Abstract

Background: By examining the correlation between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students approach to learning and learning outcomes, strategies are designed to mediate those variables that affect students learning outcomes. The study was conducted to scrutinize the correlation between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students approach to learning and learning outcomes.

Methods: Three type of instruments; Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI), the Revised two-factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ) and students Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) were used as tools of data collection.  The data was collected from sixteen  randomly selected teachers and 134 under graduate students attended in 2016/2017 academic year of Education and Behavioral Sciences institute of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia. . The collected data was analyzed via one sample t-test and Pearson product moment correlation coefficient. One-sample t-test was computed to determine the extent of learning approaches used by students. Pearson product moment correlation coefficient was computed to examine the correlation between teachers’ approaches to teaching and students’ approaches to learning, and teachers teaching approaches with students learning outcomes. p < 0.05 was used for a cut-off for statistical significance.

 Results: The study revealed that students were used deep approaches. It can be disclosed that students-focused approach to teaching has significant positive association with students’ deep approaches to learning. The study also affirmed that students’ learning outcomes have significant positive correlation with teachers conceptual change approach to teaching. Significant positive correlation was also identified between students’ deeper approaches to learning and their learning outcomes.

Conclusions: The study provided unveils that students-focused approach to teaching has significant positive association with students’ deep approaches to learning. It is also disclosed that students’ deeper approaches to learning and conceptual change approach to teaching have positive correlation with students learning outcomes.