Conceptualising learning through preferred learning formats of tertiary students in Sri Lanka

This paper examines three types of lecturing formats:
traditional, interactive, and group-based, and student opinions
on their preference as a format of learning at a metropolitan
university in Sri Lanka. The aim of this study is to
conceptualise learning from the perspective of students, using
lecturing format as a medium. The paper begins by examining a
shift in higher education learning in Sri Lanka. The study
highlights the gap in research on the proposed topic in
developing countries, and on comparison of lecturing formats
without the intervention of the instructor or researcher. The
constructivist perspective serves as a theoretical perspective to
interpret results. The results of a survey questionnaire of
students are analysed to determine the preferred lecturing
format for learning. Written comments made by students in the
survey questionnaire about lecturing formats are reviewed
using phenomenography to determine why students prefer or
do not prefer lecturing formats. Findings are conceptualised to
understand what learning means to these students. The findings
reveal that learning means knowledge acquisition and skill
development. Further, learning is surrounded by factors that
facilitate and inhibit it. The paper highlights the need for
educators to understand the concept of learning from students’
perspectives, to inform teaching, assessment, and curriculum
design.