Effect of learning and teaching preference approaches on academic performance among Malaysian accounting students

• Main Authors: Abdul Malek, N.A (Author), Zakaria, M. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Horizon Research Publishing 2019
• Subjects: Academic; Approaches; Learning; Performance; Preference; Student; Teaching
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher; View in Scopus

 Academic performance is an important indicator of a student’s achievement in accomplishing educational objectives specifically for learning and teaching. Many factors have been linked to academic performance; however, there are inconclusive results over as to whether individual factor contributes the most effect. In pursuit of this, the study aims to decipher students’ academic performance in relation to learning and teaching preference approaches. 324 sets of a questionnaire were randomly sent to first year undergraduate accounting students. From this amount, 263 students responded, contributing to 81.2 percent rate of response. The study adapted the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) questionnaire that identify three learning approaches (deep, strategic and surface), two teaching preference approaches (deep and surface) and academic performance achievements. Data were analysed using Sequential Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart Partial Least Square (PLS) version two. Results indicate that learning approaches had a significant effect on academic performance in which strategic had the most effect, followed by deep and surface. In contrast, teaching preference approaches did not have any effect on academic performance. An understanding of the magnitude of effect of learning and teaching preference approaches at the early phase would assist the students, educators and institutions to optimize the best approach and eventually expedite Malaysian education quality to be on par with other developed nations in pursuit of academic excellence. Copyright©2019 by authors, all rights reserved.