Approaches to Studying: A Cross-Sectional Comparison of Occupational Therapy Students in Six Education Programs in Norway

Students' approaches to studying have been associated with their academic performance. Although previous research suggests that the cultural and educational context may infuence approaches to studying, few studies have investigated differences in study approaches across education programs. The aim of this study was to examine whether approaches to studying differed among occupational therapy students enrolled in six different educational programs in Norway. From a population of 308 students, 187 frst-year occupational therapy students in six educational programs in Norway were recruited. The students provided their sociodemographic information and completed the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), and group differences were analyzed with Chi-square tests and one-way analyses of variance. Scores on the deep and surface approach scales did not differ signifcantly among the students in the six educational programs, while there was an overall difference in scores on the strategic approach scale. Group differences regarding the subscales were minor, and only a few of the pairwise differences reached statistical signifcance. Differences at the education program level appear not to be important for the interpretation of differences in study approaches among students. Comments The authors report that they have no conficts of interest to disclose. Keywords frst-year students, higher education, learning context Cover Page Footnote The authors would like to thank the students who volunteered to take part in this study. In addition, we thank Var Mathisen, at UiT, The Arctic University of Norway; and Kjersti Velde Helgoy, at VID Specialized University, who contributed to the data collection for this study. Complete Author List Astrid Gramstad, Lene Angell Asli, Susanne G. Johnson, Trine A. Magne, Tove Carstensen, Gry Mork, Linda Stigen, and Tore Bonsaksen Professor Copyright transfer agreements are not obtained by The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). Reprint permission for this Topics in Education should be obtained from the corresponding author(s). Click here to view our open access statement regarding user rights and distribution of this Topics in Education. DOI: 10.15453/2168-6408.1683