Learning space, students' collaboration, educational outcomes, and interest: Exploring the physical, social and psychological mediators

Abstract

The present research article examined how the learning space correlated with students' collaboration and educational outcomes: in science students. The study investigated the foundation of psychological, social, and physical mediators that impress on students' scholarship, collaboration, and interest. The study had a sample size of 548 science students randomly selected from eleven secondary schools from a population of 985 science students in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. The research design that was used in study was a cross-sectional observational type of survey. A questionnaire named Learning Space and Students Outcome Questionnaire (LPSOQ) was the tool employed in the study. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. Part A sought for student's demographic variable like age and gender. Part B had variables like physical space (seating arrangement and acoustic), psychological (self-efficacy and extrinsic motivation) and students' outcome (academic grade, collaboration and students' interest). LPSOQ reliability results ranged from 0.79 to 0.89 for Cronbach alpha and 0.81 for Kuder Richardson's formula-20. Data collected were analyzed by employing regression statistics, percentages, and mean. The regression statistics showed that the t values of seating arrangement, for academic grade (t = 5.311, p < .05), collaboration (3.627, p < .05) and interest (t = 3.463, p < .05) were statistically significant. The t values for acoustic, of academic grade (t = 4.631, p < .05), collaboration (4.020, p < .05) and interest (t = 4.631, p < .05) were statistically significant. It was recommended among others that science classroom seating arrangement should be modified to fit into the U-shape form to enable the teacher to interact freely with every student and not to be hindered by a fixed position.