In contrast, students with a ësurfaceí approach
have extrinsic motives for studying (eg. not wanting to fail) and they use mostly
memorisation strategies to cover the material (Biggs & Moore, 1993). The Habits of
Mind, Responding with Wonderment and Awe, Questioning and Posing Problems and
Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations have clear connections with these studies
into ëdeepí and ësurfaceí learning. When a learner delves deeply into a topic they
generally do so out of intrigue and a desire to answer their own questions about the
concept. They also try to make connections with their prior learning so that the new
knowledge is personally useful and meaningful.
Cognitive styles are also influenced by social structures and processes (Herbert, 2000;
Meadows, 1998). This means that a learnerís preferred ways of thinking, processing and
remembering are impacted by their socio-cultural history and environment. A learner
does not think or process information in isolation, but she is influenced by her teachers,
peers, media and family members. In this sense, every learner has skills in Thinking
Interdependently, having some measure of socially-constructed cognitive style