This mixed-methods cross-national study investigated the effectiveness of reality pedagogy (an approach in which teachers become part of students' activities, practices and rituals) in terms of changes in student perceptions of their learning environment and attitudes towards science. A questionnaire was administered to 142 students in grades 8-10…

Although learning environments research has thrived for decades in many countries and school subjects, English classroom environment research is still in its infancy. This article paves the way for expanding research on English classroom environments by (1) reviewing the limited past research in English classrooms and (2) reporting the first study…

The main objective of this research was to use learning environment and attitude scales in evaluating online resource materials for supporting a traditional mathematics curriculum. The sample consisted of 914 middle-school students in 49 classes. A second research focus was the validation of the chosen learning environment questionnaire, the…

The primary focus of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of games when used in tertiary-level mathematics classes in the United Arab Emirates. Our study incorporated a mixed-method approach that involved surveys (to assess students' perceptions of the learning environment and attitudes towards mathematics), interviews, observations of…

This article reports the development, validation and use of an instrument designed to provide teachers with feedback information, based on students' perceptions, about their classroom environments. The instrument was developed to provide teachers with feedback that they could use to reflect on their teaching practices and, in turn, guide the…

This study investigated the differences between elementary school pupils' and teachers' perceptions of the actual classroom environment and of discrepancies between preferred and actual environment. Teachers and students preferred more favorable classroom environment than was perceived as being present, and teachers perceived the actual classroom…

Explores the impact of classroom environment on curriculum implementation. Provides historical background for this area of study, describes instruments for assessing prosocial behavior, and examines studies of teacher and student perception of classroom environment. Reports on two studies that combine qualitative and quantitative methods, and…

Background information about the importance of improving educational productivity, Walberg's nine-factor model of educational productivity, and the general approach followed in educational productivity research are outlined. The approach is aimed at identifying factors linked to the achievement and attitude scores of students. (TJH)

Focuses on student and teacher perceptions of psychosocial characteristics of the elementary school classroom environment. Profiles, comparing actual and preferred classroom environments, were assessed using the following five dimensions of the My Class Inventory (short form) (Fisher and Fraser): satisfaction, friction, competitiveness,…

A study of the physicist's image revealed that school students held a more favorable image of the physicist than did university students or school teachers. The image of the physicist remained remarkably stable when information about the nature of the physicists's work was provided. (BB)

Discusses results of a study which found that attitudes toward school social studies declined with grade level among a random sample of 1,600 students in sixth through ninth grades in schools in a north central state in the United States and compares results with a survey of attitudes of 1,817 students in 17 schools in Melbourne, Australia. (DB)

Research employing the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) was conducted in Australian secondary schools. A sample of 4,146 students from 286 classes responded to the TROFLEI which assesses 10 classroom environment dimensions: student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, task orientation, investigation,…

How feedback information based upon student perceptions might be employed as a basis for reflection upon, discussion of, and systematic attempts to improve classroom environments is described. The basic logic underlying the proposed approach involves: (1) using assessments of student perceptions of both their actual and preferred environment to…

Uses four measures of attitude towards different sources of scientific information, namely experiments, experts, books and teachers, to investigate the relative preferences for the different sources among a sample of 7th grade students in Melbourne. Also explores relationships between student changes in attitude to these sources and a number of…

An overview is given of worldwide work on the development of classroom environment measures. Normative and validation data are reported from use of new scales among large Australian samples, and Australian research is reviewed, particularly in prediction of outcome-environment relationships, student-teacher perception differences, and facilitating…