Learning Orientation Questionnaire

Introduction

Recent advances in the neurosciences in the last ten years have revealed the extraordinary complexities and fundamental impact of emotions on brain plasticity, learning, and memory. These theories highlight more than the cognitive element, they explore the DOMINANT power of emotions, intentions and other psychological factors on learning. The Learning Orientation research integrates the neurobiology of learning with the more traditional psychological and educational aspects. It discusses the theoretical foundations for understanding sources for individual differences in learning. It specifically explores the importance of tapping into emotions, values, intentions, and social factors to measure and improve learning, thinking and memory skills. In contrast to most traditional approaches that focus primarily on cognitive or behavioral aspects, the Learning Orientation research proposes a higher-order theoretical foundation that considers emotions from a biological perspective.

Why don't we consider emotions as an important issue in Education? In the eighties, Richard E. Snow and Lee Cronbach suggested "an understanding of cognitive abilities considered alone would not be sufficient" to explain learning, individual learning differences and aptitude treatment interactions." Yet thirty years later the cognitive hegemony continues. We still subjugate or overlook emotions and intentions as a key learning factor and then we wonder why our learning solutions are inadequate or why learners are resistant or unmotivated to learn, especially online. To make today's learning really work, we need new learning and assessment models to stimulate and support the key psychological factors that trigger positive brain activity. Tapping into emotions will help individuals make the connections that translate into movement, testing, action, progress, and achievement-fostering the transition from passive to more active learning. For some (e.g., those who rely heavily on instructors), this is more difficult than others.

Successful learners distinguish themselves as strategic managers of a self-directed, well-planned effort to learn. Influenced by emotions and intentions, autonomy, and committed strategic planning and learning effort, these individuals deliberately use learning to empower themselves and improve or transform their environments. The learning orientation research examines how (to varying degree) learners understand and know how to focus emotions and intentions, commit strategic effort to set and accomplish short or long-term goals, and capably self-manage learning, progress, problems, and accomplishments. Traditionally, good instructors in the classroom have learned how to supplement instruction and interact emotionally with learners to develop supportive human-to-learning relationships. Experienced educators who especially know how to tap into deep-seated emotions have a terrific advantage in helping learners succeed.
Learning Orientation Questionnaire

The Learning Orientation Questionnaire (LOQ) is designed to have broad applicability across different learning goals, aptitudes, skills, roles, learning patterns and situations. Available in paper or electronic form, the instrument takes ten to fifteen minutes to complete. It has been through several studies and field tested with 75,000+ subjects at worldwide universities and corporations. The foundation of the Learning Orientation Questionnaire is the learning orientation research and a theoretical, three-factor representation called the Learning Orientation Construct. Refined through a series of analyses, the LOQ isolates and measures three complex factors that influence successful learning: (1) Conative and Affective Learning Focus, (2) Learning Independence or Autonomy, and (3) Committed Strategic Planning and Learning Effort.

This 25-item self-report questionnaire provides scores to identify learning orientation and offer explanations about individual differences in learning. Learning orientations are generalizable to most learning situations and are not domain or environment specific. Although researchers accept that learner reactions and processes vary depending on the learning task and situation, the LOQ avoids a too-specific level or situational perspective. This means that items are not relevant to specific topics, instructors, or courses. Resulting scores describe a general disposition to learn and
generally assess how individuals may enjoy or want to learn. A series of validation studies have been conducted since 1999. An example is the Dissertation: The Validity of the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument completed by Joanne Bentley and chaired by C. Victor Bunderson.
Learning Orientation Construct Factors

Factor 1
Conative and Affective Learning Focus describes the individual's will, commitment,
intent, drive, or passion for improving, transforming, setting and achieving goals, and meeting challenges. This subscale refers to the individual's general conative and affective orientation to the process of learning, regardless of content, environments, or delivery. Naturally, learners will be more intentional and enjoy or apply greater effort in specific courses, topics, or situations that interest or appeal to them. This subscale estimates the learner's general feelings, attitudes, and willingness to learn.

Factor 2
Learning Independence or Autonomy refers to the individual's desire and ability to take
responsibility, make choices, and control, self-assess, self-motivate, and manage, or improve their own learning (i.e., make choices independent of the instructor) in the attainment of learning and personal goals. As individuals have different experiences and mature as learners, they gradually (to some varying degree) (1) gain awareness of their learning capabilities and processes, (2) develop desires for learning control or autonomy, (3) assimilate and develop a unique, personal set of learner-difference variables, (4) commit and self-manage effort to attain personal learning goals, and (5) review and monitor experiences to improve subsequent learning.
Factor 3
Committed Strategic Planning and Learning Effort refers to the degree that learners
strategically commit deliberate and persistent effort to accomplish learning. Successful learners place great importance on the act of striving or commitment to applying focused, strategic, hard-working principles and skills to learn. They have high standards and use extraordinary abstract thinking and planning skills and effort to meet learning challenges, expand personal knowledge, and initiate improvements and change. They do this against a background of desires, emotions, perceived capabilities, anticipated situational requirements and results, intrinsic and extrinsic
resources, and perceived ability to accomplish the intended learning and performance. Less successful learners prefer to extend lesser effort generally, unless it is a specific area of high interest. Some lack insight that effort, not luck, is a contributing factor for achievement.
Learning Orientations Model

The Learning Orientation Model uses the three-factor construct to describe four specific learning orientations--categorizing an individual's general orientation or disposition to learn. Learning orientations are how individuals, with varying beliefs and levels of ability, will intentionally and emotionally approach, commit and expend effort to some extent, and then experience learning to progress and attain goals. In other words, learning orientations describe how an individual typically wants and chooses to manage their brain during the learning The differing orientations represent the variability in learning from an individual-learning perspective. Learning orientation is the degree that learners, following beliefs, desires, emotions, and intentions to learn, generally set goals, plan and commit effort and self-manage the learning process to learn. They describe how learners intend to set and attain goals, have feelings about learning progress, and use reflection and self-assessment to improve future learning. Learning orientations describe the individual's proclivity to take control, expend strategic effort, manage resources, and take risks to learn and change.
The Four Learning Orientations

Learners situationally fall along the continuum of learning orientations. Change to a new learning orientation requires psychological change, greater effort and learner control, and stronger intentions, feelings, and beliefs about learning.
* Transforming Learner
* Performing Learner
* Conforming Learner
* Resistant Learner
Transforming Learners are highly goal-oriented, holistic thinkers who value learning ability, committed, persistent, and assertive effort, abstract theories, creative strategies, and positive expectations to self-manage and accomplish personal goals successfully. These learners seldom rely heavily on schedules, deadlines, expected compliance, or others for support. These learners, who may find routine activities boring, enjoy taking responsibility and control of their learning and willingly become actively involved in managing the learning process (high internal locus of control). Transforming learners typically tap into stimulating, intrinsic influences, such as passions, personal principles, beliefs, and desires to self-direct intentional achievement of challenging, long-term goals. These learners learn best in open, discovery, or challenging learning environments that encourage innovation, expertise building; risk-taking; mentoring relationships; complex, problem-solving situations; high learning standards, and personal accomplishments and change. This group of learners can improve by not overlooking important details and increasing
focus on implementation and task completion.

Performing Learners are task-oriented, more often extrinsically motivated, and prefers avoiding risks and mistakes. They are less comfortable with abstract theories, more often focus on details, processes, principles, grades, rewards, and normative achievement standards. They often are ready to rely on instructors, external resources, and social interaction to accomplish tasks. They may selectively use self-regulated learning skills and commit effort to learn topics and skills that they find particularly interesting and beneficial. Often, these learners will clearly acknowledge that they want to limit or constrain effort (for example, they do not have enough time or interest) by only meeting stated objectives, getting an expected grade, or avoiding exploratory steps beyond requirements. They value and learn best in semi-structured learning environments that add peer affiliation, teamwork, collaboration, competition, fun, and coaching to foster motivation (i.e., both intrinsically and extrinsically). These learners can improve by practicing more holistic, abstract, problem solving, and critical thinking skills.

Conforming Learners value security, structure, and routine. They are deeply influenced by an awareness of the social aspects of learning and external resources that motivate them. They more passively accept knowledge, store it, and reproduce it to conform and complete assigned tasks. These learners are less complex learners, and struggle using initiative, abstract thinking, critical thinking, making mistakes, and meeting challenging goals. In comfortable, uncomplicated learning communities, conforming learners will, with scaffolded support and feedback, social collaboration, and explicit guidance, successfully work to achieve progressively difficult goals. This group of learners can improve, over time with targeted support, social intervention, and by learning how to take increasingly greater risks in learning.

Resistant Learners may deal with either short-term (temporary) or long-term
(permanent) resistance. They may doubt that: (1) they can learn or enjoy achieving any goals set by others (2) compulsory academic learning and achievement can help them achieve personal goals or initiate desired changes, and (3) their personal values, interests, and goals can benefit from academic objectives. Too often Resistant Learners will suffer repeated, long-term frustration from conflicting values, expectations, and goals, misunderstandings, perceived academic or social inadequacy, disappointment, or instruction that confuses or lacks value.
Scoring the Learning Orientation Questionnaire
The LOQ uses a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Uncharacteristic of Me) to 7
(Very Characteristic of Me). Subjects enter a score that shows their agreement with each item--the higher the agreement with the item, the greater the possession of the hypothesized subscale. The LOQ measures where the learner may fall (1) across the individual construct factors and (2) along the learning orientation continuum. After taking the LOQ, subjects receive a learning orientation score. To help interpret the LOQ scores, participants can read the Descriptions for the Four Learning Orientations shown above in Section 5.
Future Development
The development of the LOQ is an ongoing process and validation evidence collection is
an ongoing process. This is because the LOQ constructs are theoretical abstractions embedded in theoretical frameworks that are greatly influenced by continuing developments in the neurosciences. Of particular importance is the area of brain plasticity, which refers to how the brain changes to learn, organize, and act in response to influences and experiences. It is the brain's ability to trigger brain activity and be modified by growth of new and more complex connections among cells.

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