QUALITY OF LEARNING ON AN MBA PROGRAMME
Angus Duff, University
of Paisley, UK
Abstract: This paper presents: first, some evidence of the psychometric properties of a
30-item sort-form of the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI) (Tait and
Entwistle, 1995); second, the relationship between scores obtained on the RASI and
academic performance in four different forms of academic assessments; third, the
relationship between RASI scores and background variables such as age, gender and prior
education; and fourth, tests for any relationship between background variables and
academic performance. The investigation samples three cohorts of a part-time MBA
programme (N=75) delivered by a mix of distance learning and face-to-face contact.
No previous work using the RASI or its predecessor, the Approaches to Studying
Inventory (ASI) has sampled postgraduate business students. Satisfactory internal
consistency reliability of scores obtained on the RASI is indicated by alpha coefficients
of .80 to .84. Confirmatory factor analysis provides support for: the
unidimensionality of the three dimensions of the instrument, and the hypothesised three
factor model. Similar to other investigations utilising the ASI/RASI, age is
positively correlated with scores on the Deep Approach. Analysis of variance
revealed no effects were noted across cohorts. However, similar to prior research
utilising the RASI (Duff, 1999; Sadler-Smith, 1996), women students scored higher than
their male counterparts on Surface Approach. A structural equation model was
developed to relate scores on the four assessments to the three dimensions of the RASI.
The model predicted 35% of the variance of students' scores on coursework
assignments and 17% on a business planning report. However, the model was a poor
predictor of examination performance and an oral presentation. Similar to other
research utilising the ASI/RASI, academic performance was positively associated with the
adoption of a Strategic Approach and negatively associated with a Surface Approach.
However, unlike other studies, a negative relationship was found between Deep
Approach and academic performance. The implications of these results for MBA
teachers and educational researchers are discussed.