Statistically significant differences in approaches to learning can constitute small effects of little theoretical or practical importance¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2017 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In Richardson's cross-sectional study of 3861 distance-learning students, age differences in deep, strategic, and surface approaches were highly significant but small on Cohen's benchmarks. → John T. E. Richardson 2017

Evidence¶

John T. E. Richardson 2017¶

John T. E. Richardson. (2017). Student Learning in Higher Education: a Commentary. Educational Psychology Review, 29, 353–362. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-017-9410-x

q2 · i? · review · r2

The commentary reports Richardson's (2013) cross-sectional study using data from 3861 distance-learning students across the adult life span: age differences in deep, strategic, and surface approaches were highly significant but only small effects on Cohen's benchmarks, so age is not an important determinant. No effect size value is printed here.

"He found age differences in the students ’ use of a deep approach, a strategic approach, and a surface approach that all achieved a high level of statistical significance. Nevertheless, on Cohen ’s benchmarks, these variations only constituted small effects of little or no theoretical or practical importance"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Problem-based curricula enhance deep approaches and discourage surface approaches compared with subject-based curricula — related
• Learning techniques have much smaller effects on deep learning and far transfer than on surface learning and near transfer — related
• Achievement goals show small consistent correlations with academic achievement, positive for approach goals and negative for avoidance goals — related
• Cohen's small, medium, and large effect size benchmarks are arbitrary and should not be interpreted rigidly — related
• Deep approaches to learning correlate positively and surface approaches negatively with academic achievement — related