ABSTRACT

This study explores university students’ perceptions of factors that hinder student learning with particular attention to students’ discipline (STEM vs non-STEM) and ethnicity. A sample of 1684 university students in New Zealand participated in this study. Students’ responses to an open-ended question were first inductively coded and then quantitatively analyzed using Chi-square independence test and logistic regression. The findings identified several situational, dispositional, and institutional factors that hinder student learning, among them financial difficulties and work commitments, health, and family issues were more dominant. These factors are perceived differently by students of different disciplines and ethnicities. For instance, Asian students were less likely to refer to financial difficulties and work commitments compared to the other ethnicities, whereas Pasifika and then Māori students perceived family issues more than other ethnic groups. STEM major students were more likely to believe the teaching quality restricts their learning than their non-STEM counterparts. The study findings have several educational and well-being implications for diverse bodies of students in tertiary education.

摘要

本研究探讨了大学生对阻碍学生学习的因素的看法，特别关注学生的学科（STEM 与非 STEM）和种族。新西兰的 1684 名大学生样本参与了这项研究。首先对学生对开放式问题的回答进行归纳编码，然后使用卡方独立性检验和逻辑回归进行定量分析。调查结果确定了阻碍学生学习的几个情境、性格和制度因素，其中包括经济困难和工作承诺、健康和家庭问题更为突出。不同学科和种族的学生对这些因素的看法不同。例如，与其他族裔相比，亚洲学生不太可能提及经济困难和工作承诺，而太平洋岛民和毛利族学生比其他族裔更关注家庭问题。与非 STEM 专业的学生相比，STEM 专业的学生更有可能认为教学质量会限制他们的学习。研究结果对高等教育中的不同学生群体具有若干教育和福祉影响。