Critical aspects of student teachers’ conceptions of learning

The aim of this phenomenographic study was to discover the educationally critical aspects of learning conceptions among health education student teachers (N = 20). The qualitative data consisted of written essays and semi-structured interviews. Six qualitatively distinctive conceptions of learning could be discerned, namely learning as 1) the reproduction of acquired health knowledge, 2) the application of health knowledge, 3) developing personal meanings on health matters, 4) the transformation of individual thinking, 5) personal growth, and 6) collective meaning-making. These qualitatively distinct categories were reflected through three themes, which embodied critical aspects: the nature of the knowledge involved, the nature of the reflection involved, and the role of the social environment. In bringing new insights into the existing literature, this study confirms a need for research on learning conceptions across different cultural and educational contexts.

► A new conception of learning called collective meaning-making was identified.
► Educationally critical aspects were discerned within three themes.
► The paper confirms the ‘contextual’ nature of learning conceptions.