Learning profiles and academic performance of undergraduate students

To better understand if there is a relationship between student learning profiles and academic achievement, this study modified two existing instruments used to measure student learning dimensions, constructs that help define a students’ learning preference. Undergraduate students responded to these instruments to determine what kind of student learning profiles were present as well as how those profiles related to the academic achievement of the students. The benefit for understanding student learning profiles and how they may relate to academic performance could contribute to discussions pertaining to the potential role of college transition and support courses that target the development or support of particular constructs (learning approaches, regulation of learning, and cognitive strategies).

The results of this study suggest that with the use of the MED NORD Modified instrument, two learning profiles emerged among participating students and students in the two profiles differed in their semester GPA. Students who were classified as having secure learning profile, performed academically better than (higher semester GPA) to students with an insecure learning profile (lower semester GPA). Additionally, correlations were found among some of the dimensions of the MED NORD Modified instrument and the Adapted Basic Needs Satisfaction Scale Modified instrument indicating that a future study, combining these two instruments into one, may help to better determine student learning profiles on more dimensions, depicting more robust and specific student learning profiles.