Learning outcome in professional education: The influence of institutional and student characteristics

Abstract

This study aims at analysing how students’ learning outcome is affected by three sets of factors: students’ background, the teaching environment and students’ own effort and learning style. The analyses are based on a set of data collected among students in professional study programmes within Norwegian state Colleges: among them teaching, nursing and social work. Data was collected while students were in their first and in their final semester. Our main findings are that learning outcome is affected by students’ background only to a limited degree. Neither parental education, nor previous school marks have any effect. Learning outcome vary between study programmes, and is affected by teaching quality and social climate. Students’ own learning style is important, while study effort, measured in number of study hours per week, has no effect.