Deep Learning in Education: Socioeconomic, Cognitive and Metacognitive Predictors of Academic Achievement and Learning Retention—A Structural Equation Modelling Study

Deep learning in education denotes an approach through which students seek meaning, connect new knowledge with prior understanding, critically evaluate ideas and apply concepts beyond immediate assessment. It differs from surface learning centred on reproduction and memorisation. Foundational investigations distinguished qualitative differences in students’ learning approaches (Marton & Säljö, 1976), while subsequent frameworks connected deep, surface and strategic approaches with learning environments and academic outcomes (Entwistle & Ramsden, 1983; Biggs, 1987). Evidence from higher education suggests that learning approaches and study behaviours have meaningful, though not necessarily large, associations with achievement (Richardson et al., 2012).