Evaluating Elementary and Secondary School Science Learning Environments in Taiwan

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to describe the development and application of an instrument to identify various dimensions of the learning environment, as perceived by elementary and middle school students in Taiwan. The instrument, the New Constructivist Learning Environment Scales, includes four dimensions: attitude concerning instruction, interaction, scientific inquiry, and understanding. Data analysis indicates that the instrument developed in this study has satisfactory validity and reliability measures. Data from the New Constructivist Learning Environment Scales reveal three major findings: compared with the other aspects, scientific inquiry is the least frequent in both the elementary and middle school science classrooms in Taiwan; transitional deterioration regarding the science learning environments was found from elementary to middle schools in two areas—interaction and understanding; and multiple regression indicated that the students' attitudes were associated with the dimensions of understanding and interaction. Qualitative data analysis based on classroom observation and interviews of students and their science teachers confirm and enrich these findings.