Arts & Social Sciences
Te Kura Kete Aronui

Abstract

Nikora, L. W. (1991). The learning preferences of Māori university students - cooperative, competitive, individualistic or intra-ethnic. Unpublished Master of Social Science Thesis. Hamilton: University of Waikato.

This study compares the learning preferences of Māori and Pakeha university students taking Māori studies at the University of Waikato. The hypotheses tested in this study were firstly, that Māori university students taking Māori studies are more likely to prefer a cooperative learning mode than Pakeha students taking Māori studies. The second hypothesis was that Māori university students taking Māori studies would prefer to learn with students of their own ethnic background, more than Pakeha students taking Māori studies.

The Learning Preference Questionaire for University Students was developed to assist in investigating student preference for cooperative, competitive, individualistic or intra-ethnic learning modes. The questionaire was administered to 110 university students that were taking courses in Māori studies. Māori respondents comprised 57% of the sample and Pakeha respondents 41%.

The results indicated that most respondents did not express a preference for an intra-ethnic learning mode. Pakeha respondents expressed a significantly lower preference for an intra-ethnic learning mode than Māori respondents. On the cooperative scale, results clearly indicate that most respondents had a preference for a cooperative learning mode. There was no consistent preference for or against either competitive or individualised learning mode.