). Exploring university teaching and learning. Experience and context . Palgrave Macmillan.

Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., Martin, E., & Ramsden, P. (2005a). University teachers’ experiences of change in their understanding of the subject matter they have taught. Teaching in Higher Education, 10 (2), 251–264. https://doi.org/10.1080/1356251042000337981

Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (1996a). Congruence between intention and strategy in university science teachers' approaches to teaching. Higher Education, 32 (1), 77–87. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00139219

Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (1996b). Changing approaches to teaching: A relational perspective. Studies in Higher Education, 21 , 275–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079612331381211

Trigwell, K., & Prosser, M. (2004). Development and use of the approaches to teaching inventory. Educational Psychology review, 16(4), 409-424. 1040-726X/04/1200-0409/0.

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

Trigwell, K., Prosser, M., & Ginns, P. (2005b). Phenomenographic pedagogy and a revised approaches to teaching inventory. Higher Education Research & Development, 24 (4), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360500284730

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

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

Van Borkulo, C. D., Boschloo, L., Kossakowski, J., Tio, P., Schoevers, R. A., Borsboom, D., & Waldorp, L. J. (2017). Comparing network structures on three aspects: a permutation test. Manuscript submitted for publication . 10.13140/RG.2.2.29455.38569.

Vilppu, H., Södervik, I., Postareff, L., & Murtonen, M. (2019). The effect of short online pedagogical training on university teachers’ interpretations of teaching–learning situations. Instructional Science, 47 (6), 679–709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-019-09496-z

Visser-Wijnveen, G. J., Van Driel, J. H., Van der Rijst, R. M., Verloop, N., & Visser, A. (2009). The relationship between academics' conceptions of knowledge, research and teaching – A metaphor study. Teaching in Higher Education, 14 (6), 673–686. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510903315340

Woolley, S. L., Benjamin, W.-J. J., & Williams Woolley, A. (2004). Construct validity of a self-report measure of teacher beliefs related to constructivist and traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64 (2), 319–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164403261189

Zhang, L.-F. (2001). Approaches and thinking styles in teaching. The Journal of Psychology, 135 (5), 547–561. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980109603718

Download references

Availability of data and material

Not applicable.

Code availability

This work was supported by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research under project POCU/320/6/21/121030. This organization had no role in the design and implementation of the study.

Author information

The first three authors contributed equally to this paper. The second author is the corresponding author.

Authors and Affiliations

Center for Academic Development, West University of Timișoara, Timișoara, Romania

Velibor Mladenovici, Marian D. Ilie, Laurențiu P. Maricuțoiu & Daniel E. Iancu

Department of Teacher Training, West University of Timișoara, No. 4 Vasile Pârvan Blvd, 300223, Timișoara, Romania

Marian D. Ilie

Department of Psychology, West University of Timișoara, Timișoara, Romania

Laurențiu P. Maricuțoiu

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

Velibor Mladenovici—conceptualization; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; resources; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.

Laurențiu P. Maricuțoiu—conceptualization; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; resources; software; supervision; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.

Marian D. Ilie—conceptualization; formal analysis; funding acquisition; investigation; methodology; project administration; resources; supervision; validation; visualization; roles/writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.

Daniel E. Iancu—data curation; investigation; methodology; resources; software; validation.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marian D. Ilie .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval.

Following the World Medical Association Helsinki declaration and the minimal risk nature of the study, no ethical board approval was required.

Consent to participate

Before completing the questionnaire, one research team member read to the participants the following standard procedure to fill in the questionnaire (i.e., informed consent, data anonymity, etc.).

This questionnaire was designed and reviewed by Keith Trigwell, Michael Prosser and Paul Ginns (2005) in order to explore a dimension of the way that academics go about teaching in a specific context or subject or course. This may mean that your responses to these items in one context may be different to the responses you might make on your teaching in other contexts or subjects. Therefore, please describe briefly the context to which you referred in your answers. It is important that the discipline you are thinking of to be one of the taught disciplines in this semester, a discipline you taught it in the previous year too and, as much as possible, be the discipline you have been teaching for the longest time.

For each item please circle one of the numbers (1–5). The numbers stand for the following responses:

1. this item was only rarely or never true for me in this subject.

2. this item was sometimes true for me in this subject.

3. this item was true for me about half the time in this subject.

4. this item was frequently true for me in this subject.

5. this item was almost always or always true for me in this subject.

Please answer each item. Do not spend a long time on each: your first reaction is probably the best one. Do not worry about presenting a favorable self-image. Your answers are CONFIDENTIAL.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Consent for publication

Competing interests.

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

(DOCX 49 kb)

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Mladenovici, V., Ilie, M.D., Maricuțoiu, L.P. et al. Approaches to teaching in higher education: the perspective of network analysis using the revised approaches to teaching inventory. High Educ 84 , 255–277 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00766-9

Download citation

Accepted : 13 September 2021

Published : 22 September 2021

Issue Date : August 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00766-9

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Higher education
• Learning-focused approach to teaching
• Content-focused approach to teaching
• Academics’ conceptions
• Network psychometric approach
• Find a journal
• Publish with us
• Track your research

BYU ScholarsArchive

Home > Computational, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences > Mathematics Education > Theses and Dissertations

Mathematics Education Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Rigorous Verification of Stability of Ideal Gas Layers , Damian Anderson

Documentation of Norm Negotiation in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom , Michelle R. Bagley

New Mathematics Teachers' Goals, Orientations, and Resources that Influence Implementation of Principles Learned in Brigham Young University's Teacher Preparation Program , Caroline S. Gneiting

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Impact of Applying Visual Design Principles to Boardwork in a Mathematics Classroom , Jennifer Rose Canizales

Practicing Mathematics Teachers' Perspectives of Public Records in Their Classrooms , Sini Nicole White Graff

Parents' Perceptions of the Importance of Teaching Mathematics: A Q-Study , Ashlynn M. Holley

Engagement in Secondary Mathematics Group Work: A Student Perspective , Rachel H. Jorgenson

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Understanding College Students' Use of Written Feedback in Mathematics , Erin Loraine Carroll

Identity Work to Teach Mathematics for Social Justice , Navy B. Dixon

Developing a Quantitative Understanding of U-Substitution in First-Semester Calculus , Leilani Camille Heaton Fonbuena

The Perception of At-Risk Students on Caring Student-Teacher Relationships and Its Impact on Their Productive Disposition , Brittany Hopper

Variational and Covariational Reasoning of Students with Disabilities , Lauren Rigby

Structural Reasoning with Rational Expressions , Dana Steinhorst

Student-Created Learning Objects for Mathematics Renewable Assignments: The Potential Value They Bring to the Broader Community , Webster Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Emotional Geographies of Beginning and Veteran Reformed Teachers in Mentor/Mentee Relationships , Emily Joan Adams

You Do Math Like a Girl: How Women Reason Mathematically Outside of Formal and School Mathematics Contexts , Katelyn C. Pyfer

Developing the Definite Integral and Accumulation Function Through Adding Up Pieces: A Hypothetical Learning Trajectory , Brinley Nichole Stevens

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Mathematical Identities of Students with Mathematics Learning Dis/abilities , Emma Lynn Holdaway

Teachers' Mathematical Meanings: Decisions for Teaching Geometric Reflections and Orientation of Figures , Porter Peterson Nielsen

Student Use of Mathematical Content Knowledge During Proof Production , Chelsey Lynn Van de Merwe

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Making Sense of the Equal Sign in Middle School Mathematics , Chelsea Lynn Dickson

Developing Understanding of the Chain Rule, Implicit Differentiation, and Related Rates: Towards a Hypothetical Learning Trajectory Rooted in Nested Multivariation , Haley Paige Jeppson

Secondary Preservice Mathematics Teachers' Curricular Reasoning , Kimber Anne Mathis

“Don’t Say Gay. We Say Dumb or Stupid”: Queering ProspectiveMathematics Teachers’ Discussions , Amy Saunders Ross

Aspects of Engaging Problem Contexts From Students' Perspectives , Tamara Kay Stark

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Addressing Pre-Service Teachers' Misconceptions About Confidence Intervals , Kiya Lynn Eliason

How Teacher Questions Affect the Development of a Potential Hybrid Space in a Classroom with Latina/o Students , Casandra Helen Job

Teacher Graphing Practices for Linear Functions in a Covariation-Based College Algebra Classroom , Konda Jo Luckau

Principles of Productivity Revealed from Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Discussions Around the Productiveness of Teacher Moves in Response to Teachable Moments , Kylie Victoria Palsky

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Curriculum Decisions and Reasoning of Middle School Teachers , Anand Mikel Bernard

Teacher Response to Instances of Student Thinking During Whole Class Discussion , Rachel Marie Bernard

Kyozaikenkyu: An In-Depth Look into Japanese Educators' Daily Planning Practices , Matthew David Melville

Analysis of Differential Equations Applications from the Coordination Class Perspective , Omar Antonio Naranjo Mayorga

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Principles of Effective Teaching Student Teachershave the Opportunity to Learn in an AlternativeStudent Teaching Structure , Danielle Rose Divis

Insight into Student Conceptions of Proof , Steven Daniel Lauzon

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Teacher Participation and Motivation inProfessional Development , Krystal A. Hill

Student Evaluation of Mathematical Explanations in anInquiry-Based Mathematics Classroom , Ashley Burgess Hulet

English Learners' Participation in Mathematical Discourse , Lindsay Marie Merrill

Mathematical Interactions between Teachers and Students in the Finnish Mathematics Classroom , Paula Jeffery Prestwich

Parents and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics , Rebecca Anne Roberts

Examining the Effects of College Algebra on Students' Mathematical Dispositions , Kevin Lee Watson

Problems Faced by Reform Oriented Novice Mathematics Teachers Utilizing a Traditional Curriculum , Tyler Joseph Winiecke

Academic and Peer Status in the Mathematical Life Stories of Students , Carol Ann Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

The Effect of Students' Mathematical Beliefs on Knowledge Transfer , Kristen Adams

Language Use in Mathematics Textbooks Written in English and Spanish , Kailie Ann Bertoch

Teachers' Curricular Reasoning and MKT in the Context of Algebra and Statistics , Kolby J. Gadd

Mathematical Telling in the Context of Teacher Interventions with Collaborative Groups , Brandon Kyle Singleton

An Investigation of How Preservice Teachers Design Mathematical Tasks , Elizabeth Karen Zwahlen

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Student Understanding of Limit and Continuity at a Point: A Look into Four Potentially Problematic Conceptions , Miriam Lynne Amatangelo

Exploring the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching of Japanese Teachers , Ratu Jared R. T. Bukarau

Comparing Two Different Student Teaching Structures by Analyzing Conversations Between Student Teachers and Their Cooperating Teachers , Niccole Suzette Franc

Professional Development as a Community of Practice and Its Associated Influence on the Induction of a Beginning Mathematics Teacher , Savannah O. Steele

Types of Questions that Comprise a Teacher's Questioning Discourse in a Conceptually-Oriented Classroom , Keilani Stolk

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Student Teachers' Interactive Decisions with Respect to Student Mathematics Thinking , Jonathan J. Call

Manipulatives and the Growth of Mathematical Understanding , Stacie Joyce Gibbons

Learning Within a Computer-Assisted Instructional Environment: Effects on Multiplication Math Fact Mastery and Self-Efficacy in Elementary-Age Students , Loraine Jones Hanson

Mathematics Teacher Time Allocation , Ashley Martin Jones

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

How Student Positioning Can Lead to Failure in Inquiry-based Classrooms , Kelly Beatrice Campbell

Teachers' Decisions to Use Student Input During Class Discussion , Heather Taylor Toponce

A Conceptual Framework for Student Understanding of Logarithms , Heather Rebecca Ambler Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

Growth in Students' Conceptions of Mathematical Induction , John David Gruver

Contextualized Motivation Theory (CMT): Intellectual Passion, Mathematical Need, Social Responsibility, and Personal Agency in Learning Mathematics , Janelle Marie Hart

Thinking on the Brink: Facilitating Student Teachers' Learning Through In-the-Moment Interjections , Travis L. Lemon

Understanding Teachers' Change Towards a Reform-Oriented Mathematics Classroom , Linnae Denise Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

A Comparison of Mathematical Discourse in Online and Face-to-Face Environments , Shawn D. Broderick

The Influence of Risk Taking on Student Creation of Mathematical Meaning: Contextual Risk Theory , Erin Nicole Houghtaling

Uncovering Transformative Experiences: A Case Study of the Transformations Made by one Teacher in a Mathematics Professional Development Program , Rachelle Myler Orsak

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Student Teacher Knowledge and Its Impact on Task Design , Tenille Cannon

How Eighth-Grade Students Estimate with Fractions , Audrey Linford Hanks

Similar but Different: The Complexities of Students' Mathematical Identities , Diane Skillicorn Hill

Choose Your Words: Refining What Counts as Mathematical Discourse in Students' Negotiation of Meaning for Rate of Change of Volume , Christine Johnson

Mathematics Student Teaching in Japan: A Multi-Case Study , Allison Turley Shwalb

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Applying Toulmin's Argumentation Framework to Explanations in a Reform Oriented Mathematics Class , Jennifer Alder Brinkerhoff

What Are Some of the Common Traits in the Thought Processes of Undergraduate Students Capable of Creating Proof? , Karen Malina Duff

Probing for Reasons: Presentations, Questions, Phases , Kellyn Nicole Farlow

One Problem, Two Contexts , Danielle L. Gigger

The Main Challenges that a Teacher-in-Transition Faces When Teaching a High School Geometry Class , Greg Brough Henry

Discovering the Derivative Can Be "Invigorating:" Mark's Journey to Understanding Instantaneous Velocity , Charity Ann Gardner Hyer

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

How a Master Teacher Uses Questioning Within a Mathematical Discourse Community , Omel Angel Contreras

Determining High School Geometry Students' Geometric Understanding Using van Hiele Levels: Is There a Difference Between Standards-based Curriculum Students and NonStandards-based Curriculum Students? , Rebekah Loraine Genz

The Nature and Frequency of Mathematical Discussion During Lesson Study That Implemented the CMI Framework , Andrew Ray Glaze

Second Graders' Solution Strategies and Understanding of a Combination Problem , Tiffany Marie Hessing

What Does It Mean To Preservice Mathematics Teachers To Anticipate Student Responses? , Matthew M. Webb

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Fraction Multiplication and Division Image Change in Pre-Service Elementary Teachers , Jennifer J. Cluff

An Examination of the Role of Writing in Mathematics Instruction , Amy Jeppsen

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

Reasoning About Motion: A Case Study , Tiffini Lynn Glaze

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

An Analysis of the Influence of Lesson Study on Preservice Secondary Mathematics Teachers' View of Self-As Mathematics Expert , Julie Stafford

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

ScholarsArchive ISSN: 2572-4479

• Collections
• Disciplines
• Scholarly Communication
• Additional Collections
• Academic Research Blog

Author Corner

Hosted by the.

• Harold B. Lee Library

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

Request More Info

Fill out the form below and a member of our team will reach out right away!

" * " indicates required fields

The Complete List of Teaching Methods

Teaching Methods: Not as Simple as ABC

Teaching methods [teacher-centered], teaching methods [student-centered], what about blended learning and udl, teaching methods: a to z, for the love of teaching.

Whether you’re a longtime educator, preparing to start your first teaching job or mapping out your dream of a career in the classroom, the topic of teaching methods is one that means many different things to different people.

Your individual approaches and strategies to imparting knowledge to your students and inspiring them to learn are probably built on your academic education as well as your instincts and intuition.

Whether you come by your preferred teaching methods organically or by actively studying educational theory and pedagogy, it can be helpful to have a comprehensive working knowledge of the various teaching methods at your disposal.

[Download] Get the Complete List of Teaching Methods PDF Now >>

The teacher-centered approach vs. the student-centered approach. High-tech vs. low-tech approaches to learning. Flipped classrooms, differentiated instruction, inquiry-based learning, personalized learning and more.

Not only are there dozens of teaching methods to explore, it is also important to have a sense for how they often overlap or interrelate. One extremely helpful look at this question is offered by the teacher-focused education website Teach.com.

“Teaching theories can be organized into four categories based on two major parameters: a teacher-centered approach versus a student-centered approach, and high-tech material use versus low-tech material use,” according to the informative Teach.com article , which breaks down a variety of influential teaching methods as follows:

Teacher-Centered Approach to Learning Teachers serve as instructor/authority figures who deliver knowledge to their students through lectures and direct instruction, and aim to measure the results through testing and assessment. This method is sometimes referred to as “sage on the stage.”

Student-Centered Approach to Learning Teachers still serve as an authority figure, but may function more as a facilitator or “guide on the side,” as students assume a much more active role in the learning process. In this method, students learn from and are continually assessed on such activities as group projects, student portfolios and class participation.

High-Tech Approach to Learning From devices like laptops and tablets to using the internet to connect students with information and people from around the world, technology plays an ever-greater role in many of today’s classrooms. In the high-tech approach to learning, teachers utilize many different types of technology to aid students in their classroom learning.

Low-Tech Approach to Learning Technology obviously comes with pros and cons, and many teachers believe that a low-tech approach better enables them to tailor the educational experience to different types of learners. Additionally, while computer skills are undeniably necessary today, this must be balanced against potential downsides; for example, some would argue that over-reliance on spell check and autocorrect features can inhibit rather than strengthen student spelling and writing skills.

Diving further into the overlap between different types of teaching methods, here is a closer look at three teacher-centered methods of instruction and five popular student-centered approaches.

Direct Instruction (Low Tech) Under the direct instruction model — sometimes described as the “traditional” approach to teaching — teachers convey knowledge to their students primarily through lectures and scripted lesson plans, without factoring in student preferences or opportunities for hands-on or other types of learning. This method is also customarily low-tech since it relies on texts and workbooks rather than computers or mobile devices.

Flipped Classrooms (High Tech) What if students did the “classroom” portion of their learning at home and their “homework” in the classroom? That’s an oversimplified description of the flipped classroom approach, in which students watch or read their lessons on computers at home and then complete assignments and do problem-solving exercises in class.

Kinesthetic Learning (Low Tech) In the kinesthetic learning model, students perform hands-on physical activities rather than listening to lectures or watching demonstrations. Kinesthetic learning, which values movement and creativity over technological skills, is most commonly used to augment traditional types of instruction — the theory being that requiring students to do, make or create something exercises different learning muscles.

Differentiated Instruction (Low Tech) Inspired by the 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted to ensure equal access to public education for all children, differentiated instruction is the practice of developing an understanding of how each student learns best, and then tailoring instruction to meet students’ individual needs.

In some instances, this means Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students with special needs, but today teachers use differentiated instruction to connect with all types of learners by offering options on how students access content, the types of activities they do to master a concept, how student learning is assessed and even how the classroom is set up.

Inquiry-Based Learning (High Tech) Rather than function as a sole authority figure, in inquiry-based learning teachers offer support and guidance as students work on projects that depend on them taking on a more active and participatory role in their own learning. Different students might participate in different projects, developing their own questions and then conducting research — often using online resources — and then demonstrate the results of their work through self-made videos, web pages or formal presentations.

Expeditionary Learning (Low Tech) Expeditionary learning is based on the idea that there is considerable educational value in getting students out of the classroom and into the real world. Examples include trips to City Hall or Washington, D.C., to learn about the workings of government, or out into nature to engage in specific study related to the environment. Technology can be used to augment such expeditions, but the primary focus is on getting out into the community for real-world learning experiences.

Personalized Learning (High Tech) In personalized learning, teachers encourage students to follow personalized, self-directed learning plans that are inspired by their specific interests and skills. Since assessment is also tailored to the individual, students can advance at their own pace, moving forward or spending extra time as needed. Teachers offer some traditional instruction as well as online material, while also continually reviewing student progress and meeting with students to make any needed changes to their learning plans.

Game-Based Learning (High Tech) Students love games, and considerable progress has been made in the field of game-based learning, which requires students to be problem solvers as they work on quests to accomplish a specific goal. For students, this approach blends targeted learning objectives with the fun of earning points or badges, much like they would in a video game. For teachers, planning this type of activity requires additional time and effort, so many rely on software like Classcraft or 3DGameLab to help students maximize the educational value they receive from within the gamified learning environment.

Blended Learning Blended learning  is another strategy for teachers looking to introduce flexibility into their classroom. This method relies heavily on technology, with part of the instruction taking place online and part in the classroom via a more traditional approach, often leveraging elements of the flipped classroom approach detailed above. At the heart of blended learning is a philosophy of taking the time to understand each student’s learning style and develop strategies to teach to every learner, by building flexibility and choice into your curriculum.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) UDL incorporates both student-centered learning and the “multiple intelligences theory,” which holds that different learners are wired to learn most effectively in different ways (examples of these “intelligences” include visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, linguistic, musical, etc.). In practice, this could mean that some students might be working on a writing project while others would be more engaged if they created a play or a movie. UDL emphasizes the idea of teaching to every student, special needs students included, in the general education classroom, creating community and building knowledge through multiple means.

In addition to the many philosophical and pedagogical approaches to teaching, classroom educators today employ diverse and sometimes highly creative methods involving specific strategies, prompts and tools that require little explanation. These include:

• Appointments with students
• Art-based projects
• Audio tutorials
• Author’s chair
• Book reports
• Bulletin boards
• Brainstorming
• Case studies
• Chalkboard instruction
• Class projects
• Classroom discussion
• Classroom video diary
• Collaborative learning spaces
• Creating murals and montages
• Current events quizzes
• Designated quiet space
• Discussion groups
• DIY activities
• Dramatization (plays, skits, etc.)
• Educational games
• Educational podcasts
• Essays (Descriptive)
• Essays (Expository)
• Essays (Narrative)
• Essays (Persuasive)
• Exhibits and displays
• Explore different cultures
• Field trips
• Flash cards
• Flexible seating
• Gamified learning plans
• Genius hour
• Group discussion
• Guest speakers
• Hands-on activities
• Individual projects
• Interviewing
• Laboratory experiments
• Learning contracts
• Learning stations
• Literature circles
• Making posters
• Mock conventions
• Motivational posters
• Music from other countries/cultures
• Oral reports
• Panel discussions
• Peer partner learning
• Photography
• Problem solving activities
• Reading aloud
• Readers’ theater
• Reflective discussion
• Research projects
• Rewards & recognition
• Role playing
• School newspapers
• Science fairs
• Sister city programs
• Spelling bees
• Storytelling
• Student podcasts
• Student portfolios
• Student presentations
• Student-conceived projects
• Supplemental reading assignments
• Team-building exercises
• Term papers
• Textbook assignments
• Think-tac-toe
• Time capsules
• Use of community or local resources
• Video creation
• Video lessons
• Vocabulary lists

So, is the teacher the center of the educational universe or the student? Does strong reliance on the wonders of technology offer a more productive educational experience or is a more traditional, lower-tech approach the best way to help students thrive?

Questions such as these are food for thought for educators everywhere, in part because they inspire ongoing reflection on how to make a meaningful difference in the lives of one’s students.

Be Sure To Share This Article

• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• Share on LinkedIn

In our free guide, you can learn about a variety of teaching methods to adopt in the classroom.

• Master of Education

Related Posts

• Open access
• Published: 16 August 2024

Examining the perception of undergraduate health professional students of their learning environment, learning experience and professional identity development: a mixed-methods study

• Banan Mukhalalati 1 ,
• Aaliah Aly 1 ,
• Ola Yakti 1 ,
• Sara Elshami 1 ,
• Alaa Daud 2 ,
• Ahmed Awaisu 1 ,
• Ahsan Sethi 3 ,
• Alla El-Awaisi 1 ,
• Derek Stewart 1 ,
• Marwan Farouk Abu-Hijleh 4 &
• Zubin Austin 5  

BMC Medical Education volume  24 , Article number:  886 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

The quality of the learning environment significantly impacts student engagement and professional identity formation in health professions education. Despite global recognition of its importance, research on student perceptions of learning environments across different health education programs is scarce. This study aimed to explore how health professional students perceive their learning environment and its influence on their professional identity development.

An explanatory mixed-methods approach was employed. In the quantitative phase, the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure [Minimum–Maximum possible scores = 0–200] and Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale [Minimum–Maximum possible scores = 1–45] were administered to Qatar University-Health students ( N  = 908), with a minimum required sample size of 271 students. Data were analyzed using SPSS, including descriptive statistics and inferential analysis. In the qualitative phase, seven focus groups (FGs) were conducted online via Microsoft Teams. FGs were guided by a topic guide developed from the quantitative results and the framework proposed by Gruppen et al. (Acad Med 94:969-74, 2019), transcribed verbatim, and thematically analyzed using NVIVO®.

The questionnaire response rate was 57.8% (525 responses out of 908), with a usability rate of 74.3% (390 responses out of 525) after excluding students who only completed the demographic section. The study indicated a “more positive than negative” perception of the learning environment (Median [IQR] = 132 [116–174], Minimum–Maximum obtained scores = 43–185), and a “good” perception of their professional identity (Median [IQR] = 24 [22–27], Minimum–Maximum obtained scores = 3–36). Qualitative data confirmed that the learning environment was supportive in developing competence, interpersonal skills, and professional identity, though opinions on emotional support adequacy were mixed. Key attributes of an ideal learning environment included mentorship programs, a reward system, and measures to address fatigue and boredom.

Conclusions

The learning environment at QU-Health was effective in developing competence and interpersonal skills. Students' perceptions of their learning environment positively correlated with their professional identity. Ideal environments should include mentorship programs, a reward system, and strategies to address fatigue and boredom, emphasizing the need for ongoing improvements in learning environments to enhance student satisfaction, professional identity development, and high-quality patient care.

Peer Review reports

The learning environment is fundamental to higher education and has a profound impact on student outcomes. As conceptualized by Gruppen et al. [ 1 ], it comprises a complex interplay of physical, social, and virtual factors that shape student engagement, perception, and overall development. Over the last decade, there has been a growing global emphasis on the quality of the learning environment in higher education [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. This focus stems from the recognition that a well-designed learning environment that includes good facilities, effective teaching methods, strong social interactions, and adherence to cultural and administrative standards can greatly improve student development [ 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Learning environments impact not only knowledge acquisition and skill development but also value formation and the cultivation of professional attitudes [ 5 ].

Professional identity is defined as the “attitudes, values, knowledge, beliefs, and skills shared with others within a professional group” [ 8 ]. The existing research identified a significant positive association between the development of professional identity and the quality of the learning environment, and this association is characterized by being multifaceted and dynamic [ 9 ]. According to Hendelman and Byszewski [ 10 ] a supportive learning environment, characterized by positive role models, effective feedback mechanisms, and opportunities for reflective practice, fosters the development of a strong professional identity among medical students. Similarly, Jarvis-Selinger et al. [ 11 ] argue that a nurturing learning environment facilitates the socialization process which enables students to adopt and integrate the professional behaviors and attitudes expected in their field. Furthermore, Sarraf-Yazdi et al. [ 12 ] highlighted that professional identity formation is a continuous and multifactorial process involving the interplay of individual values, beliefs, and environmental factors. This dynamic process is shaped by both clinical and non-clinical experiences within the learning environment [ 12 ].

Various learning theories, such as the Communities of Practice (CoP) theory [ 13 ], emphasize the link between learning environments and learning outcomes, including professional identity development. The CoP theory describes communities of professionals with a shared knowledge interest who learn through regular interaction [ 13 , 14 ]. Within the CoP, students transition from being peripheral observers to central members [ 15 ]. Therefore, the CoP theory suggests that a positive learning environment is crucial for fostering learning, professional identity formation, and a sense of community [ 16 ].

Undoubtedly, health professional education programs (e.g., Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, and Health Sciences) play a vital role not only in shaping the knowledge, expertise, and abilities of health professional students but also in equipping them with the necessary competencies for implementing healthcare initiatives and strategies and responding to evolving healthcare demands [ 17 ]. Within the field of health professions education, international organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), European Union (EU), American Council on Education (ACE), and World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) have emphasized the importance of high-quality learning environments in fostering the development of future healthcare professionals and called for considerations of the enhancement of the quality of the learning environment of health profession education programs [ 18 , 19 ]. These environments are pivotal for nurturing both the academic and professional growth necessary to navigate an increasingly globalized healthcare landscape [ 18 , 19 ].

Professional identity development is integral to health professions education which evolves continuously from early university years until later stages of the professional life as a healthcare practitioner [ 20 , 21 ]. This ongoing development helps students establish clear professional roles and boundaries, thereby reducing role ambiguity within multidisciplinary teams [ 9 ]. It is expected that as students advance in their professional education, their perception of the quality of the learning environment changes, which influences their learning experiences, the development of their professional identity, and their sense of community [ 22 ]. Cruess et al. [ 23 ] asserted that medical schools foster professional identity through impactful learning experiences, effective role models, clear curricula, and assessments. A well-designed learning environment that incorporates these elements supports medical students' socialization and professional identity formation through structured learning, reflective practices, and constructive feedback in both preclinical and clinical stages [ 23 ].

Despite the recognized importance of the quality of learning environments and their influence on student-related outcomes, this topic has been overlooked regionally and globally [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. There is a significant knowledge gap in understanding how different components of the learning environment specifically contribute to professional identity formation. Most existing studies focus on general educational outcomes without exploring the detailed ways in which the learning environment shapes professional attitudes, values, and identity. Moreover, there is a global scarcity of research exploring how students’ perceptions of the quality of the learning environment and professional identity vary across various health profession education programs at different stages of their undergraduate education. This lack of comparative studies makes it challenging to identify best practices that can be adapted across different educational contexts. Furthermore, most research tends to focus on single-discipline studies, neglecting the interdisciplinary nature of modern healthcare education, which is essential for preparing students for collaborative practice in real-world healthcare settings. Considering the complex and demanding nature of health profession education programs and the increased emphasis on the quality of learning environments by accreditation bodies, examining the perceived quality of the educational learning environment by students is crucial [ 19 ]. Understanding students’ perspectives can provide valuable insights into areas needing improvement and highlight successful strategies that enhance both learning environment and experiences and professional identity development.

This research addresses this gap by focusing on the interdisciplinary health profession education programs to understand the impact of the learning environment on the development of the professional identity of students and its overall influence on their learning experiences. The objectives of this study are to 1) examine the perception of health professional students of the quality of their learning environment and their professional identity, 2) identify the association between health professional students’ perception of the quality of their learning environment and the development of their professional identity, and 3) explore the expectations of health professional students of the ideal educational learning environment. This research is essential in providing insights to inform educational practices globally to develop strategies to enhance the quality of health profession education.

Study setting and design

This study was conducted at Qatar University Health (QU Health) Cluster which is an interdisciplinary health profession education program that was introduced as the national provider of higher education in health and medicine in the state of Qatar. QU Health incorporates five colleges: Health Sciences (CHS), Pharmacy (CPH), Medicine (CMED), Dental Medicine (CDEM) and Nursing (CNUR) [ 31 ]. QU Health is dedicated to advancing inter-professional education (IPE) through its comprehensive interdisciplinary programs. By integrating IPE principles into the curriculum and fostering collaboration across various healthcare disciplines, the cluster prepares students to become skilled and collaborative professionals. Its holistic approach to teaching, research, and community engagement not only enhances the educational experience but also addresses local and regional healthcare challenges, thereby making a significant contribution to the advancement of population health in Qatar [ 32 ]. This study was conducted from November 2022 to July 2023. An explanatory sequential mixed methods triangulation approach was used for an in-depth exploration and validation of the quantitative results qualitatively [ 33 , 34 ]. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Qatar University Institutional Review Board (approval number: QU-IRB 1734-EA/22).

For the quantitative phase, a questionnaire was administered via SurveyMonkey® incorporating two previously validated questionnaires: the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), developed by Roff et al. in 1997 [ 35 ], and the Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale-9 (MCPIS-9), developed by Adam et al. in 2006 [ 8 ]. Integrating DREEM and MCPIS-9 into a single questionnaire was undertaken to facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of two distinct yet complementary dimensions—namely, the educational environment and professional identity—that collectively influence the learning experience and outcomes of students, as no single instrument effectively assesses both aspects simultaneously [ 36 ]. The survey comprised three sections—Section A: sociodemographic characteristics, Section B: the DREEM scoring scale for assessing the quality of the learning environment, and Section C: the MCPIS-9 scoring scale for assessing professional identity. For the qualitative phase, seven focus groups (FGs) were arranged with a sample of QU-Health students. The qualitative and quantitative data obtained were integrated at the interpretation and reporting level using a narrative, contiguous approach [ 37 , 38 ].

Quantitative phase

Population and sampling.

The total population sampling approach in which all undergraduate QU-Health students who had declared their majors (i.e., the primary field of study that an undergraduate student has chosen during their academic program) at the time of conducting the study in any of the four health colleges under QU-Health ( N  = 908), namely, CPH, CMED, CDEM, and CHS, such as Human Nutrition (Nut), Biomedical Science (Biomed), Public Health (PH), and Physiotherapy (PS), were invited to participate in the study. Nursing students were excluded from this study because the college was just established in 2022; therefore, students were in their general year and had yet to declare their majors at the time of the study. The minimum sample size required for the study was determined to be 271 students based on a margin error of 5%, a confidence level of 95%, and a response distribution of 50%.

Data collection

Data was collected in a cross-sectional design. After obtaining the approval of the head of each department, contact information for eligible students was extracted from the QU-Health student databases for each college, and invitations were sent via email. The distribution of these invitations was done by the administrators of the respective colleges. The invitation included a link to a self-administered questionnaire on SurveyMonkey® (Survey Monkey Inc., San Mateo, California, USA), along with informed consent information. All 908 students were informed about the study’s purpose, data collection process, anonymity and confidentiality assurance, and the voluntary nature of participation. The participants were sent regular reminders to complete the survey to increase the response rate.

A focused literature review identified the DREEM as the most suitable validated tool for this study. The DREEM is considered the gold standard for assessing undergraduate students' perceptions of their learning environment [ 35 ]. Its validity and reliability have been consistently demonstrated across various settings (i.e., clinical and non-clinical) and health professions (e.g., nursing, medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy), in multiple countries worldwide, including the Gulf Cooperation Council countries [ 24 , 35 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ]. The DREEM is a 50-item inventory divided into 5 subscales and developed to measure the academic climate of educational institutions using a five-point Likert scale from 0 “strongly disagree” to 4 “strongly agree”. The total score ranges from 0 to 200, with higher scores reflecting better perceptions of the learning environment [ 35 , 39 , 43 ]. The interpretation includes very poor (0–50), plenty of problems (51–100), more positive than negative (101–151), and excellent (151–200).

The first subscale, Perception to Learning (SpoL), with 12 items scoring 0–48. Interpretation includes very poor (0–12), teaching is viewed negatively (13–24), a more positive approach (25–36), and teaching is highly thought of (37–48). The second domain, Perception to Teachers (SpoT), with 11 items scoring 0–44. Interpretation includes abysmal (0–11), in need of some retraining (12–22), moving in the right direction (23–33), and model teachers (34–44). The third domain, academic self-perception (SASP), with 8 items scoring 0–32. Interpretation includes a feeling of total failure (0–8), many negative aspects (9–16), feeling more on the positive side (17–24), and confident (25–32). The fourth domain, Perception of the atmosphere (SPoA), with 12 items scoring 0–48. Interpretation includes a terrible environment (0–12); many issues need to be changed (13–24), a more positive atmosphere (25–36), and a good feeling overall (37–48). Lastly, the fifth domain, social self-perception (SSSP), with 7 items scoring 0–28. Interpretation includes Miserable (0–7), Not a nice place (8–14), Not very bad (15–21), and very good socially (22–28).

Several tools have been developed to explore professional identity in health professions [ 44 ], but there is limited research on their psychometric qualities [ 45 ]. The MCPIS-9 is notable for its robust psychometric validation and was chosen for this study due to its effectiveness in a multidisciplinary context as opposed to other questionnaires that were initially developed for the nursing profession [ 8 , 46 , 47 ]. MCPIS-9 is a validated 9-item instrument, which uses a 5-point Likert response scale, with scores ranging from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”. Previous studies that utilized the MCPIS-9 had no universal guidance for interpreting the MCPIS-9 score; however, the higher the score, the stronger the sense of professional identity [ 46 , 48 ].

Data analysis

The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS software (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 27.0; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The original developers of the DREEM inventory identified nine negative items: items 11, 12, 19, 20, 21, 23, 42, 43, and 46 – these items were reverse-coded. Additionally, in the MCPIS-9 tool, the original developers identified three negative items: items 3, 4, and 5. Descriptive and inferential analyses were also conducted. Descriptive statistics including number (frequencies [%]), mean ± SD, and median (IQR), were used to summarize the demographics and responses to the DREEM and MCPIS-9 scoring scales. In the inferential analysis, to test for significant differences between demographic subgroups in the DREEM and MCPIS-9 scores, Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for variables with more than two categories, and Mann–Whitney U-tests were used for variables with two categories. Spearman's rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the association between perceived learning environment and professional identity development. The level of statistical significance was set a priori at p  < 0.05. The internal consistency of the DREEM and MCPIS-9 tools was tested against the acceptable Cronbach's alpha value of 0.7.

Qualitative phase

A purposive sampling approach was employed to select students who were most likely to provide valuable insights to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. The inclusion criteria required that participants should have declared their major in one of the following programs: CPH, CMED, CDEM, CHS: Nut, Biomed, PS, and PH. This selection criterion aimed to ensure that participants had sufficient knowledge and experience related to their chosen fields of study within QU-Health. Students were included if they were available and willing to share their experiences and thoughts. Students who did not meet these criteria were excluded from participation. To ensure a representative sample, seven FGs were conducted, one with each health professional education program. After obtaining the approval of the head of each department, participants were recruited by contacting the class representative of each professional year to ask for volunteers to join and provide their insights. Each FG involved students from different professional years to ensure a diverse representation of experiences and perspectives.

The topic guide (Supplementary Material 1) was developed and conceptualized based on the research objectives, selected results from the quantitative phase, and the Gruppen et. al. framework [ 1 ]. FGs were conducted online using Microsoft Teams® through synchronous meetings. Before initiating the FGs, participants were informed of their rights and returned signed consent forms to the researchers. FGs were facilitated by two research assistants (AA and OY), each facilitating separate sessions. The facilitators, who had prior experience with conducting FGs and who were former pharmacy students from the CPH, were familiar with some of the participants, and hence were able to encourage open discussion, making it easier for students to share their perceptions of the learning environment within the QU Health Cluster. Participants engaged in concurrent discussions were encouraged to use the "raise hand" feature on Microsoft Teams to mimic face-to-face interactions. Each FG lasted 45–60 min, was conducted in English, and was recorded and transcribed verbatim and double-checked for accuracy. After the seventh FG, the researchers were confident that a saturation point had been reached where no new ideas emerged, and any further data collection through FGs was unnecessary. Peer and supervisory audits were conducted throughout the research process.

The NVIVO ® software (version 12) was utilized to perform a thematic analysis incorporating both deductive and inductive approaches. The deductive approach involved organizing the data into pre-determined categories based on the Gruppen et al. framework, which outlines key components of the learning environment. This framework enabled a systematic analysis of how each component of the learning environment contributes to students' professional development and highlighted areas for potential improvement. Concurrently, the inductive approach was applied to explore students' perceptions of an ideal learning environment, facilitating the emergence of new themes and insights directly from the data, independent of pre-existing categories. This dual approach provided a comprehensive understanding of the data by validating the existing theory while also exploring new findings [ 49 ]. Two coders were involved in coding the transcripts (AA and BM) and in cases of disagreements between researchers, consensus was achieved through discussion.

The response rate was 57.8% (525 responses out of 908), while the usability rate was 74.3% (390 responses out of 525) after excluding students who only completed the demographic section. The demographic and professional characteristics of the participants are presented in Table  1 . The majority were Qataris (37.0% [ n  = 142]), females (85.1% [ n  = 332]), and of the age group of 21–23 years (51.7% [ n  = 201]). The students were predominantly studying at the CHS (36.9%[ n  = 144]), in their second professional year (37.4% [ n  = 146]), and had yet to be exposed to experiential learning, that is, clinical rotations (70.2% [ n  = 273]).

Perceptions of students of their learning environment

The overall median DREEM score for study participants indicated that QU Health students perceive their learning environment to be "more positive than negative" (132 [IQR = 116–174]). The reliability analysis for this sample of participants indicated a Cronbach's alpha for the total DREEM score of 0.94, and Cronbach's alpha scores for each domain of the DREEM tool, SPoL, SPoT, SASP, SPoA, and SSSP of 0.85, 0.74, 0.81, 0.85, and 0.65, respectively.

Individual item responses representing each domain of the DREEM tool are presented in Table  2 . For Domain I, QU Health students perceived the teaching approach in QU Health to be "more positive" (32 [IQR = 27–36]). Numerous participants agreed that the teaching was well-focused (70.7% [ n  = 274]), student-focused (66.1% [ n  = 254]) and aimed to develop the competencies of students (72.0% [ n  = 278]). The analysis of students’ perceptions related to Domain II revealed that faculty members were perceived to be “moving in the right direction” (30 [IQR = 26–34]). Most students agreed that faculty members were knowledgeable (90.7%[ n  = 345]) and provided students with clear examples and constructive feedback (77.6% [ n  = 294] and 63.8% [ n  = 224], respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of Domain III demonstrated that QU Health students were shown to have a "positive academic self-perception" (22 [IQR = 19–25]). In this regard, most students believed that they were developing their problem-solving skills (78% [ n  = 292]) and that what they learned was relevant to their professional careers (76% [ n  = 288]). Furthermore, approximately 80% ( n  = 306) of students agreed that they had learned empathy in their profession. For Domain IV, students perceived the atmosphere of their learning environment to be "more positive" (32 [IQR = 14–19]). A substantial number of students asserted that there were opportunities for them to develop interpersonal skills (77.7% [ n  = 293]), and that the atmosphere motivated them as learners (63.0% [ n  = 235]). Approximately one-third of students believed that the enjoyment did not outweigh the stress of studying (32.3% [ n  = 174]). Finally, analysis of Domain V indicates that students’ social self-perception was “not very bad” (17 [IQR = 27–36]). Most students agreed that they had good friends at their colleges (83% [ n  = 314]) and that their social lives were good (68% [ n  = 254]).

Table 3 illustrates the differences in the perception of students of their overall learning environment according to their demographic and professional characteristics. No significant differences were noted in the perception of the learning environment among the subgroups with selected demographic and professional characteristics, except for the health profession program in which they were enrolled ( p -value < 0.001), whether they had relatives who studied or had studied the same profession ( p -value < 0.002), and whether they started their experiential learning ( p -value = 0.043). Further analyses comparing the DREEM subscale scores according to their demographic and professional characteristics are presented in Supplementary Material 1.

Students’ perceptions of their professional identities

The students provided positive responses relating to their perceptions of their professional identity (24.00 IQR = [22–27]). The reliability analysis of this sample indicated a Cronbach's alpha of 0.605. The individual item responses representing the MCPIS-9 tool are presented in Table  2 . Most students (85% [ n  = 297]) expressed pleasant feelings about belonging to their own profession, and 81% ( n  = 280) identified positively with members of their profession. No significant differences were noted in the perception of students of their professional identity when analyzed against selected demographic subgroups, except for whether they had relatives who had studied or were studying the same profession ( p -value = 0.027). Students who had relatives studying or had studied the same profession tended to perceive their professional identity better (25 IQR = [22–27] and 24 IQR = [21–26], respectively) (Table  3 ).

Association between MCPIS-9 and DREEM

Spearman's rank correlation between the DREEM and MCPIS-9 total scores indicated an intermediate positive correlation between perceptions of students toward their learning environment and their professional identity development (r = 0.442, p -value < 0.001). The DREEM questionnaire, with its 50 items divided into five subscales, comprehensively assessed various dimensions of the learning environment. Each subscale evaluated a distinct aspect of the educational experience, such as the effectiveness of teaching, teacher behavior and attitudes, academic confidence, the overall learning atmosphere, and social integration. The MCPIS-9 questionnaire specifically assessed professional identity through nine items that measure attitudes, values, and self-perceived competence in the professional domain. The positive correlation demonstrated between the DREEM and MCPIS-9 scores indicated that as students perceive their learning environment more positively, their professional identity is also enhanced.

Thirty-seven students from the QU Health colleges were interviewed: eleven from CPH, eight from CMED, four from CDEM, and fourteen from CHS (six from Nut, three from PS, three from Biomed, and three from PH). Four conventional themes were generated deductively using Gruppen et al.’s conceptual framework, while one theme was derived through inductive analysis. The themes and sub-themes generated are demonstrated in Table  4 .

Theme 1. The personal component of the learning environment

This theme focused on student interactions and experiences within their learning environment and their impact on perceptions of learning, processes, growth, and professional development.

Sub-theme 1.1. Experiences influencing professional identity formation

Students classified their experiences into positive and negative. Positive experiences included hands-on activities such as on-campus practical courses and pre-clinical activities, which built their confidence and professional identity. In this regard, one student mentioned:

“Practical courses are one of the most important courses to help us develop into pharmacists. They make you feel confident in your knowledge and more willing to share what you know.” [CPH-5]

Many students claimed that interprofessional education (IPE) activities enhanced their self-perception, clarified their roles, and boosted their professional identity and confidence. An interviewee stated:

"I believe that the IPE activity,…., is an opportunity for us to explore our role. It has made me know where my profession stands in the health sector and how we all depend on each other through interprofessional thinking and discussions." [CHS-Nut-32]

However, several participants reported that an extensive workload hindered their professional identity development. A participant stated:

“The excessive workload prevents us from joining activities that would contribute to our professional identity development. Also, it restricts our networking opportunities and makes us always feel burnt out.” [CHS-Nut-31]

Sub-theme 1.2. Strategies used by students to pursue their goals

QU Health students employed various academic and non-academic strategies to achieve their objectives, with many emphasizing list-making and identifying effective study methods as key approaches:

“Documentation. I like to see tasks that I need to do on paper. Also, I like to classify my tasks based on their urgency. I mean, deadlines.” [CHS-Nut-31]

“I always try to be as efficient as possible when studying and this can be by knowing what studying method best suits me.” [CHS-Biomed-35]

Nearly all students agreed that seeking feedback from faculty was crucial for improving their work and performance. In this context, a student said:

“We must take advantage of the provided opportunity to discuss our assignments, projects, and exams, like what we did correctly, and what we did wrongly. They always discuss with us how to improve our work on these things.” [CHS-Nut-32]

Moreover, many students also believed that developing communication skills was vital for achieving their goals, given their future roles in interprofessional teams. A student mentioned:

“Improving your communication skills is a must because inshallah (with God’s will) in the future we will not only work with biomedical scientists, but also with nurses, pharmacists, and doctors. So, you must have good communication abilities.” [CHS-Biomed-34]

Finally, students believe that networking is crucial for achieving their goals because it opens new opportunities for them as stated by a student:

“Networking with different physicians or professors can help you to know about research or training opportunities that you could potentially join.” [CMED-15]

Subtheme 1.3. Students’ mental and physical well-being

Students agreed that while emotional well-being is crucial for good learning experiences and professional identity development, colleges offered insufficient support. An interviewee stated:

“We simply don't have the optimal support we need to take care of our emotional well-being as of now, despite how important it is and how it truly reflects on our learning and professional development” [CDEM-20]

Another student added:

“…being in an optimal mental state provides us with the opportunity to acquire all required skills that would aid in our professional identity development. I mean, interpersonal skills, adaptability, self-reflection” [CPH-9]

Students mentioned some emotional support provided by colleges, such as progress tracking and stress-relief activities. Students said:

“During P2 [professional year 2], I missed a quiz, and I was late for several lectures. Our learning support specialist contacted me … She was like, are you doing fine? I explained everything to her, and she contacted the professors for their consideration and support.” [CPH-7]

“There are important events that are done to make students take a break and recharge, but they are not consistent” [CHS-PS-27]

On the physical well-being front, students felt that their colleges ensured safety, especially in lab settings, with proper protocols to avoid harm. A student mentioned:

“The professors and staff duly ensure our safety, especially during lab work. They make sure that we don't go near any harmful substances and that we abide by the lab safety rules” [CHS-Biomed -35]

Theme 2. Social component of the learning environment

This theme focused on how social interactions shape students’ perceptions of learning environments and learning experiences.

Sub-theme 2.1. Opportunities for community engagement

Participants identified various opportunities for social interactions through curricular and extracurricular activities. Project-based learning (PBL) helped them build connections, improve teamwork and enhance critical thinking and responsibility as stated by one student:

“I believe that having PBL as a big part of our learning process improves our teamwork and interpersonal skills and makes us take responsibility in learning, thinking critically, and going beyond what we would have received in class to prepare very well and deep into the topic.” [CMED-12]

Extracurricular activities, including campaigns and events, helped students expand their social relationships and manage emotional stress. A student stated:

“I think that the extracurricular activities that we do, like the campaigns or other things that we hold in the college with other students from other colleges, have been helpful for me in developing my personality and widening my social circle. Also, it dilutes the emotional stress we are experiencing in class” [CDEM-22]

Sub-theme 2.2. Opportunities for learner-to-patient interactions

Students noted several approaches their colleges used to enhance patient-centered education and prepare them for real-world patient interactions. These approaches include communication skills classes, simulated patient scenarios, and field trips. Students mentioned:

“We took a class called Foundation of Health, which mainly focused on how to communicate our message to patients to ensure that they were getting optimal care. This course made us appreciate the term ‘patient care’ more.” [CHS-PH-38]

“We began to appreciate patient care when we started to take a professional skills course that entailed the implementation of a simulated patient scenario. We started to realize that communication with patients didn’t go as smoothly as when we did it with a colleague in the classroom.” [CPH-1]

“We went on a field trip to ‘Shafallah Center for Persons with Disability’ and that helped us to realize that there were a variety of patients that we had to care for, and we should be physically and mentally prepared to meet their needs.” [CDEM-21]

Theme 3. Organizational component of the learning environment

This theme explored students' perceptions of how the college administration, policies, culture, coordination, and curriculum design impact their learning experiences.

Sub-theme 3.1. Curriculum and study plan

Students valued clinical placements for their role in preparing them for the workplace and developing professional identity. A student stated:

“Clinical placements are very crucial for our professional identity development; we get the opportunity to be familiarized with and prepared for the work environment.” [CHS-PS-27]

However, students criticized their curriculum for not equipping them with adequate knowledge and skills. For example, a student said:

“… Not having a well-designed curriculum is of concern. We started very late in studying dentistry stuff and that led to us cramming all the necessary information that we should have learned.” [CDEM-20]

Furthermore, students reported that demanding schedules and limited course availability hindered learning and delayed progress:

“Last semester, I had classes from Sunday to Thursday from 8:00 AM till 3:00 PM in the same classroom, back-to-back, without any break. I was unable to focus in the second half of the day.” [CHS-Nut-38]

“Some courses are only offered once a year, and they are sometimes prerequisites for other courses. This can delay our clinical internship or graduation by one year.” [CHS-Biomed-36]

Additionally, the outdated curriculum was seen as misaligned with advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). One student stated:

“… What we learn in our labs is old-fashioned techniques, while Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is following a new protocol that uses automation and AI. So, I believe that we need to get on track with HMC as most of us will be working there after graduation.” [CHS-Biomed-35]

Sub-theme 3.2. Organizational climate and policies

Students generally appreciated the positive university climate and effective communication with the college administration which improves course quality:

“Faculty members and the college administration usually listen to our comments about courses or anything that we want to improve, and by providing a course evaluation at the end of the semester, things get better eventually.” [CPH-2]

Students also valued faculty flexibility with scheduling exams and assignments, and praised the new makeup exam policy which enhances focus on learning:

“Faculty members are very lenient with us. If we want to change the date of the exam or the deadline for any assignment, they agree if everyone in the class agrees. They prioritize the quality of our work over just getting an assignment done.” [CHS-PS-37]

“I am happy with the introduction of makeup exams. Now, we are not afraid of failing and losing a whole year because of a course. I believe that this will help us to focus on topics, not just cramming the knowledge to pass.” [CPH-9]

However, students expressed concerns about the lack of communication between colleges and clinical placements and criticized the lengthy approval process for extracurricular activities:

“There is a contract between QU and HMC, but the lack of communication between them puts students in a grey area. I wish there would be better communication between them.” [CMED-15]

“To get a club approved by QU, you must go through various barriers, and it doesn't work every time. A lot of times you won't get approved.” [CMED-14]

Theme 4. Materialistic component of the learning environment

This theme discussed how physical and virtual learning spaces affect students' learning experiences and professional identity.

Sub-theme 4.1. The physical space for learning

Students explained that the interior design of buildings and the fully equipped laboratory facilities in their programs enhanced focus and learning:

“The design has a calming effect, all walls are simple and isolate the noise, the classrooms are big with big windows, so that the sunlight enters easily, and we can see the green grass. This is very important for focusing and optimal learning outcomes.” [CPH-5]

“In our labs, we have beds and all the required machines for physiotherapy exercises and practical training, and we can practice with each other freely.” [CHS-PS-27]

Students from different emphasized the need for dedicated lecture rooms for each batch and highlighted the importance of having on-site cafeterias to avoid disruptions during the day:

“We don't have lecture rooms devoted to each batch. Sometimes we don't even find a room to attend lectures and we end up taking the lectures in the lab, which makes it hard for us to focus and study later.” [CDEM-23]

“Not having a cafeteria in this building is a negative point. Sometimes we miss the next lecture or part of it if we go to another building to buy breakfast.” [CHS-Nut-29]

Sub-theme 4.2. The virtual space for online learning

Students appreciated the university library's extensive online resources and free access to platforms like Microsoft Teams and Webex for efficient learning and meetings. They valued recorded lectures for flexible study and appreciated virtual webinars and workshops for global connectivity.

“QU Library provides us with a great diversity and a good number of resources, like journals or books, as well as access medicine, massive open online courses, and other platforms that are very useful for studying.” [CMED-16].

“Having your lectures recorded through virtual platforms made it easier to take notes efficiently and to study at my own pace.” [CHS-PS-38]

"I hold a genuine appreciation for the provided opportunities to register in online conferences. I remember during the COVID-19 pandemic, I got the chance to attend an online workshop. This experience allowed me to connect with so many people from around the world." [CMED-15]

Theme 5. Characteristics of an ideal learning environment

This theme explored students’ perceptions of an ideal learning environment and its impact on their professional development and identity.

Sub-theme 5.1. Active learning and professional development supporting environment

Students highlighted that an ideal learning environment should incorporate active learning methods and a supportive atmosphere. They suggested using simulated patients in case-based learning and the use of game-based learning platforms:

“I think if we have, like in ITQAN [a Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center located on the Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City (HBKMC) campus of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)], simulated patients, I think that will be perfect like in an “Integrated Case-Based Learning” case or professional skills or patient assessment labs where we can go and intervene with simulated patients and see what happens as a consequence. This will facilitate our learning.” [CPH-4]

“I feel that ‘Kahoot’ activities add a lot to the session. We get motivated and excited to solve questions and win. We keep laughing, and I honestly feel that the answers to these questions get stuck in my head.” [CHS-PH-38].

Students emphasized the need for more opportunities for research, career planning, and equity in terms of providing resources and opportunities for students:

“Students should be provided with more opportunities to do research, publish, and practice.” [CMED-16]

“We need better career planning and workshops or advice regarding what we do after graduation or what opportunities we have.” [CHS-PS-25]

“I think that opportunities are disproportionate, and this is not ideal. I believe all students should have the same access to opportunities like having the chance to participate in conferences and receiving research opportunities, especially if one fulfills the requirements.” [CHS-Biomed-35]

Furthermore, the students proposed the implementation of mentorship programs and a reward system to enable a better learning experience:

“Something that could enable our personal development is a mentorship program, which our college started to implement this year, and I hope they continue to because it’s an attribute of an ideal learning environment.” [CPH-11]

“There has to be some form of reward or acknowledgments to students, especially those who, for example, have papers published or belong to leading clubs, not just those who are, for example, on a dean’s list because education is much more than just academics.” [CHS-PS-26]

Subtheme 5.2. Supportive physical environment

Participants emphasized that the physical environment of the college significantly influences their learning attitudes. A student said:

“The first thing that we encounter when we arrive at the university is the campus. I mean, our early thoughts toward our learning environment are formed before we even know anything about our faculty members or the provided facilities. So, ideally, it starts here.” [CPH-10]

Therefore, students identified key characteristics of an optimal physical environment which included: having a walkable campus, designated study and social areas, and accessible food and coffee.

“I think that learning in what they refer to as a walkable campus, which entails having the colleges and facilities within walking distance from each other, without restrictions of high temperature and slow transportation, is ideal.” [CPH-8]

“The classrooms and library should be conducive to studying and focusing, and there should also be other places where one can actually socialize and sit with one’s friends.” [CDEM-22]

“It is really important to have a food court or café in each building, as our schedules are already packed, and we have no time to go get anything for nearby buildings.” [CHS-Biomed-34]

Data integration

Table 5 represents the integration of data from the quantitative and qualitative phases. It demonstrates how the quantitative findings informed and complemented the qualitative analysis and explains how quantitative data guided the selection of themes in the qualitative phase. The integration of quantitative and qualitative data revealed both convergences and divergences in students' views of their learning environment. Both data sources consistently indicated that the learning environment supported the development of interpersonal skills, fostered strong relationships with faculty, and promoted an active, student-centered learning approach. This environment was credited with enhancing critical thinking, independence, and responsibility, as well as boosting students' confidence and competence through clear role definitions and constructive faculty feedback.

However, discrepancies emerged between the two phases. Quantitative data suggested general satisfaction with timetables and support systems, while qualitative data uncovered significant dissatisfaction. Although quantitative results indicated that students felt well-prepared and able to memorize necessary material, qualitative findings revealed challenges with concentration and focus. Furthermore, while quantitative data showed contentment with institutional support, qualitative responses pointed to shortcomings in emotional and physical support.

This study examined the perceptions of QU Health students regarding the quality of their learning environment and the characteristics of an ideal learning environment. Moreover, this study offered insights into the development of professional identity, emphasizing the multifaceted nature of learning environments and their substantial impact on professional identity formation.

Perceptions of the learning environment

The findings revealed predominantly positive perceptions among students regarding the quality of the overall learning environment at QU Health and generally favorable perception of all five DREEM subscales, which is consistent with the international studies using the DREEM tool [ 43 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 ]. Specifically, participants engaged in experiential learning expressed heightened satisfaction, which aligns with existing research indicating that practical educational approaches enhance student engagement and satisfaction [ 55 , 56 ]. Additionally, despite limited literature, students without relatives in the same profession demonstrated higher perceptions of their learning environment, possibly due to fewer preconceived expectations. A 2023 systematic review highlighted how students’ expectations influence their satisfaction and academic achievement [ 57 ]. However, specific concerns arose regarding the learning environment, including overemphasis on factual learning in teaching, student fatigue, and occasional boredom. These issues were closely linked to the overwhelming workload and conventional teaching methods, as identified in the qualitative phase.

Association between learning environment and professional identity

This study uniquely integrated the perceptions of the learning environment with insights into professional identity formation in the context of healthcare education which is a relatively underexplored area in quantitative studies [ 44 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. This study demonstrated a positive correlation between students' perceptions of the learning environment (DREEM) and their professional identity development (MCPIS-9) which suggested that a more positive learning environment is associated with enhanced professional identity formation. For example, a supportive and comfortable learning atmosphere (i.e., high SPoA scores) can enhance students' confidence and professional self-perception (i.e., high MCPIS-9 scores). The relationship between these questionnaires is fundamental to this study. The DREEM subscales, particularly Perception of Learning (SpoL) and Academic Self-Perception (SASP), relate to how the learning environment supports or hinders the development of a professional identity, as measured by MCPIS-9. Furthermore, the Perception of Teachers (SpoT) subscale examines how teacher behaviors and attitudes impact students, which can influence their professional identity development. The Perception of Atmosphere (SPoA) and Social Self-Perception (SSSP) subscales evaluate the broader environment and social interactions, which are crucial for professional identity formation as they foster a sense of community and belonging.

Employing a mixed methods approach and analyzing both questionnaires and FGs through the framework outlined by Gruppen et al. highlighted key aspects across four dimensions of the learning environment: personal development, social dimension, organizational setting, and materialistic dimension [ 1 ]. First, the study underscored the significance of both personal development and constructive feedback. IPE activities emerged as a key factor that promotes professional identity by cultivating collaboration and role identification which is consistent with Bendowska and Baum's findings [ 61 ]. Similarly, the positive impact of constructive faculty feedback on student learning outcomes aligned with the work of Gan et al. which revealed that feedback from faculty members positively influences course satisfaction and knowledge retention, which are usually reflected in course results [ 62 ]. Importantly, the research also emphasized the need for workload management strategies to mitigate negative impacts on student well-being, a crucial factor for academic performance and professional identity development [ 63 , 64 ]. The inclusion of community events and support services could play a significant role in fostering student well-being and reducing stress, as suggested by Hoferichter et al. [ 65 ]. Second, the importance of the social dimension of the learning environment was further highlighted by the study. Extracurricular activities were identified as opportunities to develop essential interpersonal skills needed for professional identity, mirroring the conclusions drawn by Achar Fujii et al. who argued that extracurricular activities lead to the development of fundamental skills and attitudes to build and refine their professional identity and facilitate the learning process, such as leadership, commitment, and responsibility [ 66 ]. Furthermore, Magpantay-Monroe et al. concluded that community and social engagement led to professional identity development in nursing students through the expansion of their knowledge and communication with other nursing professionals [ 67 ]. PBL activities were another key element that promoted critical thinking, learning, and ultimately, professional identity development in this study similar to what was reported by Zhou et al. and Du et al. [ 68 , 69 ]. Third, the organizational setting, particularly the curriculum and clinical experiences, emerged as crucial factors. Clinical placements and field trips were found to be instrumental in cultivating empathy and professional identity [ 70 , 71 ]. However, maintaining an up-to-date curriculum that reflects advancements in AI healthcare education is equally important, as highlighted by Randhawa and Jackson in 2019 [ 72 ]. Finally, the study underlined the role of the materialistic dimension of the learning environment. Physical learning environments with natural light and managed noise levels were found to contribute to improved academic performance [ 73 , 74 ]. Additionally, the value of online educational resources, such as online library resources and massive open online course, as tools facilitating learning by providing easy access to materials, was emphasized, which is consistent with the observations of Haleem et al. [ 75 ].

The above collectively contribute to shaping students' professional identities through appreciating their roles, developing confidence, and understanding the interdependence of different health professions. These indicate that a supportive and engaging learning environment is crucial for fostering a strong sense of professional identity. Incorporating these student-informed strategies can assist educational institutions in cultivating well-rounded healthcare professionals equipped with the knowledge, skills, and emotional resilience needed to thrive in the dynamic healthcare landscape. Compared to existing quantitative data, this study reported a lower median MCPIS-9 score of 24.0, in contrast to previously reported scores of 39.0, 38.0, 38.0, respectively. [ 76 , 77 , 78 ]. This discrepancy may be influenced by the fact that the participants were in their second professional year, known for weaker identity development [ 79 ]. Students with relatives in the same profession perceived their identity more positively, which is likely due to role model influences [ 22 ].

Expectations of the ideal educational learning environment

This study also sought to identify the key attributes of an ideal learning environment from the perspective of students at QU-Health. The findings revealed a strong emphasis on active learning strategies, aligning with Kolb's experiential learning theory [ 80 ]. This preference suggests a desire to move beyond traditional lecture formats and engage in activities that promote experimentation and reflection, potentially mitigating issues of student boredom. Furthermore, students valued the implementation of simple reward systems such as public recognition, mirroring the positive impact such practices have on academic achievement reported by Dannan in 2020 [ 81 ]. The perceived importance of mentorship programs resonates with the work of Guhan et al. who demonstrated improved academic performance, particularly for struggling students [ 82 ]. Finally, the study highlighted the significance of a walkable campus with accessible facilities. This aligns with Rohana et al. who argued that readily available and useable facilities contribute to effective teaching and learning processes, ultimately resulting in improved student outcomes [ 83 ]. Understanding these student perceptions, health professions education programs can inform strategic planning for curricular and extracurricular modifications alongside infrastructural development.

The complementary nature of qualitative and quantitative methods in understanding student experiences

This study underscored the benefits of employing mixed methods to comprehensively explore the interplay between the learning environment and professional identity formation as complex phenomena. The qualitative component provided nuanced insights that complemented the baseline data provided by DREEM and MCPIS-9 questionnaires. While DREEM scores generally indicated positive perceptions, qualitative findings highlighted the significant impact of experiential learning on students' perceptions of the learning environment and professional identity development. Conversely, discrepancies emerged between questionnaire responses and FG interviews, revealing deeper issues such as fatigue and boredom associated with traditional teaching methods and heavy workloads, potentially influenced by cultural factors. In FGs, students revealed cultural pressures to conform and stigma against expressing dissatisfaction, which questionnaire responses may not capture. Qualitative data allowed students to openly discuss culturally sensitive issues, indicating that interviews complement surveys by revealing insights overlooked in quantitative assessments alone. These insights can inform the design of learning environments that support holistic student development. The study also suggested that cultural factors can influence student perceptions and should be considered in educational research and practice.

Application of findings

The findings from this study can be directly applied to inform and enhance educational practices, as well as to influence policy and practice sectors. Educational institutions should prioritize integrating active learning strategies and mentorship programs to combat issues such as student fatigue and boredom. Furthermore, practical opportunities, including experiential learning and IPE activities, should be emphasized to strengthen professional identity and engagement. To address these challenges comprehensively, policymakers should consider developing policies that support effective workload management and community support services, which are essential for improving student well-being and academic performance. Collaboration between educational institutions and practice sectors can greatly improve students' satisfaction with their learning environment and experience. This partnership enhances the relevance and engagement of their education, leading to a stronger professional identity and better preparation for successful careers.

Limitations

As with all research, this study has several limitations. For instance, there was a higher percentage of female participants compared to males; however, it is noteworthy to highlight the demographic composition of QU Health population, where students are majority female. Furthermore, the CHS, which is one of the participating colleges in this study, enrolls only female students. Another limitation is the potentially underpowered statistical comparisons among the sociodemographic characteristics in relation to the total DREEM and MCPIS-9 scores. Thus, the findings of this study should be interpreted with caution.

The findings of this study reveal that QU Health students generally hold a positive view of their learning environment and professional identity, with a significant positive correlation exists between students’ perceptions of their learning environment and their professional identity. Specifically, students who engaged in experiential learning or enrolled in practical programs rated their learning environment more favorably, and those with relatives in the same profession had a more positive view of their professional identity. The participants of this study also identified several key attributes that contribute to a positive learning environment, including active learning approaches and mentorship programs. Furthermore, addressing issues like fatigue and boredom is crucial for enhancing student satisfaction and professional development.

To build on these findings, future research should focus on longitudinal studies that monitor changes in the perceptions of students over time and identify the long-term impact of implementing the proposed attributes of an ideal learning environment on the learning process and professional identity development of students. Additionally, exploring the intricate dynamics of learning environments and their impact on professional identity can allow educators to better support students in their professional journey. Future research should also continue to explore these relationships, particularly on diverse cultural settings, in order to develop more inclusive and effective educational strategies. This approach will ensure that health professional students are well-prepared to meet the demands of their profession and provide high-quality care to their patients.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization

European Union

American Council on Education

World Federation for Medical Education

Communities of Practice

Qatar University Health

College of Health Sciences

College of Pharmacy

College of Medicine

Dental Medicine

College of Nursing

Human Nutrition

Biomedical Science

Public Health

Physiotherapy

Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure

Perception to Learning

Perception to Teachers

Academic Self-Perception

Perception of the Atmosphere

Social Self-Perception

Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale

Focus Group

InterProfessional Education

Project-Based Learning

Hamad Medical Corporation

Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City

Artificial Intelligence

Gruppen LD, Irby DM, Durning SJ, Maggio LA. Conceptualizing Learning Environments in the Health Professions. Acad Med. 2019;94(7):969–74.

Article   Google Scholar  

OECD. Trends Shaping Education 2019. 2019.

Rawas H, Yasmeen N. Perception of nursing students about their educational environment in College of Nursing at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Saudi Arabia Med Teach. 2019;41(11):1307–14.

Google Scholar  

Rusticus SA, Wilson D, Casiro O, Lovato C. Evaluating the Quality of Health Professions Learning Environments: Development and Validation of the Health Education Learning Environment Survey (HELES). Eval Health Prof. 2020;43(3):162–8.

Closs L, Mahat M, Imms W. Learning environments’ influence on students’ learning experience in an Australian Faculty of Business and Economics. Learning Environ Res. 2022;25(1):271–85.

Bakhshialiabad H, Bakhshi G, Hashemi Z, Bakhshi A, Abazari F. Improving students’ learning environment by DREEM: an educational experiment in an Iranian medical sciences university (2011–2016). BMC Med Educ. 2019;19(1):397.

Karani R. Enhancing the Medical School Learning Environment: A Complex Challenge. J Gen Intern Med. 2015;30(9):1235–6.

Adams K, Hean S, Sturgis P, Clark JM. Investigating the factors influencing professional identity of first-year health and social care students. Learn Health Soc Care. 2006;5(2):55–68.

Brown B, Crawford P, Darongkamas J. Blurred roles and permeable boundaries: the experience of multidisciplinary working in community mental health. Health Soc Care Community. 2000;8(6):425–35.

Hendelman W, Byszewski A. Formation of medical student professional identity: categorizing lapses of professionalism, and the learning environment. BMC Med Educ. 2014;14(1):139.

Jarvis-Selinger S, MacNeil KA, Costello GRL, Lee K, Holmes CL. Understanding Professional Identity Formation in Early Clerkship: A Novel Framework. Acad Med. 2019;94(10):1574–80.

Sarraf-Yazdi S, Teo YN, How AEH, Teo YH, Goh S, Kow CS, et al. A Scoping Review of Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education. J Gen Intern Med. 2021;36(11):3511–21.

Lave J, Wenger E. Learning in Doing: Social, cognitive and computational perspectives. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1991. https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/situatedlearning/6915ABD21C8E4619F750A4D4ACA616CD#overview .

Wenger, E. Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University; 1998.

Eberle J, Stegmann K, Fischer F. Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Communities of Practice: Participation Support Structures for Newcomers in Faculty Student Councils. J Learn Sci. 2014;23(2):216–44.

Graven M, Lerman S, Wenger E. Communities of practice: Learning, meaning and identity. J Math Teacher Educ. 1998;2003(6):185–94.

Brown T, Williams B, Lynch M. The Australian DREEM: evaluating student perceptions of academic learning environments within eight health science courses. Int J Med Educ. 2011;2:94.

International standards in medical education: assessment and accreditation of medical schools'--educational programmes. A WFME position paper. The Executive Council, The World Federation for Medical Education. Med Educ. 1998;32(5):549–58.

Frank JR, Taber S, van Zanten M, Scheele F, Blouin D, on behalf of the International Health Professions Accreditation Outcomes C. The role of accreditation in 21st century health professions education: report of an International Consensus Group. BMC Medical Education. 2020;20(1):305.

Trede F, Macklin R, Bridges D. Professional identity development: A review of the higher education literature. Stud High Educ. 2012;37:365–84.

de Lasson L, Just E, Stegeager N, Malling B. Professional identity formation in the transition from medical school to working life: a qualitative study of group-coaching courses for junior doctors. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16(1):165.

Findyartini A, Greviana N, Felaza E, Faruqi M, Zahratul Afifah T, Auliya FM. Professional identity formation of medical students: A mixed-methods study in a hierarchical and collectivist culture. BMC Med Educ. 2022;22(1):443.

Cruess RL, Cruess SR, Boudreau JD, Snell L, Steinert Y. A schematic representation of the professional identity formation and socialization of medical students and residents: a guide for medical educators. Acad Med. 2015;90(6):718–25.

Prashanth GP, Ismail SK. The Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure: A prospective comparative study of undergraduate medical students’ and interns’ perceptions in Oman. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2018;18(2):e173–81.

Helou MA, Keiser V, Feldman M, Santen S, Cyrus JW, Ryan MS. Student well-being and the learning environment. Clin Teach. 2019;16(4):362–6.

Brown T, Williams B, McKenna L, Palermo C, McCall L, Roller L, et al. Practice education learning environments: the mismatch between perceived and preferred expectations of undergraduate health science students. Nurse Educ Today. 2011;31(8):e22–8.

Wasson LT, Cusmano A, Meli L, Louh I, Falzon L, Hampsey M, et al. Association Between Learning Environment Interventions and Medical Student Well-being: A Systematic Review. JAMA. 2016;316(21):2237–52.

Aktaş YY, Karabulut N. A Survey on Turkish nursing students’ perception of clinical learning environment and its association with academic motivation and clinical decision making. Nurse Educ Today. 2016;36:124–8.

Enns SC, Perotta B, Paro HB, Gannam S, Peleias M, Mayer FB, et al. Medical Students’ Perception of Their Educational Environment and Quality of Life: Is There a Positive Association? Acad Med. 2016;91(3):409–17.

Rodríguez-García MC, Gutiérrez-Puertas L, Granados-Gámez G, Aguilera-Manrique G, Márquez-Hernández VV. The connection of the clinical learning environment and supervision of nursing students with student satisfaction and future intention to work in clinical placement hospitals. J Clin Nurs. 2021;30(7–8):986–94.

QU Health QU. QU Health Members https://www.qu.edu.qa/sites/en_US/health/members2020 . Accessed 11 May 2024.

QU Health QU. Vision and Mission https://www.qu.edu.qa/sites/en_US/health/2018 . Accessed 11 May 2024.

Schoonenboom J, Johnson RB. How to Construct a Mixed Methods Research Design. Kolner Z Soz Sozpsychol. 2017;69(Suppl 2):107–31.

Almeida F. Strategies to perform a mixed methods study. Eur J Educ Stud. 2018;5(1):137–51. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1406214 .

Roff S, McAleer S, Harden RM, Al-Qahtani M, Ahmed AU, Deza H, et al. Development and validation of the Dundee ready education environment measure (DREEM). Med Teach. 1997;19(4):295–9.

Woodside AG. Book Review: Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement. J Mark Res. 1993;30(2):259–63.

Creswell JW, Poth CN. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design Choosing among Five Approaches. 4th Edition, Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2018.

Fetters MD, Curry LA, Creswell JW. Achieving integration in mixed methods designs-principles and practices. Health Serv Res. 2013;48(6 Pt 2):2134–56.

Dunne F, McAleer S, Roff S. Assessment of the undergraduate medical education environment in a large UK medical school. Health Educ J. 2006;65(2):149–58.

Koohpayehzadeh J, Hashemi A, Arabshahi KS, Bigdeli S, Moosavi M, Hatami K, et al. Assessing validity and reliability of Dundee ready educational environment measure (DREEM) in Iran. Med J Islam Repub Iran. 2014;28:60.

Shehnaz SI, Sreedharan J. Students’ perceptions of educational environment in a medical school experiencing curricular transition in United Arab Emirates. Med Teach. 2011;33(1):e37–42.

Zawawi A, Owaiwid L, Alanazi F, Alsogami L, Alageel N, Alassafi M, et al. Using Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) to evaluate educational environments in Saudi Arabia. Int J Med Develop Countr. 2022;1:1526–33.

McAleer S, Roff S. A practical guide to using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM). AMEE medical education guide. 2001;23(5):29–33.

Soemantri D, Herrera C, Riquelme A. Measuring the educational environment in health professions studies: a systematic review. Med Teach. 2010;32(12):947–52.

Matthews J, Bialocerkowski A, Molineux M. Professional identity measures for student health professionals–a systematic review of psychometric properties. BMC Med Educ. 2019;19(1):1–10.

Worthington M, Salamonson Y, Weaver R, Cleary M. Predictive validity of the Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale for undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2013;33(3):187–91.

Cowin LS, Johnson M, Wilson I, Borgese K. The psychometric properties of five Professional Identity measures in a sample of nursing students. Nurse Educ Today. 2013;33(6):608–13.

Brown R, Condor S, Mathews A, Wade G, Williams J. Explaining intergroup differentiation in an industrial organization. J Occup Psychol. 1986;59(4):273–86.

Proudfoot K. Inductive/Deductive Hybrid Thematic Analysis in Mixed Methods Research. J Mixed Methods Res. 2022;17(3):308–26.

Kossioni A, Varela R, Ekonomu I, Lyrakos G, Dimoliatis I. Students’ perceptions of the educational environment in a Greek Dental School, as measured by DREEM. Eur J Dent Educ. 2012;16(1):e73–8.

Leman M. Conctruct Validity Assessment of Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measurement (Dreem) in a School of Dentistry. Jurnal Pendidikan Kedokteran Indonesia: The Indonesian Journal of Medical Education. 2017;6:11.

Mohd Said N, Rogayah J, Hafizah A. A study of learning environments in the kulliyyah (faculty) of nursing, international islamic university malaysia. Malays J Med Sci. 2009;16(4):15–24.

Ugusman A, Othman NA, Razak ZNA, Soh MM, Faizul PNK, Ibrahim SF. Assessment of learning environment among the first year Malaysian medical students. Journal of Taibah Univ Med Sci. 2015;10(4):454–60.

Zamzuri A, Ali A, Roff S, McAleer S. Students perceptions of the educational environment at dental training college. Malaysian Dent J. 2004;25:15–26.

Ye J-H, Lee Y-S, He Z. The relationship among expectancy belief, course satisfaction, learning effectiveness, and continuance intention in online courses of vocational-technical teachers college students. Front Psychol. 2022;13: 904319.

Ashby SE, Adler J, Herbert L. An exploratory international study into occupational therapy students’ perceptions of professional identity. Aust Occup Ther J. 2016;63(4):233–43.

Al-Tameemi RAN, Johnson C, Gitay R, Abdel-Salam A-SG, Al Hazaa K, BenSaid A, et al. Determinants of poor academic performance among undergraduate students—A systematic literature review. Int J Educ Res Open. 2023;4:100232.

Adeel M, Chaudhry A, Huh S. Physical therapy students’ perceptions of the educational environment at physical therapy institutes in Pakistan. jeehp. 2020;17(0):7–0.

Clarke C, Martin M, Sadlo G, de-Visser R. The development of an authentic professional identity on role-emerging placements. Bri J Occupation Ther. 2014;77(5):222–9.

Hunter AB, Laursen SL, Seymour E. Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students’ cognitive, personal, and professional development. Sci Educ. 2007;91(1):36–74.

Bendowska A, Baum E. The significance of cooperation in interdisciplinary health care teams as perceived by polish medical students. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023;20(2):954.

Gan Z, An Z, Liu F. Teacher feedback practices, student feedback motivation, and feedback behavior: how are they associated with learning outcomes? Front Psychol. 2021;12: 697045.

Sattar K, Yusoff MSB, Arifin WN, Mohd Yasin MA, Mat Nor MZ. A scoping review on the relationship between mental wellbeing and medical professionalism. Med Educ Online. 2023;28(1):2165892.

Yangdon K, Sherab K, Choezom P, Passang S, Deki S. Well-Being and Academic Workload: Perceptions of Science and Technology Students. Educ Res Reviews. 2021;16(11):418–27.

Hoferichter F, Kulakow S, Raufelder D. How teacher and classmate support relate to students’ stress and academic achievement. Front Psychol. 2022;13: 992497.

Achar Fujii RN, Kobayasi R, Claassen Enns S, Zen Tempski P. Medical Students’ Participation in Extracurricular Activities: Motivations, Contributions, and Barriers. A Qualitative Study. Advances in Medical Education and Practice. 2022;13:1133–41. https://doi.org/10.2147/amep.s359047 .

Magpantay-Monroe ER, Koka O-H, Aipa K. Community Engagement Leads to Professional Identity Formation of Nursing Students. Asian/Pacific Island Nurs J. 2020;5(3):181.

Zhou F, Sang A, Zhou Q, Wang QQ, Fan Y, Ma S. The impact of an integrated PBL curriculum on clinical thinking in undergraduate medical students prior to clinical practice. BMC Med Educ. 2023;23(1):460.

Du X, Al Khabuli JOS, Ba Hattab RAS, Daud A, Philip NI, Anweigi L, et al. Development of professional identity among dental students - A qualitative study. J Dent Educ. 2023;87(1):93–100.

Zulu BM, du Plessis E, Koen MP. Experiences of nursing students regarding clinical placement and support in primary healthcare clinics: Strengthening resilience. Health SA Gesondheid. 2021;26:1–11. https://doi.org/10.4102/hsag.v26i0.1615 .

McNally G, Haque E, Sharp S, Thampy H. Teaching empathy to medical students. Clin Teach. 2023;20(1): e13557.

Randhawa GK, Jackson M. The role of artificial intelligence in learning and professional development for healthcare professionals. Healthc Manage Forum. 2019;33(1):19–24.

Cooper AZ, Simpson D, Nordquist J. Optimizing the Physical Clinical Learning Environment for Teaching. J Grad Med Educ. 2020;12(2):221–2.

Gad SE-S, Noor W, Kamar M. How Does The Interior Design of Learning Spaces Impact The Students` Health, Behavior, and Performance? J Eng Res. 2022;6(4):74–87.

Haleem A, Javaid M, Qadri MA, Suman R. Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review. Sustain Operation Comput. 2022;3:275–85.

Faihs V, Heininger S, McLennan, S. et al. Professional Identity and Motivation for Medical School in First-Year Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study. Med Sci Educ. 2023;33:431–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-023-01754-7 .

Johnston T, Bilton N. Investigating paramedic student professional identity. Australasian J Paramed. 2020;17:1–8.

Mumena WA, Alsharif BA, Bakhsh AM, Mahallawi WH. Exploring professional identity and its predictors in health profession students and healthcare practitioners in Saudi Arabia. PLoS ONE. 2024;19(5): e0299356.

Kis V. Quality assurance in tertiary education: Current practices in OECD countries and a literature review on potential effects. Tertiary Review: A contribution to the OECD thematic review of tertiary education. 2005;14(9):1–47.

Kolb D. Experiential learning as the science of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall; 1984.

Dannan A. The Effect of a Simple Reward Model on the Academic Achievement of Syrian Dental Students. International Journal of Educational Research Review. 2020;5(4):308–14.

Guhan N, Krishnan P, Dharshini P, Abraham P, Thomas S. The effect of mentorship program in enhancing the academic performance of first MBBS students. J Adv Med Educ Prof. 2020;8(4):196–9.

Rohana K, Zainal N, Mohd Aminuddin Z, Jusoff K. The Quality of Learning Environment and Academic Performance from a Student’s Perception. Int J Business Manag. 2009;4:171–5.

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all students who participated in this study.

This work was supported by the Qatar University Internal Collaborative Grant: QUCG-CPH-22/23–565.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

Banan Mukhalalati, Aaliah Aly, Ola Yakti, Sara Elshami, Ahmed Awaisu, Alla El-Awaisi & Derek Stewart

College of Dental Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

College of Health Sciences, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

Ahsan Sethi

College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha, Qatar

Marwan Farouk Abu-Hijleh

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Zubin Austin

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Contributions

Study conception and design: BM, and SE; data collection: BM, OY, AA, and AD; analysis and interpretation of results: all authors; draft manuscript preparation: all authors. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Banan Mukhalalati .

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate.

The data of human participants in this study were conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Qatar University Institutional Review Board (approval number: QU-IRB 1734-EA/22). All participants provided informed consent prior to participation.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's note.

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Supplementary material 1, rights and permissions.

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ .

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Mukhalalati, B., Aly, A., Yakti, O. et al. Examining the perception of undergraduate health professional students of their learning environment, learning experience and professional identity development: a mixed-methods study. BMC Med Educ 24 , 886 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05875-4

Download citation

Received : 03 July 2024

Accepted : 08 August 2024

Published : 16 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-05875-4

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Learning Environment
• Professional Identity
• Healthcare Professions Education
• Gruppen et al. Framework

BMC Medical Education

ISSN: 1472-6920

• Submission enquiries: [email protected]
• General enquiries: [email protected]

Ministry urged to revise learning and teaching approach

KOTA KINABALU (Aug 18): The Education Ministry has been urged to immediately revise the learning and teaching approach of primary school syllabus to address the drop in the enrolment numbers of students opting for the Science stream in secondary schools.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) chief publicity officer Simon Chin said this is to ensure our country is able to produce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) talents that could compete at the global level.

“Although the number of Science graduates is on a decline annually, we cannot ignore the fact that Mathematics is fundamental in nurturing Science talents.”

“Under the current education system, many students find Mathematics boring and thus lack interest in learning the subject.

“This is because the teaching approach emphasizes more on imparting knowledge to the students, rather than sparking their interests and creativity.”

He pointed out that the conventional teaching method is inclined towards a one-way approach whereby students are taught to remember the formulas, theorems and solutions through repeated drilling by the teachers. “While this approach enables some students to master the basic skills within a short period of time, it is ineffective in encouraging a more proactive approach in learning, which discourages students from committing to deeper learning in Mathematics over time.”

In addition, Chin said the existing textbook context focuses more on theories rather than application in real world situations.

He said the disconnect between theory and practice makes it hard for students to apply what they have learned into their daily lives, which leads them to perceive that there is no use for Science or Mathematics subjects at all.

“It is also important to review the teaching methods as different students require different approaches in learning.

“We could introduce more diversified teaching strategies, such as interactive learning, project-based learning or gamification, to cater for the different needs of students and inspire them to learn.”

He pointed out that an interesting teaching approach is crucial to enhance students’ interests in STEM.

“Studies have shown that students absorb knowledge better when they learn in a relaxed, happy environment.”

He proposed four research-backed strategies to improve the teaching and learning of Mathematics.

The first is gamified learning that incorporates Mathematics elements in entertaining games to increase students’ participation and sense of accomplishment.

For instance, he said teachers could introduce Mathematics contests, brain games or math mazes in order for students to find joy in problem solving.

“This approach will not only boost their interests in learning, but also enhance their mathematical abilities.”

The second strategy is project-based learning that connects Mathematics to real world situations, he said.

For instance, he said teachers could instruct students to work out a ‘family budget’, in which the students learn to calculate their incomes and expenditures.

“This method will help students see the relevance of Mathematics in their daily lives and improve their ability to solve real problems.”

The third approach is interdisciplinary teaching whereby Mathematics is taught in combination with other subjects, he explained.

As an example, Chin said geometry and arts could be combined so that students do not only learn about the subject, but also get to create artworks.

“This learning approach will not only expand the students’ mindset, but also make them realize the diverse and practical usage of Mathematics.”

The fourth strategy is situational learning whereby students learn Mathematics in real or mock scenarios. For instance, he said teachers could design a mock shopping scenario in which students have to complete their shopping mission by calculating the prices of goods and quantities.

“This learning approach will make Mathematics more relevant to their daily lives, thereby enhancing students’ motivation to learn.”

Chin emphasized that nurturing students’ interests in STEM is not only important to their future careers, but also has a far-fetching impact on our country’s progress.

“Mathematics and Science are cornerstones of technological advancement.

“The demand for STEM talents is going to increase drastically following the rapid development in cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data and quantum computing.

“If we are able to cultivate pupils’ interest and ability in STEM at a young age, they will have a higher chance of succeeding in these fields and contribute to technological innovations in our country in the future.

“Science and Mathematics are vital to enhance our nation’s competitiveness.”

Chin pointed out that the strength of a country is not only reflected by its economic and military powers, but also its education and human capital.

By improving our education approach, the country will be able to produce more innovative STEM talents that could put our country in a better position to compete globally.

“Continuous education reform and innovation is the only way to produce globally competitive Science and Mathematics talents who can adapt to progress and realize technological advancement and social progress in our country.”

Sponsored links

• Teaching Methods

Teaching Methods and Students' Academic Performance

• September 2013

• Maxima Research Analytics

Abstract and Figures

Discover the world's research

• 25+ million members
• 160+ million publication pages
• 2.3+ billion citations
• Zheng Ning Looi

• Huai Tein Lim
• Sing Yan Looi
• D P Mardhatillah
• S M Setiana
• Fikru Gurmu

• Adula Bekele Hunde
• Simona Horanicova

• Andrea Madarasova Geckova

• Samson Oduola
• Salman Abdul Moiz

• Ogunfunwa Florence
• Jainalyn Annong-Aksan

• Onyukwu Chima Onyedineke
• Mangut Mankilik

• Gebregziabher Kahssay

• Sally Hudson-Ross
• Patti McWhorter

• G. I. Feletti

• Recruit researchers
• Join for free
• Login Email Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google Welcome back! Please log in. Email · Hint Tip: Most researchers use their institutional email address as their ResearchGate login Password Forgot password? Keep me logged in Log in or Continue with Google No account? Sign up

Trending Topics

• Columbia president steps down

Get JTA's Daily Briefing in your inbox

I accept the JTA Privacy Policy .

By submitting the above I agree to the privacy policy and terms of use of JTA.org

Tim Walz wrote a master’s thesis on Holocaust education, just as his own school’s approach drew criticism

In Judi Agustin’s freshman year at Mankato West High School, her teacher instructed her to wear a yellow star.

It was part of a Holocaust curriculum at the school, located in a remote area of Minnesota with barely any Jews. For a week, freshmen were asked to wear the yellow stars, which were reminiscent of the ones the Nazis made the Jews wear. Seniors played the part of the Gestapo, charged with persecuting the “Jews.”

Unlike everyone else in her class in the 2001-2002 school year, Agustin was Jewish. The experience “was incredibly hurtful and offensive and scary,” she recalled on Tuesday. Her father complained to the district, and wrote a letter to the local paper decrying the lesson.

In response, she recalled, a teacher intervened. That teacher, according to her recollection: current vice presidential nominee Tim Walz.

“When Tim Walz found out about it, he squashed it real quick, and as far as I understand they never did it again,” Agustin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “So he was an advocate for my experience, as one of four Jewish kids in the entire school district. And I always felt like he had our back.”

A progressive favorite in Minnesota, where he is now governor, Walz is also heralded for his background as a public school educator. Lesser known is the fact that, while teaching in rural, largely white Midwestern school districts, Walz developed a particular interest in Holocaust and genocide education.

Walz is on the campaign trail this week with Vice President Kamala Harris, his running mate, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment. JTA could not independently verify that he was the teacher who stopped the Mankato West lesson.

But it’s clear that how to teach the Holocaust well has occupied Walz for decades. In 1993, while teaching in Nebraska, he was part of an inaugural conference of U.S. educators convened by the soon-to-open U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Eight years later, after moving to Minnesota, he wrote a thesis arguing for changes in Holocaust education. And as governor, he backed a push to mandate teaching about the Holocaust in Minnesota schools.

Through it all, Walz modeled and argued for careful instruction that treated the Holocaust as one of multiple genocides worth understanding.

“Schools are teaching about the Jewish Holocaust, but the way it is traditionally being taught is not leading to increased knowledge of the causes of genocide in all parts of the world,” Walz wrote in his thesis, submitted in 2001.

The thesis was the culmination of Walz’s master’s degree focused on Holocaust and genocide education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, which he earned while teaching at Mankato West. His 27-page thesis, which JTA obtained, is titled “Improving Human Rights and Genocide Studies in the American High School Classroom.”

In it, Walz argues that the lessons of the “Jewish Holocaust” should be taught “in the greater context of human rights abuses,” rather than as a unique historical anomaly or as part of a larger unit on World War II. “To exclude other acts of genocide severely limited students’ ability to synthesize the lessons of the Holocaust and the ability to apply them elsewhere,” he wrote.

He then took a position that he noted was “controversial” among Holocaust scholars: that the Holocaust should not be taught as unique, but used to help students identify “clear patterns” with other historical genocides like the Armenian and Rwandan genocides.

Walz was describing, in effect, his own approach to teaching the Holocaust that he implemented in Alliance, Nebraska, years earlier. In the state’s remote northwest region, Walz asked his global geography class to study the common factors that linked the Holocaust to other historical genocides , including economic strife, totalitarian ideology and colonialism. The year was 1993. At year’s end, Walz and his class correctly predicted that Rwanda was most at risk of sliding into genocide.

“The Holocaust is taught too often purely as a historical event, an anomaly, a moment in time,” Walz Told the New York Times in 2008, reflecting on those Alliance lessons. “That relieves us of responsibility. Obviously, the mastermind was sociopathic, but on the scale for it to happen, there had to be a lot of people in the country who chose to go down that path.”

In his thesis, he noted that he intended to bring this curriculum to the Mankato school district as a “sample unit.” But another kind of lesson was unfolding there at the same time.

For years at Mankato West, high school students had been engaged in a peculiar lesson that was, all the same, not unusual for its time: In an effort to teach students who had never met a Jewish person what it might have been like to live under the Nazis, teachers had them role play.

For a week, freshmen wore the yellow stars, and seniors playing the Gestapo were given permission to torment them.

Such lessons had been going on since at least the 1990s, recalled Leah Solo, a Jewish student who graduated from Mankato West in 1998. For Solo, these lessons weren’t so bad.

“People knew I was Jewish, people knew to be sensitive around me,” Solo told JTA. Her teacher, who was not Walz and whom she liked, “was doing his best to try to teach a really hard subject to folks who had no idea. Most of these kids had never met a Jew before.” In her senior year she was given the choice of whether she wanted to play a Nazi or another kind of role, and chose the latter.

Things were different by the time Agustin took the class several years later. By then, the Holocaust role-playing wasn’t just limited to the confines of the classroom.

“They could come up to you in the lunchroom,” recalled Anne Heintz, a fellow student at the time. Local students whispered about the lesson before they got to high school, she said.

One senior, in Agustin’s recollection, got violent and started shoving the “Jewish” freshmen into lockers.

Outraged, her father wrote a letter to the local newspaper, and some parents complained to the school district. Agustin left the high school after her sophomore year. None of this happened in Walz’s classroom, according to the students, and Heintz recalled that the lessons had ended by the time she graduated in 2004.

“I’m not sure what his involvement was. I know it just ended,” Heintz, who is not Jewish, told JTA. “He was teaching at the time it ended.”

JTA could not verify whether Walz knew about the lessons, which had been going on for years, before they were stopped. A spokesperson for the high school told JTA they “don’t have any information” on the details of the lessons, but noted, “When Governor Walz was at Mankato West High School he was primarily a Global Geography Teacher and Football Coach. Subjects such as the Holocaust were taught in history courses.”

Agustin’s father, Stewart Ross, told JTA that he did not recall Walz being involved. Neither did Bob Ihrig, one of the teachers who taught the lesson as part of a World War II unit. He said it continued in a limited, classroom-only version until his retirement in 2014.

Ross, Ihrig and all three Mankato West High students spoke highly of Walz as a teacher and community leader, though only one, Heintz, actually had him in the classroom.

“What I remember most is, he always made all the subjects that we talked about super engaging,” she said. “It always seemed like he was able to make a subject really exciting for folks and really engage everyone in class. And I think that is part of how he speaks now that he’s on a national stage as well.”

Solo, who had Walz’s wife Gwen for a different class, took a student trip led by the couple to China, where Tim Walz taught for a year early in his career. She recalled how, in 2004, Walz stood up for her when she was working with John Kerry’s presidential campaign and security for a George W. Bush rally tried to boot them from the premises.

“When security also tried to kick him out, he was like, ‘I am a former Teacher of the Year who just returned from being deployed. I don’t think you want to kick me out,’” Solo recalled, describing an incident that made local news at the time. “And then after the rally, he came and signed up to volunteer with the Kerry campaign, because he did not appreciate that.”

Volunteering with Kerry’s campaign led directly to Walz’s entrance into politics . Solo would go on to work for Walz’s congressional campaigns.

Walz stuck with teaching as he began his political career; when he was elected to represent Mankato in 2006, he was the only active educator in Congress.

Last year, as Minnesota’s governor, Walz returned to Holocaust education, and supported and signed a law requiring the state’s middle and high schools to teach about the Holocaust. The law, initiated and championed by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, also encourages schools to teach about other genocides. A working group for the curriculum hit snags earlier this summer when a pro-Palestinian activist was removed from the committee amid debates on whether Israel’s conduct in Gaza constitutes genocide.

The mandate is still anticipated to go into effect in the 2025-2026 school year. “This is going to work out, this is going to be good, because the governor and his staff are highly attuned to the concerns and sensitivities of the Jewish community,” Ethan Roberts, the JCRC’s deputy executive director, told JTA.

Speaking at a JCRC event in June, Walz said he had been “privileged and proud” to have participated in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum training early in his career. But he said more needed to be done, and he emphasized that the curriculum chosen to accomplish the requirement would determine its success.

“We need to do better on Holocaust education. We need to do better on ethnic studies,” he told the crowd. “And I tell you this as a teacher and as governor, too, we don’t need test scores or anything to tell us that we’re failing.”

It was the kind of message that former Mankato West students said they came to expect from him.

“He is what you hope a great teacher is,” said Solo, “which is someone who’s not only teaching, but also learning at all times.”

With additional reporting by Jackie Hajdenberg. 

Correction and updates (Aug. 8): This story has been corrected to remove a reference to Tim Walz as department chair. It has also been updated to reflect additional sources about Holocaust instruction at Mankato West High School.

Share this:

Recommended from jta.

Israel, Gaza and Josh Shapiro: What we’re watching for during the Democratic National Convention

Barbra Streisand, Susie Essman and 30,000 others join ‘Jewish women for Kamala’ call

Pittsburgh Jewish groups hope to quash a referendum that would force the city to boycott Israel

In speech about antisemitism, Trump blames Harris and focuses on anti-Israel forces

Nearly 100 US rabbis and cantors urge Netanyahu to finalize deal to free remaining hostages

Tel Aviv’s ‘Hostage Square’ is coming to Chicago for the DNC — whether or not a pro-Israel march gets a permit

• Future Students
• Parents/Families
• Alumni/Friends
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff
• MyOHIO Student Center
• Visit Athens Campus
• Regional Campuses
• OHIO Online
• Faculty/Staff Directory
• University Community
• Research & Impact
• Alumni & Friends
• Search All News
• OHIO Today Magazine
• Colleges & Campuses
• For the Media

Helpful Links

Navigate OHIO

Connect With Us

OHIO instructors invited to fall semester kickoff event

Ohio University instructors are invited to join the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CTLA) for a fall semester kickoff event that features colleagues highlighting effective scholarly teaching and a session focusing on methods for decreasing the load of grading to make more time for learning.

Fall Semester Kickoff: A Focus on Teaching Effectiveness and Efficiency will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 21, in Walter Hall, Room 235. 

The CTLA annually organizes a kickoff for the academic year designed to be practical and inspirational, as well as offer a time for faculty and teaching support administrators and staff to gather.

The agenda for the event

1:30 to 1:40 p.m. - Welcome and an Introduction to Teaching Excellence @ OHIO

• Katie Hartman, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

1:40 to 1:55 p.m. - Balancing Teaching and Research: OHIO as a T1R1 University

• Dave Nguyễn, Dean of University College

1:55 to 2:20 p.m. - From Intuition to Evidence: What it means to be a scholarly teacher

• Jeremy Henkel, CTLA Associate Director for Faculty Programming

2:20 to 2:25 p.m. - Break

2:25 to 3:10 p.m. - Faculty Panel: Scholarly Teaching Approaches for Implementation Tomorrow (or Later in the Semester)

• Creating and Facilitating Effective Teams
• Involving Students in Research
• Experiential Learning Strategies
• Active Learning Do's and Don'ts
• Providing Actionable Feedback

3:10 to 3:15 p.m. - Break

3:15 to 4 p.m. - Grading Efficiencies: Save Time to Make Time for Student Learning

• CTLA Staff and Faculty Fellows

Registration is now open here. Please contact the CTLA with any questions or assistance registering.

The event will be recorded for those who are not able to attend in person.