Physical and Psychosocial Environments Associated with Networked Classrooms

This article reports a study of the learning environments in computer networked classrooms. The study is unique in that it involved an evaluation of both the physical and psychosocial classroom environments in these computerised settings through the use of a combination of questionnaires and ergonomic evaluations. The study involved administering a student questionnaire designed to assess aspects of the psychosocial learning environment in these settings, and relating these factors to students satisfaction and to important aspects of the physical learning environment. The sample consisted of 1404 students in 81 classes in Australia and Canada. A questionnaire assessing five aspects of psychosocial environment exhibited good factorial validity and internal consistency reliability. When satisfaction was used as a dependent variable, classroom psychosocial environment (especially autonomy/independence and task orientation) was significantly and directly associated with students satisfaction with their learning. In contrast, no direct associations were found between student satisfaction and measures of the physical classroom environment, such as the workspace and visual environments. However statistically significant associations emerged between physical and psychosocial learning environment variables in classrooms using new information technologies. These associations suggest a model of educational productivity for learning environments in technology-rich classrooms. Qualitative case studies provided more detailed information about selected classrooms.     

The Use of Collaboration,Authentic Learning,Linking Material to Personal Knowledge,and Technology in the Constructivist Classroom: Interviews with Community College Faculty Members

ABSTRACT

This study explored how faculty members implemented constructivist teaching methods after training. The student-centered teaching methods were interactions and collaborations, authentic learning and real-world experiences, linking material to previously learned information, and using technology in the classroom. Seven faculty members trained in student-centered teaching methods by the professional development department at a community college were interviewed. Interviews were supplemented with teacher-generated documents and classroom observations. All reported implementing the recommended practices in the classrooms, both online and in traditional face-to-face classrooms.     

Relationships among informal learning environments,teaching procedures and scientific reasoning ability

Informal learning experiences have risen to the forefront of science education as being beneficial to students' learning. However, it is not clear in what ways such experiences may be beneficial to students; nor how informal learning experiences may interface with classroom science instruction. This study aims to acquire a better understanding of these issues by investigating one aspect of science learning, scientific reasoning ability, with respect to the students' informal learning experiences and classroom science instruction. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to investigate possible differences in students' scientific reasoning abilities relative to their informal learning environments (impoverished, enriched), classroom teaching experiences (non-inquiry, inquiry) and the interaction of these variables. The results of two-way ANOVAs indicated that informal learning environments and classroom science teaching procedures showed significant main effects on students' scientific reasoning abilities. Students with enriched informal learning environments had significantly higher scientific reasoning abilities compared to those with impoverished informal learning environments. Likewise, students in inquirybased science classrooms showed higher scientific reasoning abilities compared to those in non-inquiry science classrooms. There were no significant interaction effects. These results indicate the need for increased emphases on both informal learning opportunities and inquiry-based instruction in science.     

Student perceptions of learning environment: disciplinary program versus general education classrooms

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine student perceptions of the learning environment in their program major and general education classrooms. The participants were 870 undergraduate students majoring in engineering, fine arts, education, economics and nursing programs at a university in Thailand. We found significant differences in the perceptions of the classroom learning environment across various disciplines. Engineering and economics students perceived the learning environment in general education classrooms as more cooperative than the learning environment in program major classrooms. Fine arts and nursing students perceived greater involvement among students in the program major classrooms than in the general education classrooms. Our findings contribute to the body of research on inter-disciplinary differences in classroom learning environments in universities and the ways in which these differences may impact student learning outcomes.     

Assessing the psychosocial environment of science classes in Catholic secondary schools

Much Catholic school and church rhetoric suggests that Catholic schools possess distinctive learning environments. Research into this aspect of Catholic schooling has been hampered by the lack of an appropriate assessment instrument. By drawing on contemporary church literature, the perceptions of personnel involved in Catholic education and existing classroom environment questionnaires, a new instrument was developed to assess student perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment in Catholic schools. The use of this instrument in 64 classrooms in Catholic and Government schools indicated significant differences on some scales. The distinctive nature of Catholic schooling did not extend to all classroom environment dimensions deemed important to Catholic education. Specializations: Catholic education, learning environments. Specializations: conceptual change in students, science teacher professional development, scientific reasoning, learning environments. Specializations: learning environments, science education, educational evaluation, curriculum.     

The learning environment associated with information technology education in Taiwan: Combining psychosocial and physical aspects

This study investigated perceptions of senior high school students towards the Taiwanese information technology (IT) classroom with the What Is Happening in this Class? (WIHIC) survey and explored the physical learning environment of the IT classroom using the Computerised Classroom Environment Inventory (CCEI). The participants included 2,869 students from 80 classes of senior high schools, vocational high schools and comprehensive high schools in Taiwan. This study had a mixed-method design in which both quantitative (WIHIC and CCEI scales) and qualitative (classroom observations and interview) methods were used. In order to have a cross-cultural perspective, the results of this study were also compared with the earlier findings of Zandvliet and Straker (Ergonomics 44:838?C857, 2001) and Zandvliet and Fraser (Learn Environ Res 8:1?C17, 2005), which involved Canadian and Australian students in IT settings. Further, we attempted to understand the influence of different gender compositions (all boys, all girls and mixed-gender classes) on students?? perceptions of the IT learning environment and students?? satisfaction with the IT course. Both the ??Spatial environment?? of physical environments and ??Autonomy/Independence?? of psychosocial environments were found to be indicators of students?? satisfaction with learning in IT courses, but physical variables as measured with the CCEI scales were not able to predict students?? perceptions of the psychosocial environment. Furthermore, relationships among students?? satisfaction, psychosocial environment and physical environment were quite different among students from classes with different gender compositions.     

Predicting learning from classroom individualization and actual-preferred congruence

One of the strongest traditions during the past decade of classroom environment research has involved investigation of the predictability of students' cognitive and affective learning outcomes from their perceptions of psychosocial characteristics of their classrooms. Moreover numerous research programs involving many thousands of students from various nations have provided convincing and consistent support for the incremental predictive validity of student perceptions in accounting for appreciable amounts of variance in learning outcomes beyond that attributable to initial student characteristics such as pretest performance and general ability (see Walberg, Singh and Rasher, 1977; Haertel, Walberg and Haertel, 1979; Walberg, 1979; Fraser, 1980; Walberg and Haertel's paper in this issue).Although consistent with the previous research tradition involving the predictive validity of students' perceptions, the study reported here represents an important extension to prior research in two key ways. First, the present investigation involved the use of a new instrument, the Individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire (Rentoul and Fraser, 1979), which measures perceptions of those learning environment dimensions which differentiate individualized and conventional classrooms. In contrast, previous studies have employed instruments such as the Learning Environment Inventory (Anderson and Walberg, 1976) or the Classroom Environment Scale (Moos and Trickett, 1974) which exclude some aspects of classroom environment particularly salient in individualized settings involving open or inquiry-based approaches. Second, while prior research has concentrated on the predictive validity of perceptions of actual classroom environment, the present study also examined the predictability of learning from the congruence between actual and preferred classroom environment (as derived from student perceptions on the individualized Classroom Environment Questionnaire). This proposition is based on the intuitively plausible notion that students who differ in their preferences for classroom individualization could achieve differentially depending upon the amount of actual individualization present in their classrooms. The major purpose of the present paper is to report analyses into the predictability of some cognitive and affective outcomes from (a) actual classroom individualization and (b) the congruence between actual and preferred individualization.     

Learning environment,motivation, and achievement in high school science

In a study of the relationship between high school students' perceptions of their science learning environments and their motivation, learning strategies, and achievement, 377 students in 22 introductory science classrooms completed surveys in the fall and spring of their ninth‐grade year. Hierarchical linear regression was used to model the effects of variables at both the classroom and individual level simultaneously. High intraclass agreement (indicated by high parameter reliability) on all classroom environment measures indicated that students shared perceptions of the classroom learning environment. Controlling for other factors, shared perceptions that only the most able could succeed in science classrooms and that instruction was fast‐paced and focused on correct answers negatively predicted science achievement, as measured on a districtwide curriculum‐linked test. Shared perceptions that classrooms focused on understanding and independent thinking positively predicted students' self‐reported satisfaction with learning. Implications of these results for both teaching and research into classroom environments are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 40: 347–368, 2003     

The impact of teaching in a one-to-one computing classroom on teachers’ work outside the classroom

ABSTRACT

One-to-one computing programmes – that is, when each student has a personal, portable computer to use while learning – have been studied extensively, mostly regarding their actual classroom implementation. In this quantitative study, the authors take a broader perspective, exploring the impact of teaching in one-to-one computing programmes on teachers’ beliefs regarding their job outside the classroom. Participants were middle school and high school teachers who had taught in both one-to-one and traditional classrooms – and hence could reflect upon the differences between the two settings. The methodology included questionnaires based on Danielson’s comprehensive Framework of Teaching. The results suggest more positive attitudes towards teaching in one-to-one programmes than in traditional classrooms in all domains tested; however, the one-to-one instruction applied portrays a rather shallow, instrumental use of the digital devices in a way that supports existing teaching practices and beliefs, rather than a transformative effect of such programmes on teaching.     

An Analysis of Some New Statistical Methods for Selecting Test Items

In this study, the relationship between student affective performance and classroom physical environment, social climate, and management style were investigated in a sample of classes in Hong Kong primary schools. The results of Pearson and canonical correlation analyses indicated that among the measures of classroom environment, perceived quality of physical environment and class master's expert power, personal power, and coercive power were the strongest predictors of affective performance. This finding supports the importance of class master's management style in the classroom environment. Students' attitudes toward school and teachers appeared to be most sensitive to variation in the classroom environment, and self-concept was the least sensitive among the seven student affective measures. Students' self-efficacy of learning and intention to drop out were moderately sensitive to classroom environment. Profiles of effective and ineffective classroom environments were also mapped. In effective classrooms, class masters care for students, pay attention to teaching, do not use force or punishment but do create a good classroom climate with their professional knowledge, personal morality, and personality. Physical environment and psychological environment are both important; a good classroom environment is highly correlated with student affective performance.     

Creating Respectful Classroom Environments

Creating respectful classroom environments Respect is a critical variable in education. It is critical to each individual child in the classroom environment as well as to the teaching and learning that takes place in the classroom. Children learn by example. Where do they get their examples? This article explores the parameters of teaching and encouraging respect in classrooms for young children. Emphasis is placed on the creation of respectful classroom environments taught by teachers who have themselves been prepared to nurture this kind of environment.     

智慧教室建设问题与建议思考

伴随着“物联网”等教育技术的发展,教室的智慧化程度显著上升,也使得智慧教室得到迅速发展。智慧教室改变了传统教室的物理环境,也改变了传统的“教”与“学”的关系,让教师可以充分使用各种教育技术和教育资源进行教学。文章意在分析智慧教室建设中的一些不足,并提出相应的建议,以期更好地建设智慧教室,使智慧教室能够更好地为教育教学服务。     

The defining features of teacher talk within autonomy-supportive classroom management

Classroom management practices were studied in middle school classrooms with positive interpersonal classroom climates, high levels of student engagement, and high levels of autonomy support. Students' motivational responses to autonomy-supportive instructional interactions were explored to understand variability within classroom management practices identified and described in this study as providing autonomy support. Our findings suggest proactive classroom management is enacted through instructional interactions wherein teachers scaffold students' autonomous self-regulatory capacities that sustain student engagement in classroom activities by supporting students' strategy use, transferring responsibility to students, encouraging students' to structure physical and social contexts to support learning, and promoting prosocial behavior.     

初中语文智慧课堂互动学习初探

随着课堂教学设施的更新换代,互联网技术也逐渐进入课堂教学中,教师也开始探索新的课堂教学模式。从过去的三尺讲台到如今的智能课堂,设施更新也推动着教学模式的更新。但使用智慧课堂与新的教学模式结合进行教学的课堂仍是少数,在初中课堂上使用的教学设备仍是一块展示黑板,教师没有完全开发和利用课堂,在课堂教学中仍未重视学生。本文以初中语文为例,探索智慧课堂与互动学习高效结合为其他学科提供参考。     

Validity and use of an instrument for assessing classroom psychosocial environment in higher education

A strong tradition in research in primary and secondary schools has involved student and teacher perceptions of psychological characteristics of actual or preferred classroom environment. This paper provides a foundation for the extension of this tradition to the higher education level by describing the development, validation, and use of a new instrument, the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), suitable for small higher education classes often referred to as seminars. The CUCEI assesses students' or instructors' perceptions of the following seven psychosocial dimensions of actual or preferred classroom environment: personalization, involvement, student cohesiveness, satisfaction, task orientation, innovation, and individualization. Administration of the CUCEI to 372 students in 34 classes and to 20 instructors attested to the internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity of the actual and preferred forms with either the individual or the class mean as the unit of analysis, and supported the ability of the actual form to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. A research application of the CUCEI involving associations between student outcomes and classroom environment tentatively suggested that the nature of the classroom environment affects outcomes. Another research application suggested that both students and instructors preferred a more favorable classroom environment than the one actually present, and that instructors viewed classroom environments more positively than did their students in the same classrooms. Desirable future applications of the CUCEI for research purposes and in improving teaching in higher education are considered.The first main aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation of a new instrument to assess perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment in university and college classrooms. The second major purpose is to report the first two research uses of this instrument in, respectively, a study of associations between student outcomes and classroom environment and an investigation of differences between students and instructors in their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom environment. As well, desirable future research directions involving the new instrument are suggested. Before describing the development and use of the new instrument for the higher education level, important background information about analogous work at the primary and secondary school levels is briefly reviewed in an attempt to place the new work into context.     

The role of student characteristics in studying micro teaching–learning environments

This study explored the role of student characteristics in studying micro teaching–learning environments. The overarching hypothesis is that teachers teach differently to micro environments in their classrooms. This study is the first of a series exploring the following four questions: (1) What student profiles are identified at the beginning of a school year with respect to cognitive and motivational-affective factors? (2) How do students with different profiles perceive conditions in their learning environment? (3) To what degree do classrooms differ in the composition of student profiles? (4) What are possible consequences for examining micro teaching–learning environments? The study investigated 82 randomly selected high school science classrooms. Student characteristics were assessed at the beginning of the school year. After a video taped teaching unit, students were asked to rate the degree to which they experienced learning conditions as supportive. Latent class analysis (LCA) showed five distinct student profiles that varied along cognitive and motivational-affective dimensions. Multilevel analyses showed effects of student profiles assessed at the beginning of the school year on the students’ perception of learning conditions in a teaching unit 4 months later. To illustrate consequences for examining micro teaching–learning environments, student profiles were linked to video examples. The examples point to the special value of LCA in studying micro teaching–learning environments: they make it possible to focus on the individual student and to investigate the interplay of student characteristics and the learning environment.     

Inquiry-Based Learning and the Flipped Classroom Model

Abstract

The flipped classroom model of teaching can be an ideal venue for turning a traditional classroom into an engaging, inquiry-based learning (IBL) environment. In this paper, we discuss how two instructors at different universities made their classrooms come to life by moving the acquisition of basic course concepts outside the classroom and using class time for active problem-based learning. Results from student surveys are presented to relate student perceptions of the flipped/IBL classroom model.     

Collaborative teacher learning: Findings from two professional development projects

This article discusses two projects that were aimed at enhancing the opportunities for professional development of the participants through collaboration between classroom teachers and teacher educators. The two projects, the Australian Project for Enhancing Effective Learning (PEEL) and the Canadian Learning Strategies Group (LSG), focused on the teaching and learning practices in secondary school classrooms. We examine those features that we contend have resulted in long-term sustainability and the success of these partnerships. An analysis of our own experiences and other empirical data from both projects illustrate our claims that these small-scale projects have: improved the learning environment in classrooms for students and teachers; created models of professional development for school and teacher educators; and provided valid knowledge about learning and teaching issues in classroom settings. The potential of such projects to achieve these aims depends upon: (a) a mutually held understanding of what types of classroom practices nurture good teaching and learning, (b) a setting where teachers have a strong commitment and control over the project and decide on its direction, and (c) a structure that allows teachers and teacher educators to meet regularly in an atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding.     

“The music is why I teach”: Intuitive strategies of successful teachers in culturally diverse learning environments

This study explored the classroom learning environments and instructional strategies of four teachers in culturally diverse classrooms. All teachers were deemed successful by their school colleagues, including administrators and instructional specialists, at meeting the needs of their culturally diverse students. The teachers in the study, who were teaching in four different regions of the U.S.A. and who represented different grade levels, taught in schools that contained richly diverse student populations. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, I conducted a cross-case analysis of the teachers' learning environments. A primary focus of the research was the relationship between teachers' biographies and culturally sensitive classroom instruction. Three themes about culturally sensitive teaching emerged during data analysis: reshaping traditional school curriculum, rethinking the role of the teacher, and acquiring and using cultural sensitivity. Implications for preparing teachers for culturally diverse learning environments are discussed.