Aspects Of Classroom Environment Research Articles

Evaluation of Physical Aspects of Classroom Environment in Terms of the Humanistic Approach: A Comprehensive Theoretical Framework

Building a school is an easy task, but keeping its physical facilities in a good condition is a real challenge. The literature indicates that the physical classroom environment has a critical role in the learning process. To optimize that role, the physical aspects being considered should be relevant to the human needs. This study was conducted to evaluate the physical aspects of classroom environment, which are related to students' needs. Data on 860 students from public high schools in Medina, Saudi Arabia, were collected using a paper-based closed-ended questionnaire. Multiple procedures were used for instrument validation, data screening, and data analysis. Findings from the study confirmed the validity of the proposed model for evaluating the physical environment. In addition, the findings suggest that the classroom environment needs improvement in the area of temperature, air quality, acoustics, class size, space, and cleanliness. Finally, implications for practice and future directions for research are discussed.

Uloga razredno-nastavnog ozračja u objašnjenju ciljnih orijentacija učenika

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the classroom environment, namely the satisfaction with school, trust in teachers, positive teacher – student interaction and loneliness in school, in explaining individual differences in students' goal orientations. In addition, the study aimed to determine gender and age differences in the perception of classroom environment and goal orientations. The sample comprised 417 students in the sixth and the eighth grades of elementary school. They completed the questionnaires for assessing their perception of several aspects of classroom environment and the Inventory of school motivation. Results confirmed some well established gender differences in goal orientations, showing that girls achieve higher scores on mastery and social relations goals, whereas boys score higher on ego-goals and extrinsic goals. Sixth graders scored higher on social relations and mastery than did the eighth graders. Female students were more satisfied with school and showed a greater trust in teachers. All of the aspects of classroom environment were positively related with goal orientations, while the regression analyses revealed some specific relations between aspects of classroom environment and certain goal orientations.

Do learning environments differ across subjects and nations: Case studies in Hawaii and Singapore using the WIHIC questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to survey a sample of high school students in Hawaii and Singapore about what they perceive to be helpful aspects of classroom environments in their learning of science and humanities subjects. The What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was administered in the fall of 2003 to 73 high school students in Hawaii and 70 high school students in Singapore. These students were asked to respond to statements that focused on their actual and preferred environments in science and humanities classes for the three dimensions of learning environments of student cohesiveness, student involvement, and task orientation in the actual and preferred classroom. Principal component analyses were conducted separately for the data collected in the science and the humanities classes to make sure that the questions represented the anticipated factors in each of these two subject areas. A three-way multivariate analysis of variance was also conducted for all three dimensions of learning environments for differences in scores on items in the WIHIC questionnaire for the actual classroom subtracted from scores for the preferred learning environment. Results of this test revealed that the primary difference between students in high schools in Hawaii and Singapore was that students in the high schools in Hawaii wanted more student cohesiveness and involvement than the students in high schools in Singapore regardless of the subject. Another interesting finding was in the dimension of task orientation, for which the interaction between student nationality and subject was statistically significant.

The Roles of Southeast Asian School Managers as Instructional Leaders: An Assessment

Schools must consciously seek principals who are instructional leaders. Principals who are comfortable with providing instructional support to teachers are likely to have been good teachers themselves (Glanz 2006). This descriptive method of research assessed the roles of Southeast Asian school managers as instructional leaders in the four domains of teaching responsibilities and explored relationships among the variables of the study namely: planning and preparation, the classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities. The T-test determined the differences between the male and the female and between the Filipinos and the Non-Filipinos respondents which resulted to non-significant differences between neither of the two groups. The F-test was used to determine the significant relationships among the four domains of teaching responsibilities which established significant relationships between three pairs of domains. This research concluded that the SEA school managers are very comfortable with their level in working with teachers on content and pedagogical knowledge, knowledge of students and resources, ability to select instructional goals, and the degree to which they help teachers assess learning as well as the degree to which they encourage and create an environment of respect and caring and establish a culture for learning related to many aspects of classroom environment. Keywords - Southeast Asian School Managers, Instructional leadership, domains of teaching responsibilities, planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, professional responsibilities.

Teaching Teachers about Emotion Regulation in the Classroom

Emotions affect, and are intertwined with, many of the cognitive processes of learning and also classroom motivation and social interaction. There are often times within daily classroom life that students and teachers are required to, or feel compelled to, regulate their emotions. Limited research has shown that particular aspects of classroom environments can enhance emotion regulation strategy development. In addition, research indicates that some emotion regulation strategies are more effective than others, with antecedent strategies appearing favourable. Using a self-regulation perspective, this article takes a broad look at emotion regulation in the classroom through a review of relevant research, including the author's own. The article investigates the importance of emotion regulation in the classroom and subsequently how emotion regulation development can be enhanced.

Classroom environment as a predictor of behaviour disorders among children with learning disabilities in the UAE

This study was designed to identify predictors of behavioural disorders in children with learning disabilities and children without learning disabilities in the United Arab Emirates public school system. It examined the relative contributions of child characteristic (i.e. presence of learning disability, gender, age), parents' socio‐demographics and aspects of classroom environment (e.g. social support received from teachers, peers and friends, meaningful and genuine relationships with classmates, teachers help in academic matters and use of educational resources, and cooperative learning, in addition to students satisfaction with the physical environment) to behavioural disorders such as internalising and externalising problems, and mixed syndromes, mainly anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, somatic complaints, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, rule breaking behaviour and aggressive behaviour. The participants were 200 students from both sexes who ranged in age from 12 to 18 years. Structured interviews were carried out with students at schools. Practical implications to special education at the identification prevention and intervention level were discussed.

Nonshared environmental influences on teacher‐reported behaviour problems: monozygotic twin differences in perceptions of the classroom

The identification of specific nonshared environments responsible for the variance in behaviour problems is a key challenge. Nonshared environmental influences on teacher-reported behaviour problems were explored independently of genetics using the monozygotic (MZ) twin differences design. Six aspects of classroom environment were rated by a representative sample of 570 nine-year-old MZ twins in the UK in different classrooms and were related to their different teachers' reports of prosocial behaviour, hyperactivity, conduct problems, peer problems and emotional symptoms. Within-pair differences in perceptions of the classroom were significantly correlated with teacher-reported behaviour problems, indicating that children with less favourable perceptions of their classroom environment were reported by their teachers as less prosocial, more hyperactive, and to have more conduct and peer problems. Socioeconomic status did not significantly moderate any of these relationships. However, parent-reported household chaos was a significant moderator. The classroom environment is related to behaviour problems even when genetic factors are held constant. Classroom environment is more strongly associated with behaviour problems when the home environment is more chaotic.

RETHINKING READING FOR CHILDREN AT RISK

We observe that at‐risk readers often have narrow notions about the reading process and their own roles as readers. Examples of such notions are provided, and research related to at‐risk readers’ comprehension strategies is reviewed. We suggest that several aspects of typical reading instruction for at‐risk readers may contribute to their views about reading and behaviors as readers: opportunity to read, content of discussions about reading, and teacher responses to miscues. Aspects of the broader classroom environment, particularly emphases on competition and “doing work,” may also affect at‐risk readers’ conceptions of reading and behaviors as readers. We offer several suggestions for evaluating these aspects of the classroom environment and for helping at‐risk readers rethink their views about reading.

Project physics in N.S.W.

Of all the aspects of classroom environment studied in this research, attention to the social relevance of physics had one of the strongest associations, in a positive sense, with each of the student outcomes. The research showed that positive student outcomes tended to be closely associated with low levels of frustration. Integration of experimental and theoretical aspects of physics tended to be accompanied by positive student outcomes. The integration could well go beyond using experiments merely to illustrate and/or verify principles and theories previously taught. At least in some topics, student understanding of physics could well follow upon and be the outcome of experiences gained during practical work, and some problem-solving by experiments could be given. Despite some inveitable tensions, teachers who favoured student autonomy were generally satisfied with their physics teaching. Moreover, their students reported more growth in personal development areas such as a sense of responsibility than did students who did not experience much autonomy. The multi-media characteristics of Project Physics makes it a particularly suitable approach for including student autonomy. The results indicated that academic achievement is not likely to suffer when attention is given to encouraging student initiative, sense of responsibility, improved study methods and persistence at a task. Such goals are long-term goals and working towards them tends to be accompanied by greater interest in and enjoyment of physics.