Students’ Deep and Surface Approach: Links to Interaction in Learning Environments

This paper presents the initial results of a study where we embrace and test Entwistle’s theory in order to explain the students’ interaction when using interactive learning environments (ILEs) in real conditions. In contrast to others who seek ways of adapting a system to students’ specific learning style, our aim is to find ways of designing an ILE that encourages students’ adoption of a deep approach to studying and discourages a surface approach. In this paper we focus only on the relationship between two subscales of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (the deep subscale of interest in ideas and surface subscale of fear of failure), and metrics occurring from usage in a specific ILE. The results point to insights for instructors regarding the integration of ILEs in classrooms, as well as suggestions regarding the design of features which encourage a deep approach to studying.