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Background: The quality of students’ learning in higher education depends on the quality of the teaching and the learning environment, but may also depend on the students’ own perceptions of what learning is and what teaching should be like. Valid and feasible measures are needed to examine students’ conceptualizations of learning and preferences for teaching. This study examined the factor structure of two measures taken from the Norwegian version of the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST), and examined the relationships between the derived scales. Methods: Occupational therapy students (n = 160) from one education program completed the ASSIST and provided sociodemographic information. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed on the two ASSIST measures, and factor extraction was controlled using Parallel Analysis. Reliability was analyzed with Cronbach’s alpha and inter-item correlations. Bivariate associations were assessed with Pearson’s correlation coefficient r. Results: The PCA confirmed the factors as previously established. «Conceptions of learning» consisted of a «deep» concept of learning as understanding, and a «surface» concept of learning as reproducing knowledge. However, the Parallel Analysis suggested that all items in this measure were expressions of the same latent factor. «Preferences for different types of courses and teaching» consisted of a preference for teaching as «supporting understanding» and as «transmitting information». Conclusions: The Norwegian «Conceptions of learning» and «Preferences for teaching» scales may prove useful for educators who want a quick insight into occupational therapy students’ views on learning and their preferences for teaching.

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