One of the primary aims of tertiary institutions is the intellectual, moral and personal development of students. This demands a study of the student as a whole.
Student developmental theories were used as method of approach in the present study. As cognitive styles also play a role in the general and academic development of students, attention was also given to the integration of several perspectives on learning approaches and cognitive styles.
The primary aim of this study was to gather information about student learning in order to optimize student learning at tertiary institutions. Focus was placed on the relationship between study course and study attitude, general adjustment, achievement motivation, cognitive styles and learning approaches. These variables were tested by the application of a biographical questionnaire; the Survey of Study. Habits and Attitudes; the PHSF Relations Questionnaire; an achievement motivation questionnaire (PM questionnaire) and two questionnaires that were not standarized for use in South Africa, namely the Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and the Study Process Questionnaire (SPQ) on a group of novice first year students in the non professional courses at the University of Pretoria. The latter two measuring instruments were therefore evaluated for application in South Africa. The construct validity was estimated by using factor analysis. The reliability of the SPQ was estimated by employing the Kuder-Richardson Formulae 20 and the reliability of the LSI was estimated by the split-half approach (Spearman-Brown method). The results proved the construct validity and reliability of the SPQ. The construct validity and reliability of the LSI could however not be proved.
Discriminatory analysis, one-way analysis of variance and post-hoc comparisons were further used as statistical techniques in the study.
The results identified the SPQ, PHSF, LSI and to a lesser degree the SSHA as predictors for the discrimination between the study courses. Achievement motivation could not discriminate between the different study courses.
Suggestions that were made concerned the following aspects: (1) cognitive skills; (2) learning skills; (3) motivation; (4) study attitude; (5) adjustment.
It was also suggested that a valid and reliable measuring instrument should be obtained or developed for the measuring of cognitive styles.
