Volume 9 Issue 1 Article 10
Stakes of University Examinations and Their Impact on the Learning Approaches of Undergraduate University Students in Ghana
Enoch Ewoenam Tsey1 & Eric Anane2 & Andrews Cobbinah3
1Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
2Institute of Education, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
3Department of Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Abstract: In recent times, employers and other industry players have lamented over the non-performance of graduates on the job. This is because students find it difficult to apply what is learned in schools in the world of work. This study examined high-stakes examination and its impact on the learning approaches adopted by students in a University in Ghana. The study was carried out using the descriptive survey design. The target population was undergraduate students. Questionnaires were administered to 758 regular undergraduate students through a multi-stage sampling technique. The data collected were analysed using multivariate simple regression and independent-sample t-test analyses. It was discovered that the stakes attached to university examination were a significant positive predictor of deep learning approach, surface learning approach, and strategic learning approach. It was concluded that the stakes attached to university examinations propel students to adopt either deep, surface, or strategic learning approaches in their studies, in their quest to perform excellently in these examinations. It was recommended that undergraduate students should continue to intensify the adoption of lifelong learning approaches such as deep and strategic learning approaches irrespective of the consequences attached to the results of university examinations.
Keywords: High-Stake Examinations, Students’ Learning Approaches, Deep Learning, Strategic Learning, Undergraduate Students
Published: March 27, 2022
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International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies
ISSN 2520-0968 (Online), ISSN 2409-1294 (Print), March 2022, Vol.9, No.1
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