Approaches to the study,associated factors and academic performance in a sample of Mexican undergraduates from native communities / Aproximaciones al estudio,factores asociados y desempeño académico en una muestra de universitarios mexicanos de pueblos originarios

Abstract

The learning patterns model has been widely discussed in different European and Asian countries, but scarcely so in Latin America, let alone based on data from university students of native people. Our research focuses on which learning patterns appear and their relationship with certain associated factors. One hundred first-year university students from Southern Mexico participated. They answered a Spanish version of the Inventory of Learning patterns of Students (ILS). The results reported a four-learning-pattern structure: meaning-directed in action (MD/ac), passive-idealistic (PI), reproduction-directed (RD) and lack of regulation. As regards the associated factors, we found that an MD/ac pattern characterizes men with an exclusive dedication to their studies and positive significant relationships between age and academic performance. The PI pattern is related to male students with a partial dedication to their studies and older age. Thus, it is necessary to design personalized learning itineraries that take into consideration the learning patterns and the previous influence that many students have of certain personal and/or contextual factors that hinder their learning processes at university.