ASSIST Questionnaire

This questionnaire has been designed to allow you to describe, in a systematic way, how you go about learning and studying.    The technique involves asking you a substantial number of questions which overlap to some extent to provide good overall coverage of different ways of studying. Most of the items are based on comments made by other students. Please respond truthfully, so that your answers will accurately describe your actual ways of studying, and work your way through the questionnaire quite quickly.

When you think about the term ‘LEARNING ‘, what does it mean to you?

Consider each of these statements carefully, and rate them in terms of how close they are to your own way of thinking about it.

1 = Very different, 5 = Very similar
1. Making sure you remember things well

Very different – Very similar

2. Developing as a person

Very different – Very similar

3. Building up knowledge by acquiring facts and information

Very different – Very similar

4. Being able to use the information you’ve acquired

Very different – Very similar

5. Understanding new material for yourself

Very different – Very similar

6. Seeing things in a different and more meaningful way

Very different – Very similar

Approaches to studying

The next part of this questionnaire asks you to indicate your relative agreement or disagreement with comments about studying again made by other students. Please work through the comments, giving your immediate response. In deciding your answers, think in terms of this particular lecture course.  It is also very important that you answer all the questions.

Try not to use Unsure, unless you really have to, or if it cannot apply to you or your course.

1 = Disagree, 5 = Agree
7. I manage to find conditions for studying which allow me to get on with my work easily

Disagree – Agree

8. When working on an assignment, I’m keeping in mind how best to impress the marker

Disagree – Agree

9. Often I find myself wondering whether the work I am doing here is really worthwhile

Disagree – Agree

10. I usually set out to understand for myself the meaning of what we have to learn

Disagree – Agree

11. I organise my study time carefully to make the best use of it

Disagree – Agree

12. I find I have to concentrate on just memorising a good deal of what I have to learn

Disagree – Agree

13. I go over the work I’ve done carefully to check the reasoning and that it makes sense

Disagree – Agree

14. Often I feel I’m drowning in the sheer amount of material we’re having to cope with

Disagree – Agree

15. I look at the evidence carefully and try to reach my own conclusion about what I’m studying

Disagree – Agree

16. It’s important for me to feel that I’m doing as well as I really can on the courses here

Disagree – Agree

17. I try to relate ideas I come across to those in other topics or other courses whenever possible

Disagree – Agree

18. I tend to read very little beyond what is actually required to pass

Disagree – Agree

19. Regularly I find myself thinking about ideas from lectures when I’m doing other things

Disagree – Agree

20. I think I’m quite systematic and organised when it comes to revising for exams

Disagree – Agree

21. I look carefully at tutors’ comments on course work to see how to get higher marks next time

Disagree – Agree

22. There’s not much of the work here that I find interesting or relevant

Disagree – Agree

23. When I read an article or book, I try to find out for myself exactly what the author means

Disagree – Agree

24. I’m pretty good at getting down to work whenever I need to

Disagree – Agree

25. Much of what I’m studying makes little sense: it’s like unrelated bits and pieces

Disagree – Agree

26. I think about what I want to get out of this course to keep my studying well focused

Disagree – Agree

27. When I’m working on a new topic, I try to see in my own mind how all the ideas fit together

Disagree – Agree

28. I often worry about whether I’ll ever be able to cope with the work properly

Disagree – Agree

29. Often I find myself questioning things I hear in lectures or read in books

Disagree – Agree

30. I feel that I’m getting on well, and this helps me put more effort into the work

Disagree – Agree

31. I concentrate on learning just those bits of information I have to know to pass

Disagree – Agree

32. I find that studying academic topics can be quite exciting at times

Disagree – Agree

33. I’m good at following up some of the reading suggested by lecturers or tutors

Disagree – Agree

34. I keep in mind who is going to mark an assignment and what they’re likely to be looking for

Disagree – Agree

35. When I look back, I sometimes wonder why I ever decided to come here

Disagree – Agree

36. When I am reading, I stop from time to time to reflect on what I am trying to learn from it

Disagree – Agree

37. I work steadily through the term or semester, rather than leave it all until the last minute

Disagree – Agree

38. I’m not really sure what’s important in lectures so I try to get down all I can

Disagree – Agree

39. Ideas in course books or articles often set me off on long chains of thought of my own

Disagree – Agree

40. Before starting work on an assignment or exam question, I think first how best to tackle it

Disagree – Agree

41. I often seem to panic if I get behind with my work

Disagree – Agree

42. When I read, I examine the details carefully to see how they fit in with what’s being said

Disagree – Agree

43. I put a lot of effort into studying because I’m determined to do well

Disagree – Agree

44. I gear my studying closely to just what seems to be required for assignments and exams

Disagree – Agree

45. Some of the ideas I come across on the course I find really gripping

Disagree – Agree

46. I usually plan out my week’s work in advance, either on paper or in my head

Disagree – Agree

47. I keep an eye open for what lecturers seem to think is important and concentrate on that

Disagree – Agree

48. I’m not really interested in this course, but I have to take it for other reasons

Disagree – Agree

49. Before tackling a problem or assignment, I first try to work out what lies behind it

Disagree – Agree

50. I generally make good use of my time during the day

Disagree – Agree

51. I often have trouble in making sense of the things I have to remember

Disagree – Agree

52. I like to play around with ideas of my own even if they don’t get me very far

Disagree – Agree

53. When I finish a piece of work, I check it through to see if it really meets the requirements

Disagree – Agree

54. Often I lie awake worrying about work I think I won’t be able to do

Disagree – Agree

55. It’s important for me to be able to follow the argument, or to see the reason behind things

Disagree – Agree

56. I don’t find it at all difficult to motivate myself

Disagree – Agree

57. I like to be told precisely what to do in essays or other assignments

Disagree – Agree

58. I sometimes get ‘hooked’ on academic topics and feel I would like to keep on studying them

Disagree – Agree

Preferences for different types of course and teaching

1 = definitely dislike, 5 = definitely like
59. lecturers who tell us exactly what to put down in our notes

definitely dislike – definitely like

60. lecturers who encourage us to think for ourselves and show us how they themselves think

definitely dislike – definitely like

61. exams which allow me to show that I’ve thought about the course material for myself

definitely dislike – definitely like

62. exams or tests which need only the material provided in our lecture notes

definitely dislike – definitely like

63. courses in which it’s made very clear just which books we have to read

definitely dislike – definitely like

64. courses where we’re encouraged to read around the subject a lot for ourselves

definitely dislike – definitely like

65. books which challenge you and provide explanations which go beyond the lectures

definitely dislike – definitely like

66. Books which give you definite facts and information which can easily be learned

definitely dislike – definitely like

1 = Very badly, 5 = Very well
67. Finally, how well do you think you have been doing in your assessed work overall, so far?

Very badly – Very well

Thank you very much for spending time completing this questionnaire: it is much appreciated

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