Abstract
The effect of the teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities was examined through a survey of 1756 undergraduate students at a university in Hong Kong. The survey assessed students' perceptions of the development of the six capabilities of critical thinking, self-managed learning, adaptability, problem solving, communication skills, and interpersonal skills and groupwork. Students were also asked to rate the quality of nine facets of the teaching and learning environment. Structural equation modelling was used to test a model of the influence of teaching on the nurturing of the six capabilities. The model grouped the nine facets of teaching and learning under the three higher-order latent variables of teaching, teacher–student relationship, and student–student relationship. The model showed a good fit to the data, indicating that the teaching and learning environment had a significant impact on the development of the generic capabilities while the students were taking their degree. The teaching latent variable had the strongest effect on the development of all six of the capabilities. A suitable teaching environment was characterised by a focus on understanding, the active participation of students in learning activities, a coherent curriculum, and assessment which focused on analytical skills and self-learning capability. Strong student–student relationships nurtured communication and interpersonal skills. There was a mutually reinforcing effect between the type of teaching, teacher–student relationships and student–student relationships.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bentler, P. M. (1980). Multivariate analysis with latent variables: Causal modelling. Annual Review of Psychology, 31, 419–456.
Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246.
Bentler, P. M. (1995). EQS: Structural equations program. Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.
Bligh, D. A. (1980). Methods and techniques in post-secondary education [Special issue]. Educational Studies and Documents, 31. Paris: UNESCO.
Bollen, K. A. (1989). Structural equations with latent variables. New York: John Wiley.
Brown, G., & Atkins, M. (1988). Effective teaching in higher education. London: Routledge.
Browne, M. W., & Cudeck, R. (1993). Alternative ways of assessing model fit. In K. A. Bollen & J. S. Long (Eds.), Testing structural equation models (pp. 136–161). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Byrne, B. M. (1994). Structural equation modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Candy, P. C., & Crebert, R. G. (1991). Lifelong learning: An enduring mandate for higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 10(1), 3–18.
Chapman, A. (1999). Theoretical and practical integration of literacy and numeracy in a university academic programme. Teaching in Higher Education, 4, 363–382.
Daly, W. T. (1994). Teaching and scholarship: Adapting American higher education to hard times. Journal of Higher Education, 65, 45–57.
de la Harpe, B., Radloff, A., & Wyber, J. (2000). Quality and generic (professional) skills. Quality in Higher Education, 6, 231–243.
Education Commission. (1999). Learning for life. Hong Kong Special Administrative Region: Author.
Hattie, J., Biggs, J., & Purdie, N. (1996). Effects of learning skills interventions on student learning: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66, 99–136.
Hayduk, L. A. (1987). Structural equations modeling with LISREL: Essentials and advances. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6(1), 1–55.
Jackson, N. (2000). Programme specification and its role in an outcomes model of learning. Active Learning in Higher Education, 1(2), 132–151.
Jamshidian, M., & Bentler, P. M. (1998). A quasi-Newton method for minimum trace factor analysis. Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, 62, 73–89.
Jaques, D. (1991). Learning in groups. London: Kogan Page.
Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Smith, K. A. (1998). Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company.
Kember, D., Armour, R., Jenkins, W., Lee, K., Leung, D. Y. P., Li, N., Murphy, D., Ng, K. C., Siaw, I., & Yum, J. C. K. (2001). Evaluation of the part-time student experience. Hong Kong: The Open University of Hong Kong.
Kember, D., & Leung, D. Y. P. (2005). The influence of active learning experiences on the development of graduate capabilities. Studies in Higher Education, 30, 155–170.
Leckey, J. F., & McGuigan, M. A. (1997). Right tracks – wrong rails: The development of generic skills in higher education. Research in Higher Education, 38, 365–378.
Leung, D. Y. P., & Kember, D. (2005). The influence of the part-time study experience on the development of generic capabilities. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 29(2), 91–101.
Longworth, N., & Davies, W. K. (1996). Lifelong learning. London: Kogan Page.
Medlin, J., Graves, C., & McGowan, S. (2003). Using diverse professional teams and a graduate qualities framework to develop generic skills within a commerce degree. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 40(1), 61–77.
Miller, M. B. (1995). Coefficient alpha: A basic introduction from the perspective of classical test theory and structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling, 2, 255–273.
Norusis, M. J. (2002). SPSS11.0 guide to data analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Oliver, R., & McLoughlin, C. (2001). Exploring the practice and development of generic skills through web-based learning. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 10, 207–225.
Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (1991). How college affects students: Findings and insights from twenty years of research. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Raykov, T. (1997). Scale reliability, Cronbach's alpha, and violations of essential tau-equivalence with fixed congeneric components. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 32, 329–353.
Raykov, T. (1998). Coefficient alpha and composite reliability with interrelated nonhomogeneous items. Applied Psychological Measurement, 22, 375–385.
Raykov, T., & Shrout, P. E. (2002). Reliability of scales with general structure: Point and interval estimation using a structural equation modeling approach. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 195–212.
Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1988). Scaling corrections for chi-square statistics in covariance structure analysis. In Proceedings of the American Statistical Association (pp. 308–313). Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
Satorra, A., & Bentler, P. M. (1994). Corrections to test statistics and standard errors in covariance structure analysis. In A. von Eye & C. C. Clogg (Eds.), Latent variables analysis: Applications for developmental research (pp. 399–419). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Schmitt, M. (1996). Uses and abuses of coefficient alpha. Psychological Assessment, 8, 350–353.
Shapiro, A. (1982). Weighted minimum trace factor analysis. Psychometrika, 47, 243–264.
Tait, H., & Godfrey, H. (1999). Defining and assessing competence in generic skills. Quality in Higher Education, 5, 245–253.
Yan, L. W. F. (2001). Learning out of the classroom: The influence of peer group work on learning outcomes. Unpublished PhD thesis, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.
Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2003). The influence of the curriculum and learning envir- onment on the learning approaches of groups of students outside the classroom. Learning Environments Research, 6, 285–307.
Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2004a). Avoider and engager approaches by out-of-class groups: The group equivalent to individual learning approaches. Learning and Instruction, 14, 27–49.
Yan, L., & Kember, D. (2004b). Engager and avoider behavior in types of activities performed by out-of-class learning groups. Higher Education, 48, 419–438.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kember, D., Leung, D.Y.P. The Influence of the Teaching and Learning Environment on the Development of Generic Capabilities Needed for a Knowledge-Based Society. Learning Environ Res 8, 245–266 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-005-1566-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-005-1566-5