Approaches to Learning among Trainee Teachers: Malaysian Experiences

Studies reported that there were deficiencies in educational outcomes among students in terms of their critical thinking, communication and problem solving skills. These deficiencies are thought to be related to students’ learning approaches that affect their ability to think critically and thus decrease academic performance. Hence, this study intends to examine the learning approaches used by the trainee teachers of UiTM; and whether any relationship exists between trainee teachers’ learning approaches and academic achievement. A total of 255 respondents participated in this study. The results showed that there was a positive but low relationship between deep and strategic approaches to learning on academic performance. The findings of this study have practical implications to educators in developing a more systematic approach to academic teaching and learning.