Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory Research Articles

Preferowana i rzeczywista codzienność szkolna w perspektywie uczniów

This study contains an analysis of school reality and refers to its perception by individuals directly engaged in it, namely the students (teachers’ perception has been excluded) who experience and face various situations occurring at school environment. The purpose of this project was to explore various aspects of school life from students’ perspective in actual and preferred terms. The research was carried out among 1,036 students of elementary school, from grade 4 to grade 7, and middle-school from grade 2 to grade 3. The research tool was TROFLEI questionnaire (Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory). The study has enabled identification of those aspects of everyday school reality which are of utmost importance to the students. The results moreover revealed a gap between the actual and the preferred states for all characteristics between elementary school students and middle-school students. The study results suggest a change of teaching methods and styles in Polish school and rejection of the schematic approach to pay attention to students’ personal development and relationships between students themselves and between students and teachers. All that is a precondition for a friendly atmo[1]sphere at school and underpins a successful realization of its function.

Learning Environments of Technologysupported Teacher Education Classrooms in Relation to Gender, Previous Qualifications and Teaching Subjects

The students of 21st century have very high learning expectations. Concept of teaching and learning has changed tremendously due to globalization and explosion of knowledge. New tools of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may contribute considerably towards all phases of educational process including the area of teacher education. The need for teacher training is widely acknowledged in the light of this development. The aim of this study was to assess students' perceptions of the learning environments of technology supported teacher education classrooms in relation to three variables, i.e., previous qualification, gender and teaching subjects. A sample of 317 students from six classes was taken. The tool used for the study was the modified form of Technology–Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI). In these classrooms, different information and communication technology tools like laptops, computers, and multimedia projectors, interactive boards etc. are regularly used to communicate, disseminate, store, and manage curriculum information for the benefit of the students. Results of the study strongly support the reliability and validity of the questionnaire in these classroom settings. The results show that the students perceive their technology-supported learning environment in a positive manner. Results on investigation of previous qualification, gender differences and teaching subjects suggest that there exist some differences in technology-supported learning environments as measured by the TROFLEI.

Gender Differences in Senior High School Science Students’ Perceptions of Their Teachers’ Classroom Management Strategies in New-Juaben Municipality of Ghana

This study explored gender differences associated with science students’ perception of their educators’ classroom management strategies used in the learning and teaching of science. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the investigation, which took place in three senior high schools offering the General Science programme in the New-Juaben Municipal (Koforidua), in the Eastern Region of Ghana. A sample of 300 third year (SHS 3) senior high school students in the 2018/2019 academic year were selected using a random sampling procedure to respond to a Self-Report Survey Questionnaire with closed-ended and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was adapted from the Technology-Rich outcomes-focused Learning Environment Inventory -TROFLEI) to suit the study design and was pre-tested to ensure that the statements were reliable and valid. The results from the study revealed that there are clear differences between genders regarding educators’ classroom management strategies. One other key finding from the study was students’ indecision as to the extent to which their teachers use the 10 classroom management strategies prescribed to be used by teachers. It was therefore recommended among others for educators to create an empowering technology-rich classroom atmosphere for learners to actively partake in classroom activities.

Learning principles of accounting in ICT-supported learning environments of Malaysian secondary schools: future-oriented approach

This research was undertaken to identify the learning approaches used by Malaysian secondary school students of Principles of Accounting in the context of ICT-supported learning environments. The revised Two-Factor version of the Learning Process Questionnaire (R-LPQ-2F) was adapted to appraise the learning approaches used, while the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) was adapted to obtain the perceptions of students in ICT-supported learning environments which practising the ICT-pedagogy. The sample for the study comprised 371 Form Four Malaysian students. There were indications from this study that students employed the deep approach to learning Principles of Accounting; whereas the surface approach was not discernible. Only two scales measured the sub constructs of surface motive and surface strategy, namely aim for qualification and minimising scope of study merged and evolved into what is referred to as the future-oriented approach in this study. Aiming for qualification as a motive is complemented by a non-surface learning strategy of non-minimisation of scope of study, i.e. learning beyond the minimum scope. The future-oriented approach was influenced by socio-cultural and educational contextual factors in Malaysia. The findings also reflected the influence of ICT-supported learning environment perceptions on learning approaches.

Characteristics of an innovative learning environment according to students’ perceptions: actual versus preferred

An innovative learning environment is the current outcome of the constructivist approach, the essence of which is co-construction of knowledge in an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment. We examined how Israeli students perceived 10 characteristics of their classroom learning environment—student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, task orientation, investigation, cooperation, equity, differentiation, computer usage and young adult ethos. Particular foci were students’ perceptions of the actual state of their learning environment compared with the preferred state, and which characteristics predicted students’ cooperation. Participants were 1022 students in 33 classes from 12 computerised elementary and middle schools in Israel. Data were collected using the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI). Results indicated a gap between the actual and the preferred states for all characteristics, although the scope of these gaps differed between elementary-schools students and middle-school students for certain characteristics. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis indicated that nine characteristics of the innovative environment in both actual and preferred states were related to cooperation, with these relations being primarily direct with the exception of teacher support and differentiation which had an indirect influence. Teacher support was mediated through student cohesiveness, involvement, equity and young adult ethos, whereas differentiation was mediated through investigation. Evaluation of the innovative learning environment might lead to better insights regarding the behaviours and needs of twenty-first century students in Israel’s education system. These insights could advance constructivist processes and teaching methods and bring the students to effective cooperative learning in an innovative learning environment.

Evaluating online resources in terms of learning environment and student attitudes in middle-grade mathematics classes

The main objective of this research was to use learning environment and attitude scales in evaluating online resource materials for supporting a traditional mathematics curriculum. The sample consisted of 914 middle-school students in 49 classes. A second research focus was the validation of the chosen learning environment questionnaire, the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI), with an ethnically-diverse sample of middle-grade mathematics students in Florida. Finally, we complemented quantitative questionnaire data with qualitative interview data that were analysed thematically. In addition to cross-validating the TROFLEI, our study suggested that the online resource provided neither much advantage nor much disadvantage.

The Interplay between Biology Teachers’ Interpersonal Behavior and Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom Learning Environment

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between students’ perceptions of their biology classroom learning environment, teachers’ interpersonal behaviors, students’ academic achievement, and their attitudes towards biology. The Turkish versions of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI), the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI), and the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) were administered to a total of 402 students from fifteen classrooms of four high schools located in Tekirdag/Turkey during the 2012–2013 academic year. Factor structures and internal consistency reliabilities of all instruments were found to be valid and reliable. The analyses revealed that the students had positive perceptions of their biology learning environments. Furthermore, their perceptions of the learning environment had a positive influence on their attitudes to and achievements in biology. Similarly, their attitudes to and achievement in biology were influenced by biology teachers’ interpersonal behaviors. Whereas the scales of the TOSRA positively correlated with three scales of the QTI, namely leadership, understanding, and helping, they negatively correlated with four scales of the QTI, namely uncertain, admonishing, dissatisfied, and strict. The students’ perceptions of their biology teachers’ interpersonal behaviors differed significantly depending on the type of school they were attending.

English

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of gender between actual and preferred classroom environment and use of technology in the science classroom of Turkish students. Employing stratified random sampling procedures, data were collected from 985 students from schools across twelve different districts in Istanbul, Turkey. The Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI), developed by Aldridge and Fraser (2003), was used in this study. The TROFLEI was translated into Turkish using a multistep process. Independent samples t-tests were conducted on each of the scale items to evaluate the relationship between gender and the students’ actual and preferred use of technology in the science classroom. Our findings show that differences clearly exist between genders in their actual and preferred perceptions of classroom environment and their use of technology in the science classroom. This knowledge can serve as valuable information as educational reforms continue to evolve and educators seek to reach all students in their classrooms. Key words: Science classroom, gender, Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment, TROFLEI, classroom environment, cross-cultural validation.

Technology-supported learning environments in science classrooms in India

The adoption of technology has created a major impact in the field of education at all levels. Technology-supported classroom learning environments, involving modern information and communication technologies, are also entering the Indian educational system in general and the schools in Jammu region (Jammu & Kashmir State, India) in particular. This study, which is the first of its kind in India, reports the use of a modified form of Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) for assessing students’ perceptions of their learning environments in technology-supported science classrooms. Analysis of data from 705 students from 15 classes provided evidence for the reliability and validity of the questionnaire in Indian science classroom settings. The same data also were used for studying gender differences and associations between students’ perceptions of their technology-supported learning environments and three learner outcomes (attitude towards science, academic efficacy and academic achievement).

A cross-cultural validation of the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) in Turkey and the USA

Background Studies exploring the relationship between students’ achievement and the quality of the classroom learning environments have shown that there is a strong relationship between these two concepts. Learning environment instruments are constantly being revised and updated, including for use in different cultures, which requires continued validation efforts. Purpose The purpose of this study was to establish cross-cultural reliability and validity of the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) in both Turkey and the USA. Sample Approximately 980 students attending grades 9–12 in Turkey and 130 students attending grades 9–12 in the USA participated in the study. Design and method Scale reliability analyses and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed separately for Turkish and US participants for both actual and preferred responses to each scale to confirm the structure of the TROFLEI across these two distinct samples. Results Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficients, ranging from α = 0.820 to 0.931 for Turkish participants and from α = 0.778 to 0.939 for US participants, indicated that all scales have satisfactory internal consistency for both samples. Confirmatory factor analyses resulted in evidence of adequate model fit across both samples for both actual and preferred responses, with the root mean square error of approximation ranging from 0.052 to 0.057 and the comparative fit index ranging from 0.920 to 0.982. Conclusions This study provides initial evidence that the TROFLEI is valid for use in both the Turkish and US high-school populations (grades 9–12). However, the psychometric properties should be examined further with different populations, such as middle-school students (grades 6–8).

Effects and Determinants of Outcomes-Focused Learning Environments

A common line of past learning environment research has involved associations between the learning environment and student outcomes (i.e. the effects of learning environment). It is one thing to advocate that teachers establish outcomes-focused learning environments, but it is important to know whether the creation of such learning environments are associated with more positive student attitudes and higher achievement. Consequently, the first aim of this article is to report our investigation of associations between emphases in outcomes-focused classroom learning environments (as assessed by the Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory, TROFLEI, and the student outcomes of attitudes and achievement. Because many past learning environment studies focused on determinants of classroom environments, our study of outcomes-focused classroom environments also employed the scales of the TROFLEI as dependent variables in investigating whether differences exist in perceived learning environment, preferred learning environment and attitudes between: (a) males and females and (b) students enrolled in university-entrance examination subjects and wholly school-assessed subjects.

Psychosocial environment and affective outcomes in technology-rich classrooms: testing a causal model

Research investigated classroom environment antecedent variables and student affective outcomes in Australian high schools. The Technology-Rich Outcomes-Focused Learning Environment Inventory (TROFLEI) was used to assess 10 classroom environment dimensions: student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, investigation, task orientation, cooperation, equity, differentiation, computer usage and young adult ethos. A sample of 4,146 high school students from Western Australia and Tasmania responded to the TROFLEI and three student outcome measures: attitude to the subject, attitude to computer use and academic efficacy. Confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL supported the 10 scale a priori structure of the instrument. Structural equation modeling using LISREL was used to test a postulated model involving antecedent variables, classroom environment and outcomes. The modeling indicated that: improving classroom environment has the potential to improve student outcomes, antecedents did not have any significant direct effect on outcomes, and academic efficacy mediated the effect of several classroom environment dimensions on attitude to subject and attitude to computer use.