Patterns in student learning. Exploring a person-oriented and a longitudinal research-perspective

The research presented in this dissertation is concerned with patterns in students
learning in higher education. It aims at broadening our understanding of student
learning by exploring two underexposed research-perspectives: a person-oriented perspective
and a longitudinal perspective.

The first perspective attempts at grappling the
complexity of the ways in which students engage in learning by identifying learning
profiles.

The latter perspective is interested in how students’ learning strategy use
develops both within a single learning environment and across the whole of higher
education.

Apart from a general introduction and concluding reflections, the dissertation contains
one theoretical and four empirical contributions. The theoretical chapter elucidates
the theoretical frameworks and research-perspectives used in this dissertation.

In subsequent chapters, each research-perspective is tackled by two empirical studies.
All studies are situated in the context of teacher education.

The final chapter
provides concluding reflections on results of the studies as well as the researchperspectives
themselves. It also provides suggestions for educational practice and
further research.

Gert Vanthournout is a researcher at the University of Antwerp’s Institute for Education
and Information Sciences and more specifically at the EduBROn and REPRO
research-units. He obtained his master’s degree in education at the Catholic University
of Leuven. He started his academic career at the University of Antwerp as a staff
member of the Center of Excellence in Higher Education (ECHO).

He currently combines
a job as an assistant in the Master of Instructional and Educational Sciences
with being a staff member for the project ‘The effects of student trajectory coaching in
teacher education’.