Comparing perceived learning experiences of two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reform in Hong Kong. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis approach

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-11-2016-0070
Published date03 July 2017
Pages270-286
Date03 July 2017
AuthorYue Zhao,Jenny M.Y. Huen,Michael Prosser
Comparing perceived learning
experiences of two concurrent
cohorts under curriculum
reform in Hong Kong
A multiple-group conrmatory
factor analysis approach
Yue Zhao and Jenny M.Y. Huen
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China, and
Michael Prosser
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China and
the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia and
the University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Abstract
Purpose Hong Kong has undergone extensive curriculum reform and shifted from a three-year to a
four-year university system. With a nuanced look at the impact of the curriculum reform, the purpose of the
present study was to compare two concurrent cohorts by examining the extent to which the students in each
cohort perceived their learning environment and learning outcomes differently and to what extent their
perceptions differed.
Design/methodology/approach A sample of 3,102 rst-year students enrolled at a Hong Kong
university responded to the student learning experience questionnaire (SLEQ). The perceived learning
experiences between the two cohorts were tapped through several latent factors and validated through tests
of measurement invariance. Latent mean differences were then compared. A multiple-group conrmatory
factor analysis approach was used.
Findings The ndings suggested that measurement invariance of the scales of the SLEQ was established
and that the two cohorts of students perceived largely similar learning experiences. The latent mean
differences were statistically signicant on the scales of feedback from teacher,clear goals and standards,
personal integrity and ethics,intercultural competence,global perspective and civic commitment.
Practical implications The results facilitate the understanding of perceived student learning
experiences with evidence-based implications for enhancing student learning experiences and rening the
four-year curriculum under the new curriculum reform conditions.
Originality/value This is the rst institution-wide study that compares student learning experiences of
two concurrent cohorts under curriculum reform initiatives of Hong Kong. It provides a meaningful and
pertinent example for educators and researchers worldwide to analyze the impact of curriculum reform from
The authors are indebted to Professor Amy B.M. Tsui for her valuable comments and insightful
suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript. The authors are grateful to Professor Madhabi
Chatterji for her constructive comments and edits on this manuscript. The authors also thank Ms Katie
Landis who proofread the manuscript, the colleagues who provided support in the survey
administration and data management and the students who completed the survey. An earlier version of
this paper was accepted as a paper presentation at the Higher Education Research and Development
Society of Australasia Conference, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of
China, July 7-10, 2014. Any opinions, ndings, or conclusions expressed in the paper are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reect the views of the institutions they are afliated with.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
QAE
25,3
270
Received 11 November 2016
Revised 17 March 2017
27 April 2017
Accepted 28 April 2017
QualityAssurance in Education
Vol.25 No. 3, 2017
pp.270-286
©Emerald Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/QAE-11-2016-0070
the perspective of students’ perceived learning experiences. Similar studies adopting rigorous approaches in
the measurement of students’ perceived learning experiences are relatively rare in higher education. Such
efforts are encouraged for accountability and quality improvement purposes.
Keywords Curriculum reform, Higher education, Quality assurance, Learning outcomes,
Learning environment, Measurement invariance
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Student learning experiences are a growing concern in the higher education sector around
the world and is often used as one of the key performance indicators in evaluating the quality
of higher education systems (Kember, 2016). As a means for informing curriculum efforts
and enhancing student learning, many higher education institutions currently conduct
institutional-wide surveys on a regular basis to nd out how their undergraduates perceive
what they have learned in colleges. It is generally believed that the information obtained
from the survey ndings will be useful for analysis toward improving curriculum and
pedagogy.
Like universities in Australia and the UK, universities in Hong Kong are also required to
demonstrate evidence on the quality of learning outcomes (LO) of their students for
accountability and improvement purposes (University Grants Committee, 2005). To serve
this purpose, a student survey called the student learning experience questionnaire (SLEQ)
was developed in a Hong Kong university.
The SLEQ collects students’ feedback on their learning experiences as a whole within
their degree curriculum program. The instrument focuses on two major aspects:
(1) the extent to which students perceived the learning environment (LE); and
(2) the extent to which students perceived that they have attained the university-wide
LO for graduation.
The rst aspect of the SLEQ instrument is modeled on the original version of the course
experience questionnaire (CEQ) developed based on the works by Ramsden (1991) in the
context of Australian higher education. The CEQ assesses a range of students’ perceptions
related to the quality of learning and teaching (i.e. good teaching, clear goals and standards,
appropriate workload and emphasis on independence), and its factor structure has been
validated in various studies with Western and Eastern populations (Ginns et al., 2007;
Webster et al., 2009).
The second aspect was developed to assess students’ perceived LO, and it can be regarded
as a comprehensive extension of the generic skill scale which was rst added to the original
CEQ by Wilson et al. (1997). This aspect of the SLEQ captures students’ perceptions on their
attainment of all generic skills/LO that are embedded within the educational aims of the
undergraduate curriculum in the university. Previous studies considered the two aspects
above as a whole in instrument validation examining the factor structure (Byrne and Flood,
2003;Wilson et al., 1997). Following a similar rationale, in the present study, the two aspects
are treated as an overarching construct, conceptualized as global perceptions of the quality
of student learning experiences.
Two concurrent cohorts under the curriculum reform in Hong Kong
Hong Kong was chosen as the studied context in the present study for the reasons elaborated
below. The higher education curriculum in Hong Kong has undergone extensive reform,
shifting from a three-year British university system to a four-year American university
system. The shared features with these two major university systems make the case of
271
Conrmatory
factor analysis
approach

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