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.     

Out of the ordinary: recapturing the liberal traditions of a university education through field courses

This article aims to stimulate debate about the nature of field courses in higher education. We use a colloquium format that allows each of us to reflect on the philosophy of field course teaching and our writing endeavours to establish a dialogue between the authors and leave the reader with a sense of curiosity. It starts with a position paper that sets out a particular viewpoint on field courses to which responses were invited. Two of the respondents were experienced field-course teachers in disciplines traditionally associated with this type of curriculum, the other a lecturer in a non-field-course-oriented discipline.     

Adult students' achievement goal orientations and evaluations of the learning environment: a person-centred longitudinal analysis

This study focused on the stability and change in students' achievement goal orientations and whether the students' perceptions of the learning environment vary as a function of their achievement goal orientations. Participants were 169 students of the Finnish National Defense University. The students' goal orientations and their evaluations of the learning environment were assessed twice, approximately four months apart. Four groups of students were identified based on their achievement goal orientation profiles, and 60% of the participants displayed identical profiles in both measurements. Students with different goal orientation profiles differed in their evaluations of the quality of pedagogical materials, effort and attainment, and participation. Students oriented towards an increase of competence and mastery or towards normative performance and success were most positive in their evaluations. Students oriented towards avoidance of effort or display of incompetence gave less positive ratings. The relation between motivation and perceptions of learning environment is discussed.     

Teacher commitment and its effects on student achievement in American high schools

This study explored the effects of teacher commitment on student achievement. Three teacher commitment dimensions of organizational, professional, and student commitment were derived. The three-dimensional teacher commitment measurement model was tested by a confirmatory factor analysis. Then, the relationships among individual and organizational variables, teacher commitment, and student achievement were analyzed by a 2-level hierarchical linear modeling method. As the results, the greater portions of teacher commitment and student achievement variances were within schools. The individual and organizational variables had differential impacts on each teacher commitment dimension. Finally, while teacher commitment effects on student achievement were differentially found depending on teacher commitment dimensions at the individual level, there was no evidence to support significant impacts of teacher commitment on student achievement at the organizational level.     

Learning by starch potato growers: learning in small businesses with no employees

In small businesses with no employees, learning environments have a low learning readiness. Consequently, learners need to rely on their own agency to shape their learning experiences. Results from a study of agricultural entrepreneurs indicated that the components of motivation and self-regulated learning strategies shape learner's agency and explain learning environment configuration in small businesses with no employees. Configuration of the learning environment was found to be a weak determinant of the learning performance of these learners. However, results showed that prior performance of learners in small businesses with no employees dictates how their agency operates and what learning effect is achieved; higher prior performance results in higher learning effects. We conclude that mechanisms that underlie learning in traditional learning environments work similarly in learning environments in small businesses with no employees.     

School policy on teaching and school learning environment: direct and indirect effects upon student outcome measures

School policy on teaching and the school learning environment (SLE) are the main school factors of the dynamic model of educational effectiveness (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008 Kyriakides, L. and Tsangaridou, N. 2008. Towards the development of generic and differentiated models of educational effectiveness: A study on school and teacher effectiveness in physical education. British Educational Research Journal, 34: 807–838. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). A longitudinal study in which 50 primary schools, 108 classes, and 2369 students participated generated evidence supporting the validity of the dynamic model. This article reports the results of a re-analysis of the data of this study in order to search for direct and indirect effects of school factors included in the model. Using multilevel structural equation modelling techniques, indirect effects of school policy on teaching and SLE upon achievement in mathematics and Greek language are demonstrated. Implications of findings are drawn. Comparing the results of the multilevel direct and indirect effect model with those from using a multilevel regression model, we demonstrate the importance of choosing appropriate conceptual models and using relevant methodological approaches to understand the dynamic nature of educational effectiveness.     

物联网环境下高校图书馆拓展服务的新方向

物联网环境下高校图书馆读者服务工作的性质和特点发生了巨大的变化。新形势下,高校图书馆要从服务观念、服务资源、服务内容及方式等方面进行不断地拓展,搞好读者服务工作,促进图书馆事业的发展,构建基于物联网环境的高校图书馆个性化服务体系。     

小学生网络游戏成瘾倾向与家庭环境的关系——以福州466名小学生为例

当前,我国青少年网络游戏成瘾呈现低龄化趋势。调查发现三至六年级小学生群体中网络游戏成瘾倾向的比例很高,占总人数的20．6％;家庭环境因素中家庭关系,尤其是家庭矛盾性与家庭亲密度对小学生网络游戏成瘾倾向有预测作用。该结果说明,小学三至六年级阶段是预防青少年网络游戏成瘾的一个关键时期,良好的家庭关系是预防小学生网络游戏成瘾倾向的积极因素。     

推进生态文明建设完善河北省经济发展环境

广义的经济发展环境包括生态环境,生态环境是经济发展环境的因素之一,同时具有相对独立性。生态环境的问题是生态文明建设的突破口,解决生态环境的问题是实现生态文明的重要途径。从思想意识、政策规划和资金技术等方面入手推进生态文明建设,就是要完善生态环境,进而完善经济发展环境。