Validation and application of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey in English language teacher education classrooms in Iran

Abstract

This article reports the validation and application of an English language teacher education (LTE) version of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES). The instrument, called the CLES-LTE, was field tested with a sample of 622 Iranian English language student teachers in 28 classes. When principal components analysis led to the deletion of five items, the refined 25-item CLES-LTE exhibited satisfactory internal consistency reliability for both its actual and preferred forms and the actual form differentiated between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. Comparison of Iranian English language student teachers’ scores on actual and preferred forms of the questionnaire revealed that the student teachers preferred a more constructivist classroom environment on all scales. The work is distinctive because it is the first learning environment study delving into classrooms related to English LTE and the first learning environment research conducted in Iran.