Learning Environments

Abstract

The quantitative phase focused on relationships between autonomy-supportive environments and affective, behavioral, and cognitive learning components. Advantage of using mixed methods in learning environment research is that direct observations by external observers are widely recognized in psychological literature as being somewhat different and distinct from milieu inhabitants’ apprehension of an environment. Learning environment research has been sparse in the Arabic-speaking world, perhaps partly because of the limited availability of validated questionnaires in that language. However, statistically significant associations emerged between physical and psychosocial learning environment variables in classrooms using new information technologies. These associations suggested a model of educational productivity for learning environments in technology-rich classrooms. Science education researchers have contributed much to the field of learning environments’ growth and international expansion and have generated numerous insights. This chapter includes well-established applications, such as evaluating educational innovations and investigating associations between the learning environment and student outcomes.