Phenomenography in the Student Learning Perspective: A Review of Studies in Academic Contexts

Academic institutions have gradually structured their policies on the basis of their students’ perceptions, satisfaction and needs. This paper explores the use of phenomenography in the Student Learning Perspective, which claims that students’ perceptions of the learning environment, in light of their motivations and expectations, determine how situational factors influence approaches to learning and learning outcomes. Firstly, the article investigates the context of development of this line of research and the studies concerning the effect of environmental, organizational and contextual factors on students’ perceptions and learning; secondly, it describes the phenomenographic research methodology and the theoretical models of learning process developed. Finally, the paper reviews the studies on study approach and contextual variables, and discusses the applicability of SLP models to different academic systems and practical applications concerning teaching quality, assessment tools and students’ perceptions of the quality of the learning environment.