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Gordon Pask contributed greatly to ways of conceptualising student learning in higher education. In particular, the three learning or conceptual styles – holist, serialist and versatile – together with the associated pathologies of globetrotting and improvidence, have helped to describe important differences in the ways students tackle academic tasks and in their preferences for differing styles of teaching. These concepts are related to other distinctions used to describe student learning – deep, surface, and strategic approaches to learning – and this article summarises research by the author and his colleagues into the patterns of relationship which have been identified. These studies have used large‐scale inventory surveys, but also intensive interviews with students which have explored how students seek to develop conceptual understanding, another important area explored by Pask. Increasingly, this research is indicating ways of improving teaching in higher education in ways which directly affect the quality of student learning.

The purpose of this paper is to develop and explore the policy concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a focus for sustainable development. To this end, it develops and explores the implications of a distinction between CSR as a marketing strategy and a more sustainable long-term commitment to changes in organizational culture and also society.

This a conceptual paper which develops a policy research framework for examining the CSR rationale as well as general concept as applied to the “plastic bags” public awareness campaign in the Malaysian case study. On this basis, its central inquiry approach is to develop and explore the distinction between surface and deep modes of CSR policy implementation as also related modes of social learning.

The findings from the conceptual inquiry recognize that corporations which fail to apply a deep rather than a surface commitment to their own CSR polices will sooner or later be judged on that basis by their customers as well as external stakeholders. Although CSR policies will always involve a corporate marketing focus, this is sustainable only if framed by a long-term organizational commitment to accountable change.

The paper makes, develops and further explores a basic accountability distinction between surface and deep modes of CSR as a management commitment, corporate policy implementation and related processes of corporate cultural change. This links to the paper’s associated innovation of linking CSR as both internal organizational learning and a larger sustainable development process of social learning.

To explore information behavior from a psychological perspective by relating information seeking to personality traits and study approaches.

The research design was quantitative and consisted of statistical analysis of three questionnaires, i.e. the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory measuring personality, the ASSIST test measuring approaches to studying, and a questionnaire regarding information behavior. A total of 305 university students who were in the process of writing a Master's thesis responded to the questionnaires.

Three information‐seeking patterns – fast surfing, broad scanning and deep diving – emerged from the statistical analyses. Fast surfing could be related to a surface study approach and emotionality, as well as to low openness to experience and low conscientiousness. Broad scanning was linked to extraversion, openness, and competitiveness, whereas deep diving was a search pattern typical of analytical students with a deep and strategic study approach.

The results are based on descriptions of behaviour, not actual observations. Although the statistical results were significant, generalisable conclusions would have required more convincing figures. Further research is recommended in order to explore the three search styles in other populations and contexts.

Information‐seeking behaviour has not previously been studied in relation to the five‐factor model, which is regarded as the most modern personality theory to date. Understanding of the psychological reasons behind different information‐seeking styles is important for a holistic view of information behavior. These insights are valuable for researchers interested in user behavior as well as for practitioners like teachers and information professionals.

Deep learning is a key strategy by which students extract meaning and understanding from course materials and experiences. Because of the range and interconnectedness of environmental, social and economic issues, and the importance of interdisciplinary thinking and holistic insight, deep learning is particularly relevant in the context of education for sustainability. However, deep learning can be inhibited if the existing interests or backgrounds of students have a strong disciplinary focus. This paper reviews factors that influence deep learning and discusses some ways in which environmental educators can encourage students to use deep learning strategies. Such strategies are seen to be necessary to maximise the benefits from environmental courses and are likely to foster creative interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability beyond the institution.

The purpose of this paper is to examine accounting students' experience of compulsory group work. The paper hypothesises that a student‐centered style of teaching‐involving activities, like case studies and group‐based learning encourages students to take a deeper approach to learning. The paper also sought students' suggestions to improve learning in a group environment and to identify areas for future research.

There is a paucity of research that examines the relationships between group work and the adoption of a deep learning approach. This research uses empirical data in the form of a questionnaire with open and closed response options. This paper uses a qualitative method, phenomenography, to analyse the responses of 362 students.

The findings reveal variations in conceptions of group work among students with evidence of both surface and deep approaches to learning.

The following limitations are recognised: the questionnaire may not have given students an opportunity to express their perceptions fully; the absence of demographic data did not permit consideration of cultural factors on the outcome and the analysis was able to focus only on perceptions of behaviour rather than actual behaviour. A major implication from the paper is the value of research into accounting education. The paper provides the opportunity to trial research, reflect upon and change curricula, delivery and assessment based on research findings.

Student experiences in group work in accounting, while not entirely new, is however, an area not widely reported on.

This study aims to address the possibility of integrating some elements of the “radical constructivist” approach to management accounting teaching. It answers the following two questions: to what extent should management accounting educators construct a “radical constructivist” foundation to guide active learning? Then, in which ways can management accounting educators use qualitative methods to facilitate “radical constructivist” education?

The study uses a teaching cycle that implements innovative learning elements, e.g. learning from ordinary people, designed following the principles of “radical constructivism”, to engage students with “externalities” at the centre of their knowledge construction. It adopts an ethnographic approach comprising interviews and participant observation for the data collection, followed by the application of qualitative content and narrative analysis of the data.

The study findings and reflections illustrate that the majority of students respond positively to radical constructivist learning if the educators can develop an innovative problem-solving and authentic environment that is close to their real lives. The radical constructivist teaching cycle discussed in this study has challenged the mindsets of the management accounting students as it altered the traditional objectivist academic learning approaches that students were familiar with. Its use of qualitative methods facilitated active learning. Student feedback was sought as part of the qualitative design, which provided a constructive mechanism for the students and educators to learn and unlearn from their mistakes. This process enriched the understanding of learners (students) and educators of successful engagement in radical constructivist management accounting education and provides a base upon which to design future teaching cycles.

The paper provides proof of the ability of accounting educators, as change agents, to apply radical constructivist epistemology combined with multiple qualitative research methods by creating new constructive learning structures and cultures associated with innovative deep-learning tasks in management accounting education.

This paper aims to focus on developing critical understanding in human resource management (HRM) students in Aston Business School, UK. The paper reveals that innovative teaching methods encourage deep approaches to study, an indicator of students reaching their own understanding of material and ideas. This improves student employability and satisfies employer need.

Student response to two second year business modules, matched for high student approval rating, was collected through focus group discussion. One module was taught using EBL and the story method, whilst the other used traditional teaching methods. Transcripts were analysed and compared using the structure of the ASSIST measure.

Critical understanding and transformative learning can be developed through the innovative teaching methods of enquiry‐based learning (EBL) and the story method.

The limitation is that this is a single case study comparing and contrasting two business modules. The implication is that the study should be replicated and developed in different learning settings, so that there are multiple data sets to confirm the research finding.

Future curriculum development, especially in terms of HE, still needs to encourage students and lecturers to understand more about the nature of knowledge and how to learn. The application of EBL and the story method is described in a module case study – “Strategy for Future Leaders”.

This is a systematic and comparative study to improve understanding of how students and lecturers learn and of the context in which the learning takes place.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main problems in assessing reflective learning and to seek ways of tackling them. Lessons are sought from HE’s long engagement with critical thinking that can be transferred to reflective learning. A solution to the problems is offered that is based on a questioning approach to reflective learning. In so doing, the paper explores the nature of reflective learning and advances the idea that the distinction between “surface” and “deep” learning can be generalised to the domain of reflective learning. It concludes with some implications for the development of reflective learning.

This study, based on self-determination theory (SDT), investigates the effect of business students' future time perspective (FTP), directly and indirectly (mediated by deep learning approaches), on quality of university life.

A sample of 547 business students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was surveyed via a two-wave process to collect data to validate the measures and to test the hypotheses using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The results produced by SEM demonstrated that FTP had no direct effect on quality of university life and that deep learning approaches fully mediated the impact of FTP on quality of university life.

The study findings provide business educators with a better understanding of the role that FTP can play for business students. Increased awareness of this issue may help nurture the FTP of business students, which in turn directs them to pursue deep learning approaches to achieve a higher level of quality of university life.

This study is among the first to empirically investigate the overarching role that FTP plays in both deep learning approaches and quality of university life.

The purpose of this paper is to examine and reflect on current assessment practice in a large undergraduate accounting programme delivered both in Australia and offshore, from the perspective of academics in their first semester at a “new‐to‐them” university.

The changing higher education environment and the reality of assessment in the current context are considered, as they raise a number of important issues around assessment practice. Some of the often cited literature linking teaching, learning and assessment, including student‐centred learning and Confucian heritage culture, is also discussed. A reflective approach is used where Säljö's five categories of student learning are used as the basis for informed reflection of the assessment used in the “new” academics' first semester at the university. The use of empirical evidence to test these reflections would be the next step in this scholarly approach to teaching and learning.

The reflections reveal a disparity between reality and the ideal in relation to assessment practice. Issues regarding timely feedback to students and timing of assessments can result in summative assessment when it has the potential to be formative. This paper has provided an opportunity for “new” academics to engage with the higher education literature early in their careers.

This paper is a resource for academics beginning to engage with the higher education literature around assessment, teaching and learning and can also be used to inform and improve the teaching and learning practices of many academics in higher education.