Papers by Gert Vanthournout
Because of an increasing quality concern for higher education, additional attention is being paid... more Because of an increasing quality concern for higher education, additional attention is being paid to new educational principles with a more student-and competencecentred vision. Project-based education is one of the learning environments congruent with these principles. Ideally, the students in this learning environment are assessed by suitable assessment modes, like peer assessment and co-assessment. This article evaluates this obviousness critically, focusing on how instructors and students perceive these project-based learning environments and group-based assessment methods. The main conclusion is that it seems very difficult to create a complete assessment procedure in which both parties' assessment expectations are being met. This is due to crucial contradictions in opinions about assessment in project-based education.
Proceedings of the 13th annual conference of the European Learning Styles Information Network, 2008
Research indicates that inciting a deep approach to learning in all students is far from obvious.... more Research indicates that inciting a deep approach to learning in all students is far from obvious. To gain more insight in the development of students' approaches to learning, the idea of 'study approach profiles', conceptualised as 'similar patterns in approaches to learning adopted by subgroups of students', is explored. This study therefore aims at answering the following questions:(RQ1) Do students change their approaches to learning after experience with a learning environment?(RQ2) What study approach-profiles can be ...
Zowel in Vlaanderen als in Nederland is er de laatste jaren een verhoogde interesse voor begeleid... more Zowel in Vlaanderen als in Nederland is er de laatste jaren een verhoogde interesse voor begeleidingsinitiatieven in het eerste jaar van het hoger onderwijs. In leertrajectbegeleiding staat het reflecteren van studenten centraal. Leertrajectbegeleiding wordt beschouwd als een middel om eerstejaarsstudenten wegwijs te maken in de uitdagende eisen van het hoger onderwijs en hen op lange termijn voor te bereiden op levenslang leren. Er blijven echter nog heel wat vraagtekens bestaan over de vorm, inhoud en het effect van ...
Vocations and Learning
Workplace learning is becoming a central tenet for a large proportion of today’s employees. This ... more Workplace learning is becoming a central tenet for a large proportion of today’s employees. This seems especially true for so-called knowledge workers. Today, it remains unclear how differences in the quality of workplace learning are affected by differences in perception of the workplace environment and the motivation of knowledge workers to learn. Moreover, the possible role of motivation as a mediating factor between workplace climate factors and learning is underexplored. This paper therefore investigates direct and indirect links between perceptions of the workplace climate, motivation to learn and approaches to learning in the workplace. Knowledge workers (N = 202) in one knowledge intensive organisation were questioned using existing and adapted questionnaires to measure learning approaches, motivation and workplace climate. Correlations and multivariate regression analyses were carried out to assess direct relationships amongst variables. Path analysis was carried out to ass...
Teaching and Teacher Education
This study investigates the motives for teacher attrition of newly qualified teachers who never s... more This study investigates the motives for teacher attrition of newly qualified teachers who never started a teaching career and those dropping out after a short period. A survey was conducted among teachers with (N = 154) and without (N = 81) teaching experience. Five reasons for attrition were discerned: job satisfaction, school policies, workload, future prospects and relations with parents. The results demonstrated that a lack of future prospects was the predominant reason for attrition. The effect of teaching experience was significant for most motives, in addition to the impact of gender or teaching qualification. Teachers with experience do not take exit decisions lightly.
Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 2015
ABSTRACT The current study investigates the direct and indirect relations between motivation to p... more ABSTRACT The current study investigates the direct and indirect relations between motivation to participate, as measured by self-determination theory, goal orientation at the start of the training and use of self-regulation strategies during a formal training. In total, 717 employees completed a questionnaire that consisted of existing scales that were adapted and validated for the context of work-related learning. Results show a positive direct relation between autonomous motivation and a mastery-approach goal orientation, and the use of self-regulation strategies. A significant indirect relation of autonomous motivation through a mastery-approach goal orientation was also found. In addition, results pointed to a negative impact of work-avoidance goal orientation on the use of self-regulation strategies. The latter approach also fully mediated the relation between controlled motivation and a-motivation on the one hand and self-regulated learning on the other. These results point towards the complexity of the relation between motivational dimensions and quality of learning in work-related learning. Zusammenfassung In der vorliegenden Studie werden direkte und indirekte Beziehungen zwischen der selbst- versus fremdbestimmten Motivation zur Weiterbildungsteilnahme, Zielorientierungen zu Beginn der Weiterbildung und Nutzung von Selbstregulationsstrategien während der Weiterbildung untersucht. Insgesamt nahmen 717 Arbeitsnehmer an der Studie teil. Die genannten Konstrukte wurden mithilfe etablierter Skalen erfasst, die für das Lernen im beruflichen Kontext adaptiert wurden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen positiven Zusammenhang zwischen selbstbestimmter Teilnahmemotivation, Lernzielorientierung und dem Einsatz von Selbstregulationsstrategien. Selbstbestimmte Teilnahmemotivation und Selbstregulationsstrategien zeigten darüber hinaus einen signifikanten über Lernzielorientierung vermittelten indirekten Zusammenhang. Die Ergebnisse weisen zudem auf einen negativen Einfluss von Arbeitsvermeidungszielorientierung auf den Einsatz von Selbstregulationsstrategien hin. Arbeitsvermeidungszielorientierung vermittelte auch den Effekt fremdbestimmter Teilnahmemotivation bzw. Amotivation auf den Einsatz von Selbstregulationsstrategien. Insgesamt weist die Studie damit auf eine hohe Komplexität der Zusammenhänge zwischen Motivation und Lernqualität im beruflichen Kontext hin.
Teaching and Teacher Education, 2014
Vocations and Learning, 2014
ABSTRACT Workplace learning is becoming a central tenet for a large proportion of today’s employe... more ABSTRACT Workplace learning is becoming a central tenet for a large proportion of today’s employees. This seems especially true for so-called knowledge workers. Today, it remains unclear how differences in the quality of workplace learning are affected by differences in perception of the workplace environment and the motivation of knowledge workers to learn. Moreover, the possible role of motivation as a mediating factor between workplace climate factors and learning is underexplored. This paper therefore investigates direct and indirect links between perceptions of the workplace climate, motivation to learn and approaches to learning in the workplace. Knowledge workers (N = 202) in one knowledge intensive organisation were questioned using existing and adapted questionnaires to measure learning approaches, motivation and workplace climate. Correlations and multivariate regression analyses were carried out to assess direct relationships amongst variables. Path analysis was carried out to assess the mediating role of motivation. Results show that both workplace climate factors and motivation directly influence employees’ approaches to learning. Some direct relationships between workplace climate factors and motivation were also uncovered. Results regarding the mediating role of motivation showed that the effect of good supervision on deep learning is completely mediated by autonomous motivation. The effect of choice independence on deep learning approach is partially mediated by the same motivational drive. A-motivation was found to partially mediate the link between good supervision and a surface disorganised approach. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Enhancing academic development practice: International perspectives, 2006
Associatie KULeuven. ...
status: accepted, 2006
Associatie KULeuven. ...
... 16, 2010; 2010). De studiewijzer. Geyskens, Jelle; Vanthournout, Gert (in: Praktijkboek activ... more ... 16, 2010; 2010). De studiewijzer. Geyskens, Jelle; Vanthournout, Gert (in: Praktijkboek activerend hoger onderwijs; 2009). Assessment getoetst: nieuwe evaluatievormen en studieaanpak. Gijbels, David; Vanthournout, Gert (Examens ...
... Understanding learning pattern development in higher education: lessons from longitudinal res... more ... Understanding learning pattern development in higher education: lessons from longitudinal research designs. Vanthournout, Gert; Donche, Vincent; Gijbels, David; Petegem, Van, Peter (in: Learning in higher education: how style matters / Charlesworth, ZM [edit.]; et al. ...
Higher Education Studies, 2014
The aim of the present study is to explore changes both in approaches to learning as well as in s... more The aim of the present study is to explore changes both in approaches to learning as well as in students' experiences of the teaching-learning environment and how these changes are related to each other during their Bachelor studies by using a longitudinal data set. The aim is further to explore how students' approaches to learning and their perceptions of the teaching-learning environment relate to study success. Participants comprised of 103 students at the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences who participated in the present study from the first to third year of their Bachelor degree studies. We used a modified version of the ETLQ questionnaire and conducted Confirmatory factor analyses on scales representing approaches to learning and the teaching-learning environment at both measurements. We investigated changes at the group level using a paired sample t-test and conducted the final analysis with regression analyses. We then used Structural Equation Modelling to analyse the relationship between approaches to learning, perceptions of the teaching-learning environment, and study success. The results showed an increase in the deep approach to learning and a decrease in students' perceptions of teaching for understanding. Organised studying and interest in studies were related to study success. The results reveal the existence of complex relations between changes in approaches to learning and perceptions of the teaching-learning environment.
Studies in Educational Evaluation, 2013
ABSTRACT The present study explores the development of students’ assessment preferences by invest... more ABSTRACT The present study explores the development of students’ assessment preferences by investigating how these preferences evolve after experiencing an assessment development center in a veterinary gross anatomy course. The sample in this study consists of 42 students in the second year of a Bachelor's degree in medical veterinary science, enrolled in a ‘gross anatomy course’. Data were collected in a pre-test–post-test design using the Assessment Preferences Inventory. The results indicates that students’ experience with an assessment and development centre can result in the development of students’ assessment preferences towards assessment formats testing more ‘higher order’ skills. Results of this explorative study should not be overstated, however, due to sample size and research design.
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Papers by Gert Vanthournout