I conducted an action research project to assess the approach towards
reading among a group of first-year University students in a Legal Studies
course. The objective of this project was to evaluate whether my students
took a deep or a surface approach to reading. My ultimate goal was to assess
the quality of their learning outcome, as the approach to reading is
considered to be directly proportional to the quality of their learning outcome
(Bowden & Marton, 2000, p. 51).
I adapted a study conducted by Marton and Saljo to the characteristics
of my students and the subject I teach. In Marton and Saljo’s study which
took place at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden in the 1970’s, the
researchers asked students to read an article written by a professor of education on some proposed university reforms in Sweden. They told
students that they would ask them some questions about the text once they
finished reading it. Marton and Saljo met with the students and asked them
open-ended questions to assess their approach to reading and their
understanding of the text. Additionally, they specifically asked the students
how they had gone about studying the text (Bowden & Marton, 2000, p. 47).