The Relationship between International Higher Education Students’ Writing Conceptions and Approaches to Learning

Authors

  • Yufan Yin University of Helsinki
  • Anna Parpala University of Helsinki
  • Auli Toom University of Helsinki

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2023.14.03.04

Keywords:

writing conceptions, approaches to learning, student learning, international students, higher education

Abstract

Writing is challenging for international students, who often possess inadequate writing skills and are required to adapt to the new learning environment. Students’ approaches to learning have been shown to relate to some constructs of writing conceptions. Nevertheless, little research exists on the relationship between such conceptions and approaches to learning. This study explores writing conceptions, approaches to learning, and their interrelationship among international students. The data were collected from 162 international students at a research-intensive Finnish university using the HowULearn Questionnaire and the Writing Process Questionnaire. Data analysis included bivariate correlations, confirmatory factor analysis, t-test, latent profile analysis, and ANOVA tests. The results demonstrated how approaches to learning correlated with the writing conceptions of the participants. Three profiles were identified: deep and organised students (72.8%), deep and unorganised students (14.2%), and unreflective and unorganised students (13.0%). These profiles were statistically different in all writing conceptions, including blocks, procrastination, perfectionism, innate ability, knowledge transforming and productivity. Overall, students’ ability to reflect on their learning and organise their studying played an important role in their writing conceptions. Based on the findings, the study provides strategies for developing writing for international students and suggestions for enhancing teaching in host universities.

References

Afzal, S., & Jami, H. (2018). Prevalence of Academic Procrastination and Reasons for Academic Procrastination in University Students. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 28, 51-69.

Alshehri, A. S. (2020). The impact of perfectionism trait on anxiety and academic procrastination among international Saudi Arabian students studying in United States Universities. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 13(23), 2282–2293. https://doi.org/10.17485/IJST/v13i23.657

Andrade, M. S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education, 5(2), 131–154.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240906065589

Ashby, J. S., & Gnilka, P. B. (2017). Multidimensional perfectionism and perceived stress: Group differences and test of a coping mediation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 119, 106–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.07.012

Asikainen, H., Salmela-Aro, K., Parpala, A., & Katajavuori, N. (2019). Learning profiles and their relation to study-related burnout and academic achievement among university students. Learning and Individual Differences, 78, 101781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101781

Bastug, M., Ertem, I. S., & Keskin, H. K. (2017). A phenomenological research study on writer’s block: Causes, processes, and results. Education + Training, 59(6), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-11-2016-0169

Bereiter, C., & Scardamalia, M. (1987). The psychology of written composition. Hillsdale, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Biggs, J., Kember, D., & Leung, D. Y. P. (2001). The revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire: R-SPQ-2F. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 71(1), 133–149. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709901158433

Björk, L., Bräuer, G., Rienecker, L. & Stray Jörgensen, P. (2003). Teaching Academic Writing in European Higher Education: An Introduction. In L. Björk, G. Bräuer, L. Rienecker, & P. S. Jörgensen (Eds.), Teaching Academic Writing in European Higher Education (Vol. 12, pp. 1–15).

Boice, R. (1993). Writing blocks and tacit knowledge. Journal of Higher Education, 64(1), 19-54. https://doi.org/10.2307/2959976

Burnam, A., Komarraju, M., Hamel, R., & Nadler, D. R. (2014). Do adaptive perfectionism and self-determined motivation reduce academic procrastination? Learning and Individual Differences, 36, 165–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.10.009

Castelló, M., McAlpine, L., & Pyhältö, K. (2017). Spanish and UK post-PhD researchers: Writing perceptions, well-being and productivity. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(6), 1108–1122. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1296412

Cerrato Lara, M. (2014). Writing conceptions and psychological well-being in Ph.D. studies: students’ perspectives. Ramon Llull University. http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/145505

Cerrato Lara, M., Castelló, M., Garcia Velazquez, R., & Lonka, K. (2017). Validation of the Writing Process Questionnaire in Two Hispanic Populations: Spain and Mexico. Journal of Writing Research, 9(2), 151-171. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2017.09.02.03

Cheung, K., Yip, T. L., Wan, C. L. J., Tsang, H., Zhang, L. W., & Parpala, A. (2020). Differences in study workload stress and its associated factors between transfer students and freshmen entrants in an Asian higher education context. PLOS ONE, 15(5), e0233022.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233022

Cho, H. J., Levesque-Bristol, C., & Yough, M. (2021). International students’ self-determined motivation, beliefs about classroom assessment, learning strategies, and academic adjustment in higher education. Higher Education, 81(6), 1215–1235.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00608-0

Choudaha, R. (2017). Three waves of international student mobility (1999–2020). Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 825–832. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2017.1293872

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences (2nd Ed). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Collins, L. M., & Lanza, S. T. (2010). Latent class and latent transition analysis: With applications in the social behavioral, and health sciences. New York: Wiley.

Cook, E., Kennedy, E., & McGuire, S. Y. (2013). Effect of Teaching Metacognitive Learning Strategies on Performance in General Chemistry Courses. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(8), 961–967. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed300686h

Entwistle, N. (1988). Motivational factors in students' approaches to learning. In R. R. Schmeck (Ed.), Perspectives on individual differences. Learning strategies and learning styles (p. 21–51). Plenum Press.

Entwistle, N. (2009). Teaching for understanding at university: Deep approaches to learning and distinctive ways of thinking. London: Palgrave.

Entwistle, N. & McCune, V. (2004). The conceptual bases of study strategy inventories. Educational Psychology Review, 16(4), 325-345. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-004-0003-0

Entwistle, N., V. McCune, & J. Hounsell (2003). Investigating ways of enhancing university teaching-learning environments: Measuring students' approaches to studying and perceptions of teaching. In E. De Corte, L. Verschaffel, N. Entwistle, J. van Merriënboer (Eds.), Powerful learning environments: Unraveling basic components and dimensions (pp. 89-109). Pergamon.

Entwistle, N., McCune, V. & Sheja, M. (2006). Student Learning in Context: Understanding the Phenomenon and the Person. In L. Verschaffel, F. Dochy, M. Boekaerts, S. Vosniadou (Ed.) Instructional Psychology. Past, Present, and Future Trends: Sixteen Essays in Honour of Eric De Corte (pp. 131–148). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Entwistle, N., & Ramsden, P. (1983). Understanding student learning. London: Croom Helm.

Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2002). Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Flett, G. L., Stainton, M., Hewitt, P. L., Sherry, S. B., & Lay, C. (2012). Procrastination Automatic Thoughts as a Personality Construct: An Analysis of the Procrastinatory Cognitions Inventory. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 30(4), 223–236. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-012-0150-z

Fryer, L. K., & Vermunt, J. D. (2018). Regulating approaches to learning: Testing learning strategy convergences across a year at university. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 88(1), 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12169

Gijbels, D., Van der Watering, G., Dochy, F., & Van den Bossche, P. (2005). The relationship between students’ approaches to learning and the assessment of learning outcomes. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 20(4), 327–341.

https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03173560

Grunschel, C., Patrzek, J., & Fries, S. (2013). Exploring reasons and consequences of academic procrastination: An interview study. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28(3), 841–861. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-012-0143-4

Haarala-Muhonen, A., Ruohoniemi, M., Parpala, A., Komulainen, E., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2017). How do the different study profiles of first-year students predict their study success, study progress and the completion of degrees? Higher Education, 74(6), 949–962. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0087-8

Hailikari, T., Katajavuori, N., & Asikainen, H. (2021). Understanding procrastination: A case of a study skills course. Social Psychology of Education, 24(2), 589–606.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-021-09621-2

Hailikari, T. K., & Parpala, A. (2014). What impedes or enhances my studying? The interrelation between approaches to learning, factors influencing study progress and earned credits. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(7), 812–824. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.934348

Herrmann, K. J., Bager-Elsborg, A., & Parpala, A. (2017). Measuring perceptions of the learning environment and approaches to learning: Validation of the learn questionnaire. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 61(5), 526–539.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2016.1172497

Hewitt, P. L., & Flett, G. L. (1991). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(3), 456–470. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.60.3.456

Hoppe, J. D., Prokop, P., & Rau, R. (2018). Empower, not impose! —Preventing academic procrastination. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 46(2), 184–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/10852352.2016.1198172

Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118

Hyland, K. (2013). Writing in the university: Education, knowledge and reputation. Language Teaching, 46(1), 53-70. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444811000036

Kember, D., Biggs, J., & Leung, D. Y. P. (2004). Examining the multidimensionality of approaches to learning through the development of a revised version of the Learning Process Questionnaire. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74(2), 261–279.

https://doi.org/10.1348/000709904773839879

Kettle, M. (2011). Academic practice as explanatory framework: Reconceptualising international student academic engagement and university teaching. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 32(1), 1–14.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2011.537067

Kim, E., Alhaddab, T. A., Aquino, K. C., & Negi, R. (2016). Delaying academic tasks? predictors of academic procrastination among Asian international students in American universities. Journal of International Students, 6(3), 817-824.

Košíková, M., Loumová, V., Kovaľová, J., Vašaničová, P., & Bondarenko, V. M. (2019). A Cross-Culture Study of Academic Procrastination and Using Effective Time Management. Periodica Polytechnica Social and Management Sciences, 28(2), 121–128.

https://doi.org/10.3311/PPso.13348

Lee, J. J., Hitchcock, C., & Elliott Casal, J. (2018). Citation practices of L2 university students in first-year writing: Form, function, and stance. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 33, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.01.001

Lee, G., Park, T. I., & Cho, H. (2020). Maladaptive Perfectionism and College Adjustment of International Students in Korea: A Moderated Mediation Model of Social Support. Sustainability, 12(11), 4729. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114729

Lin, S.-Y., & Scherz, S. D. (2014). Challenges Facing Asian International Graduate Students in the US: Pedagogical Considerations in Higher Education. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 16–33. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v4i1.494

Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Parpala, A., & Postareff, P. (2018). What constitutes the surface approach to learning in the light of new empirical evidence? Studies in Higher Education, 44(12), 2183–2195. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1482267

Lonka, K. (1996). The writing process questionnaire. Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki.

Lonka, K. (2003). Helping Doctoral Students to Finish Their Theses. In L. Björk, G. Bräuer, L. Rienecker, & P. S. Jörgensen (Eds.), Teaching Academic Writing in European Higher Education (Vol. 12, pp. 113–131). https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-48195-2_9

Lonka, K., Chow, A., Keskinen, J., Hakkarainen, K., Sandström, N., & Pyhältö, K. (2014). How to measure PhD. students’ conceptions of academic writing – and are they related to well-being? Journal of Writing Research, 5(3), 245-269. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2014.05.03.11

Lonka, K., Ketonen, E., Vekkaila, J., Cerrato Lara, M., & Pyhältö, K. (2019). Doctoral students’ writing profiles and their relations to well-being and perceptions of the academic environment. Higher Education, 77(4), 587–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0290-x

Lonka, K., Sharafi, P., Karlgren, K., Masiello, I., Nieminen, J., Birgegård, G., & Josephson, A. (2008). MED NORD - a tool for measuring medical students' well-being and study orientations. Medical Teacher, 30(1), 72-79. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421590701769555

Lowinger, R. J., Kuo, B. C. H., Song, H.-A., Mahadevan, L., Kim, E., Liao, K. Y.-H., Chang, C. Y., Kwon, K.-A., & Han, S. (2016). Predictors of Academic Procrastination in Asian International College Students. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(1), 90–104.

https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1110036

Martínez-Fernández, J. R., Corcelles, M., Bañales, G., Castelló, M., & Gutiérrez-Braojos, C. (2017). Exploring conceptions about writing and learning: Undergraduates’ patterns of beliefs and the quality of academic writing. Electronic Journal of Research in Education Psychology, 14(1), 107-130. https://doi.org/10.25115/ejrep.38.15045

Marton, F., Hounsell, D., & Entwistle, N. J. (Eds.). (1984). The Experience of learning. Scottish Academic Press.

Singh, M. K. M. (2015). International Graduate Students’ Academic Writing Practices in Malaysia: Challenges and Solutions. Journal of International Students, 5(1), 12–22. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v5i1.439

Milgram, N. (Noach), Mey-Tal, G., & Levison, Y. (1998). Procrastination, generalised or specific, in college students and their parents. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(2), 297–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8869(98)00044-0

Niemelä, H., & Naukkarinen, J. (2020). On the Rocky Road to Academia: Stumbling Blocks for Finnish Engineering Students with English as a Second Language. International Journal of Engineering Pedagogy (IJEP), 10(6), 36-56. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijep.v10i6.14559

OECD (2020a). Education at a Glance 2020: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en

OECD (2020b). International student mobility (indicator). doi: 10.1787/4bcf6fc3-en (Accessed on 14 September 2020).

Paavola, S., Lipponen, L., & Hakkarainen, K. (2004). Models of Innovative Knowledge Communities and Three Metaphors of Learning. Review of Educational Research, 74(4), 557–576. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074004557

Palmquist, M., & Young, R. (1992). The Notion of Giftedness and Student Expectations about Writing. Written Communication, 9(1), 137–168.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088392009001004

Parpala, A. & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2012). Using a research instrument for developing quality at the university. Quality in Higher Education, 18(3), 313-328.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2012.733493

Parpala, A., Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Komulainen, E., Litmanen, T., & Hirsto, L. (2010). Students’ Approaches to Learning and Their Experiences of the Teaching-Learning Environment in Different Disciplines. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(2):269–82.

https://doi.org/10.1348/000709909X476946

Parpala, A., Mattsson, M., Herrmann, K. J., Bager-Elsborg, A., & Hailikari, T. (2021). Detecting the Variability in Student Learning in Different Disciplines—A Person-Oriented Approach. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 1–18.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1958256

Phakiti, A., & Li, L. (2011). General Academic Difficulties and Reading and Writing Difficulties among Asian ESL Postgraduate Students in TESOL at an Australian University. RELC Journal, 42(3), 227–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688211421417

Postareff, L., Mattsson, M., & Parpala, A. (2018). The effect of perceptions of the teaching-learning environment on the variation in approaches to learning - Between-student differences and within-student variation. Learning and Individual Differences, 68, 96–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.10.006

Pyhältö, K., Nummenmaa, A. R, Soini, T., Stubb, J., & Lonka, K. (2012). Research on scholarly communities and development of scholarly identity in Finnish doctoral education. In S. Ahola & D. M. Hoffman (Eds.), Higher education research in Finland. Emerging structures and contemporary issues (pp. 337-357). Jyväskylä: Jyväskylä University Press.

Rabin, L. A., Fogel, J., & Nutter-Upham, K. E. (2011). Academic procrastination in college students: The role of self-reported executive function. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 33(3), 344–357. https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2010.518597

Ramburuth, P., & McCormick, J. (2001). Learning diversity in higher education: A comparative study of Asian international and Australian students. Higher Education, 42(3), 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017982716482

Rosenberg, J., Beymer, P., Anderson, D., van Lissa, C. j., & Schmidt, J. (2018). tidyLPA: An R Package to Easily Carry Out Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) Using Open-Source or Commercial Software. Journal of Open Source Software, 3(30), 978.

https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.00978

Ruohoniemi, M., Forni, M., Mikkonen, J., Parpala, A. (2017). Enhancing quality with a research-based student feedback instrument: a comparison of veterinary students' learning experiences in two culturally different European universities. Quality in Higher Education, 23(3), 249-263. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538322.2017.1407401

Rytkönen, H., Parpala, A., Lindblom-Ylänne, S., Virtanen, V., & Postareff, L. (2012). Factors affecting bioscience students’ academic achievement. Instructional Science, 40(2), 241–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-011-9176-3

Sakurai, Y., Parpala, A., Pyhältö, K., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2016). Engagement in learning: A comparison between Asian and European international university students. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 46(1), 24-47.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2013.866837

Sakurai, Y., Pyhältö, K., & Lindblom-Ylänne, S. (2014). Are Chinese university students more likely to exhibit a Surface approach to learning than other international students in Finland? Journal of Research in International Education, 13(2), 135–148.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240914540119

Sala-Bubaré, A., Peltonen, J. A., Pyhältö, K., & Castelló, M. (2018). Doctoral Candidates’ Research Writing Perceptions: A Cross-National Study. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 13, 327–345. https://doi.org/10.28945/4103

Sanders-Reio, J., Alexander, P. A., Reio, T. G., & Newman, I. (2014). Do students’ beliefs about writing relate to their writing self-efficacy, apprehension, and performance? Learning and Instruction, 33, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2014.02.001

Sarid, M., Peled, Y., & Vaknin-Nusbaum, V. (2021). The relationship between second language college students’ perceptions of online feedback on draft-writing and academic procrastination. Reading and Writing, 34(5), 1247–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-020-10111-8

Sawyer, K. (2009). Writing as a collaborative act. In S.B. Kaufman & J.C. Kaufman (Eds.), The psychology of creative writing (pp. 166-179). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sæle, R. G., Dahl, T. I., Sørlie, T., & Friborg, O. (2017). Relationships between learning approach, procrastination and academic achievement amongst first-year university students. Higher Education, 74(5), 757–774. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-016-0075-z

Solomon, L. J., & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: Frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31(4), 503–509.

https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.31.4.503

Stoeber, J., & Otto, K. (2006). Positive Conceptions of Perfectionism: Approaches, Evidence, Challenges. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10(4), 295–319.

https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr1004_2

Suh, H., Hong, J., Rice, K., & Kelly, V. (2020). International and Domestic Graduate Student Satisfaction with Life: Application of the Perfectionism Diathesis-Stress Model. Journal of International Students, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i1.2679

Sun, H., & Richardson, J. T. E. (2012). Perceptions of quality and approaches to studying in higher education: A comparative study of Chinese and British postgraduate students at six British business schools. Higher Education, 63(3), 299–316. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-011-9442-y

Tynjälä, P., Mason, L., & Lonka, K. (2001). Writing as a Learning Tool: An Introduction. In P. Tynjälä, L. Mason, & K. Lonka (Eds.), Writing as a Learning Tool (Vol. 7, pp. 7–22).

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0740-5_2

de Wit, H., Ferencz, I., & Rumbley, L. E. (2012). International student mobility: European and US perspectives. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603108.2012.679752

Wolters, C. A., Won, S., & Hussain, M. (2017). Examining the relations of time management and procrastination within a model of self-regulated learning. Metacognition and Learning, 12(3), 381–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-017-9174-1

Zhu, C., Valcke, M., & Schellens, T. (2008). A cross-cultural study of Chinese and Flemish university students: Do they differ in learning conceptions and approaches to learning? Learning and Individual Differences, 18(1), 120–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif. 2007.07.004

Zorbaz, K. Z. (2015). The Effects of Various Variables on University Students’ Writer’s Block Levels. The Anthropologist, 21(1–2), 311–322.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09720073.2015.11891820

Published

2023-02-10

How to Cite

Yin, Y., Parpala, A., & Toom, A. (2023). The Relationship between International Higher Education Students’ Writing Conceptions and Approaches to Learning. Journal of Writing Research, 14(3), 421–446. https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2023.14.03.04

Issue

Section

Articles