Personal and Instructional Variables Related to the Learning Process in Postgraduate Courses.

BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between different student characteristics (gender, reason for choosing the master's degree and specialty), the instructional context (perceived quality of the instructional process), and the characteristics of the learning process (practical learning strategies and study approach) in postgraduate study. METHOD 621 students completed the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, the Inventory of Study Processes, the Inventory of Self-Regulatory Learning Processes and a questionnaire developed ad hoc about instructional processes. RESULTS The data indicates notable differences between men's and women's involvement in their postgraduate study. Furthermore, the results also suggest that it is only when postgraduate courses are done for vocational reasons and students receive quality instruction that the two factors ensure students prioritize deep learning processes (e.g., significant learning, reflections on meaning, comprehensive learning) versus a surface learning approach. (e.g., memorization, lack of reflection). CONCLUSIONS The results may be of interest for the design of postgraduate university education policy in relation to the selection processes for both students and teachers.