Learning Approaches Related to Perception of Assessment in Students at Higher Education Level

Abstract

The students' perception of classroom assessment impacts their approaches towards learning. Therefore, it is a demand for Higher education institutions to reassess their assessment procedures to face the challenges posed by the changing world, and to increase the competencies of the students for their workplaces in the future. The present study aims to correlate students’ learning approaches and their perception of assessment task at higher education level, using canonical analysis. The sample consisted of 468 master level students, selected randomly, of 10 general universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Results showed that students relied on surface strategies, leading to cramming, which was allied with a high degree of authenticity of assessment. Alternate assessment strategies like peer and self-assessment can encourage conceptual learning in students and turn will help them become competent at the workplace.