Exploring conceptions about writing and learning: Undergraduates' patterns of beliefs and the quality of academic writing

Introduction: In this study, the conceptions of learning and writing of a group of undergraduates enrolled in a teacher education programme were identified. The relationship between them were analysed, and a set of patterns of beliefs about learning and writing were defined. Finally, the relation between these patterns and the quality of a text written during an examination situation were discussed. Method: Fifty-two undergraduates from a large public Spanish university have taken part, most of them women (86%), with a mean age of 21.39 years. They filled a questionnaire on writing conceptions and another on learning conceptions. Moreover, they compose an informative text about the development of identity during adolescence. Results: The results support the existence of two dimensions as regards the conceptions of writing (cognitive and motivational) and three factors related to the conceptions of learning (rote, interpretative and deep). Discussion and Conclusion: The relationship between them is not completely consistent. However, the deeper and positive motivational beliefs are related to better results in text quality, while the reproductive and negative motivational beliefs are related to worse results in text quality.