Access policy and approaches to learning

This UK study, using second- and third-year undergraduate business students as subjects, investigated the effects of differences in entry qualifications, gender and age on their approaches to learning. The research instrument used was a 30-item, Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (Tait and Entwistle, 1995). Differences between the groups were examined using repeated measures analysis of variance. No statistically significant differences were found between students directly entering university in second- or third-year from further education colleges compared with those who had already studied successfully at university for one or two years. Statistically significant age and gender differences were found in students' approaches to learning. The implications for institutional admissions policies are discussed.