Relationships among Civil Engineering Students’ Approaches to Learning, Perceptions of the Teaching–Learning Environment, and Study Success

Abstract

This study examines the relationship among civil engineering students’ approaches to learning, their perceptions of the teaching–learning environment, and their study success. The aim was to identify civil engineering students’ approaches to learning and how their approaches to learning are related to their perceptions of the learning–teaching environment and their study success. The data of the study consist of the students’ answers to a questionnaire (n=215) and their study success data (n=204), which were gathered from their university’s study register. The study success data consist of the cumulative study credits and weighted averages of their course grades. The students were classified into four clusters according to their approaches to learning. Differences in their perceptions of the teaching–learning environment and study success between the clusters were statistically significant. Students who belonged to clusters that emphasized the deep approach to learning experienced their teaching–learning environment more positively than did other students. Students who belonged to clusters emphasizing organized studying earned more credits and higher marks in their studies than did other students.