Recent research in student learning has focussed on areas of individual differences such as the cognition of causal attributions and attributional styles. Studies in these areas have flourished in the last two decades and have received much attention especially within the context of academic setting. Academic causal attributions reflect the ways students perceive and explain the causes for their academic outcomes. It has been reported that causal attributions have influence on students' emotional responses, performance, and motivation depending on the locus of causality, stability and controllability. Research findings have also suggested that causal attributions are related with a number of variables including self-concept, learning approaches and achievement outcomes. This study investigates into a group of Hong Kong preservice student teachers' causal attributions and their implications for teacher educators. The participants' attributional dimensions were assessed by McAuley's Causal Dimension Scale (II) which comprised four subscales: locus of causality, personal control, stability and external control. The results showed that the internal consistency reliability estimates were of adequate value for research purposes. Construct validity was tested by confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL 8 and the goodness of fit indices supported the factor structure of the scale. Statistical results also showed that the participants scored lower in locus of causality and personal control but scored higher in stability and external control. On comparison with other local university students, these student teachers were shown to be less internal in locus of causality and have a weaker belief in personal control. They also showed higher scores in both stability and external control than their university counterparts. It is suggested that teacher educators could help facilitate the development of an adaptive attributional style which emphasizes internality and personal control

Modern classroom learning models have delineated that student characteristics factors, the teaching context and the learning process all have important influence on learning outcomes. Biggs' 3P model of classroom learning has provided a comprehensive conception of the interrelationships of the various components involved. It has also provided a conceptual framework for many studies in student learning in recent years. Following Biggs' conceptual model, this study investigates students' personality characteristics, the learning context as perceived by learners, the way they go about studying and the influence they cast on achievement outcomes. Previous studies have shown that motivational orientations, self-esteem, and the way students approach their learning have effects on their academic achievement. Contextual factors such as course demand, workload pressure or method of assessment also contribute to the final learning outcomes. A number of studies have investigated the nature and the interrelationships of these variables following the quantitative paradigm. While the quantitative approach provides objective, scientific evidence, the opportunity for probing deeper into the phenomenological experiences of the learners is limited. It was believed that an investigation using a qualitative method would bring more light to the subject under study. This study adopts a qualitative approach making use of interview analysis to tap deeper into the causal attributions, self-concept, perceived environment and learning approaches of Hong Kong university students. The objective was to examine the complexities of these characteristics and their impact on academic achievement. The interview sample consisted of 36 students drawn from the construction and engineering discipline in one of the universities in Hong Kong. Of the 36 students, half were high achievers and half low achievers who represented the top 10% and the bottom 10% range of academic results respectively. The author carried

A survey study was conducted to examine the relationship among achievement goal orientations, study strategies and achievement of a sample of teacher education students in Hong Kong. Multivariate data analyses showed there was no significant difference in achievement goal orientations across discipline and programme groups but there was a significant difference in achievement goals between male and female students. The difference was found in performance goal. Analysis of the study strategies showed no significant difference across gender, discipline and programme groups. Correlational and path analysis shown learning goal was significantly and positively related to deep strategy but negatively and significantly related to surface strategy. Performance goal was significantly related to both surface and deep strategies. However, academic achievement was not significantly related to learning and performance goals or surface and deep strategies. The results were discussed in terms of socio-cultural factors and implications were drawn for teaching and learning as well as future directions of research.
[Copyright © 2005 De La Salle University, Philippines.]

A survey was conducted with 604 pre-service teacher education students in Hong Kong to examine their epistemological beliefs, conceptions about teaching and learning, and the relationships between these beliefs and conceptions. For epistemological beliefs, the students tended to conceive knowledge as tentative, attained by effort rather than given by authority or limited by ability. They endorsed the constructivist conception more than the traditional conception about teaching and learning. Structural equation modeling and path analysis showed that epistemological beliefs predict students’ conceptions about teaching and learning. Helping teachers understand their epistemological beliefs would subsequently facilitate them to adopt appropriate instructional approach.