University Classroom Environment Inventory Research Articles

Student-perceived social interactions in university musical ensembles predicted group identification

Group identification is a key process in the development of an individual’s social identity. This study examined whether student-perceived social interactions in university ensembles could shape their group identification. The sample included 517 university students from 7 ensembles of 2 universities in China. Student-perceived teacher–student relationships, peer relationships, cooperation, and equity in university ensembles were measured by the revised College and University Classroom Environment Inventory. Students’ group identification was measured by the questionnaire for identification with art-based groups. Data were collected and further analyzed by structural equation modeling via Amos 23. The results showed that students’ perceptions of teacher–student relationships, peer relationships, and cooperation had positive effects on their identification with the university ensemble, but the teacher’s differential treatment had negative effects on their group identification.

A path analysis of university EFL students' perceptions of the classroom environment and academic achievement

The current study aimed to explore the relationships between students' perceptions of the classroom environment and their academic achievement in higher education. The participants were 846 first-year undergraduate students who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. Data on students’ perceptions of the classroom environment were collected by the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory. Students’ academic achievement was measured by a national standardized test for English competence (the College English Test). The results of path analysis showed that students’ perceptions of innovative instruction and task orientation were positive predictors of their academic achievement; students’ perceptions of equity predicted their academic achievement via perceptions of teacher-student relationships; students’ perceptions of peer relationships had an indirect effect on student achievement mediated by cooperative learning. However, students’ perceptions of learning autonomy were not related to their perceptions of other environmental factors and learning outcomes. Keywords: Academic achievement; Classroom environment; English as a foreign language (EFL); perceptions.

Adaptive learning: Helpful to the flipped classroom in the online environment of COVID?

Flipped instruction in an undergraduate numerical methods course in the online, remote environment during the COVID‐19 pandemic was conducted with and without the use of adaptive‐learning lessons for pre‐class preparation. This comparison was made to explore potential differences with and without adaptive software relative to exam and concept inventory performance and student perceptions of the classroom environment, learning and motivation, and benefits and drawbacks. Student perceptions were gathered via the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and a survey designed to capture feedback specific to flipped instruction. The analysis was made possible by a current NSF grant to study adaptive learning in the flipped classroom at three universities and extensive prior research with the flipped classroom and adaptive learning by the authors. Results gathered in the online flipped classroom with adaptive learning suggested positive changes in the following: classroom environmental perceptions, preference for flipped instruction, perceived responsibility imposed, motivation for independent learning, and perceived learning. Furthermore, based on an open‐ended question, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of students who experienced load, burden, or stressors in the online flipped classroom when adaptive learning was available versus not. Multiple‐choice exam and concept‐inventory results were slightly higher with adaptive lessons (although not significantly so), with the most promising results occurring for Pell grant recipients. The emerging medical education literature has suggested that adaptive learning and flipped instruction will be key to post‐pandemic education. The present article begins advocacy for adaptive learning with flipped instruction in engineering education.

Impact of Faculty Student Rapport on Classroom Environment

Rapport-building is a well-known construct and so is Classroom Environment (CRE). Faculty-student rapport (FSR) in higher education is perceived to enhance motivational level, comfort level, communication and eventually learning. Connecting with students also leads to better student engagement in the learning process. A lot has been said about faculty-student rapport by theoreticians however research needs to measure its impact empirically. This research paper measures impact of FSR on CRE in the institutions imparting management and engineering education in NCR, India. Objective of this paper is to establish whether a positive correlation exists between FSR and CRE. Other objectives of this paper are to evaluate if stream of education (engineering/management) and gender of teacher have significant impact on FSR. Data was collected from 800 students from private institutions of National Capital Region (NCR), India using Professor-Student Rapport Scale and The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) questionnaire. The impact of FSR on CRE has been measured through Pearson Correlation. The impact of stream of education (engineering/management) and gender of teacher on FSR have been measured through T-test. This research paper primarily measures student perception. Pearson correlation on this data size of 800 affirmed that there exists a positive correlation between Faculty-student rapport and Classroom Environment. T-tests determined that stream of education does not impact FSR whereas gender of the teacher impacts FSR. Previous research has shown mixed results that FSR impacts student achievement. This does not mean that FSR should be neglected or given less importance. Faculty-student rapport impacts Classroom Environment and hence should be considered and maintained in higher education.

Classroom Participation: A Model of Feminist Pedagogy.

Nursing faculty need to provide students with problem-solving skills during their formative academic years, and feminist pedagogy supported by classroom participation may foster these skills. Through the lens of feminist pedagogy, factors that influence classroom participation of nursing students were identified using the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory. Nursing students reported higher levels of attendance and punctuality compared with preparation and contribution to class discussion and favored personalization and equity over innovation and individualization in the classroom.

Effectiveness of teaching strategies for engaging adults who experienced childhood difficulties in learning mathematics

We investigated whether the introduction of a variety of activity-based teaching strategies into college-level mathematics classes in the United Arab Emirates was effective in terms of the nature of the classroom learning environment and students’ satisfaction. In addition, we investigated how the use of personally-relevant and concrete activities changed the learning environment in ways that were perceived to be beneficial by adults who had experienced failure. For a sample of 84 students from eight classes in the Higher Colleges of Technology, the learning environment was assessed with a modified Arabic version of four scales (Involvement, Task Orientation, Personalisation and Individualisation) from the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and Satisfaction was also measured with a scale from the same instrument. As well, five case-study students were involved in assessing the learning environment through observations, semi-structured interviews and focus-group interviews in order to link qualitative information with the constructs assessed by the CUCEI.

How learning in an inverted classroom influences cooperation, innovation and task orientation

Recent technological developments have given rise to blended learning classrooms. An inverted (or flipped) classroom is a specific type of blended learning design that uses technology to move lectures outside the classroom and uses learning activities to move practice with concepts inside the classroom. This article compares the learning environments of an inverted introductory statistics class with a traditional introductory statistics class at the same university. This mixed-methods research study used the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), field notes, interviews and focus groups to investigate the learning environments of these two classrooms. Students in the inverted classroom were less satisfied with how the classroom structure oriented them to the learning tasks in the course, but they became more open to cooperative learning and innovative teaching methods. These findings are discussed in terms of how they contribute to the stability and connectedness of classroom learning communities.

Classroom psychosocial environment and course experiences in pre-service teacher education courses at an Australian university

Research linking university students' perceptions of their classroom environment and course experiences was conducted in one Australian university. A sample of 495 students responded to the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). Multilevel regression analyses revealed that several CUCEI scales were significant predictors of CEQ scales. Overall, task orientation was the most potent predictor of all five CEQ scales: clear goals and standards, generic skills, good teaching, appropriate workload and appropriate assessment. Improvements in the classroom environment were linked to more positive course experiences which are being taken as indicators of institutional performance. It is recommended that more attention be paid to classroom environment in colleges and universities.

Should computing be taught in single‐sex environments? An analysis of the computing learning environment of upper secondary students

It has been well established in the literature that girls are turning their backs on computing courses at all levels of the education system. One reason given for this is that the computer learning environment is not conducive to girls, and it is often suggested that they would benefit from learning computing in a single‐sex environment. The purpose of this study was to identify whether there were differences in perception between boys and girls and the type of school they attended. The College and university classroom environment inventory (CUCEI) was used as an instrument to measure the computing learning environment of 265 Year 12 and 13 secondary schools students in Wellington, New Zealand. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in perceptions between sex, and between different types of school, and it is suggested that there may be a place for single‐sex computing classrooms in mixed‐sex schools.

Measuring the Computer Classroom Environment: Lessons Learned From Using a New Instrument

Research over the last four decades has shown that the classroom learning environment impacts on students' cognitive and affective outcomes. Different approaches have been taken to measure students' perceptions of their learning environment, and this has led to the development of a large number of survey instruments. One such instrument is the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) which was developed in 1987. The CUCEI was recently modified and both the original and modified versions were validated in a number of studies. This article reports the use of the modified CUCEI in two independent studies in computing classrooms in secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Wellington, New Zealand. The statistical performance of the CUCEI was not completely satisfactory in either study and revealed a number of problems common to these two studies. The difficulties are discussed and recommendations made to increase the validity and reliability of this instrument.

An Application of the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction and College and University Classroom Environment Inventory in a Multicultural Tertiary Context

The research reported in this inquiry consisted of the application of two classroom learning environment questionnaires developed in a Western context to a culturally diverse context, namely, the Pacific Islands. The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) and Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) instruments were administered to intact classes of first- and second-year science students ( n= 257) at a regional university in the Pacific Islands, containing a total of 12 ethnicities. The data reveal that the QTI instrument holds good reliability for all scales, whereas the CUCEI holds reliability for only two scales. This may be due to the simple nature of the questions on the QTI whereas the questions on the CUCEI require more interpretation, the latter exacerbated by the fact that English is a second or third language for most participants. Surprisingly, there were few differences in perceptions of teacher student interaction based on ethnicity, but substantial differences based on gender. As reported in previous classroom environment research at the secondary school level, in this study, females perceived their environment more favourably than males. The data for the QTI reveal that the students perceive their classrooms to be highly teacher dominated, consistent with previous naturalistic studies of secondary schools and exploratory studies at the tertiary level in Fiji. Since almost all the graduates from this institution become science teachers, a cycle is completed.

Assessment of Classroom Environments in Reformed Calculus Education

Research was conducted to determine if current reforms in calculus education are more inclusive of students of different genders, personalities, attributional beliefs, mathematical abilities, and computer attitudes. Two types of calculus reform are examined: a computer-assisted, student-centred and inductive reform based on the Calculus and Maple (CM and a teacher-only, teacher-centred and deductive reform. Both methods emphasise student participation in the learning and employ collaborative-learning groups mixed by ability and the assessed sociometric measures, but not mixed by gender. The classroom environments of the reform classes were assessed qualitatively using free-form surveys, interviews and classroom observations, and assessed quantitatively using the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI). The classroom environment of reform classes was compared qualitatively to the normal lecture environment. Students assessed the classroom environment as being significantly less favourable than preferred, confirming general dissatisfaction with socio-emotional aspects of university classes, even when adopting modern educational reforms. Differences in the actual and preferred classroom environments were observed in all class sub-divisions (i.e. gender, personality) and across all environment scales of the CUCEI. The research illustrates the psychosocial diversity of reforms for university classrooms and the desirability of evaluating such reforms using a learning environment inventory as well as conventional qualitative measures.

Transition from senior secondary to higher education: A learning environment perspective

The purpose of this study was to modify and validate a new form of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), and to then use it to compare students' actual and preferred perceptions of their classroom learning environments at the senior secondary and teritary levels of education. The study also examined differences in perceptions according to the student's gender. A sample of 504 students participated in the study. The reliabilities of the scales of the modified CUCEI ranged from .73 to .94. When the two levels were compared, students at the higher education level had a less favourable perception of their learning environment. Previous research was replicated in that females were found generally to perceive their learning environments in a more positive way than did males and that all students generally preferred a more positive learning environment in their classes.

Improving Music Teaching and Learning Through Assessing the Music Classroom Environment

Teachers often speak of a classroom's climate, environment, atmosphere, tone and ethos as important in their own right as well as being influential in terms of students' learning. Although classroom environment has been shown to be a subtle concept, considerable progress has been made over the last two decades (Fraser 1986, 1989, 1994) in conceptualising, assessing and researching it. Research into classroom learning environments can answer important questions such as the following: How does a classroom's environment affect student learning and attitudes? Can teachers conveniently and reliably assess the climates of their own classrooms and can they change these environments? Is there a difference between actual and preferred classroom environment as perceived by students, and does this matter in terms of student outcomes? Much of this research has attempted to answer such questions in the areas of maths and science teaching. There have been few applications of this work to music classrooms in schools or universities. This paper presents data from research with general primary teachers undertaking music as part of their teacher training at Griffith University, Mt Gravatt Campus. The instrument used was the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) (Fraser, 1986a). The paper concludes that, while there is considerable difference between students' perceptions of actual and preferred music environments, the music classroom environment can be reliably assessed and improved, with demonstratable gains in students' attitude towards music.

Improving nursing education classroom environments.

This study describes the first use of a classroom environment questionnaire with a class in nursing education. An instructor of nursing students monitored classes using such a questionnaire. The questionnaire used was the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory and it was used to obtain practical and useful information about the learning environment in two different classes. Collaborative changes were made in the classes to improve the classroom environment and consequently the learning situation. Any instructor of nursing students could use this same process with this instrument.

The Reliability of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory: Some Australian Data

This paper describes the reliability of the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory which is designed to gather students' perceptions of the psychosocial characteristics of their learning environments. It consists of 7 scales: Personalization, Involvement, Student Cohesiveness, Satisfaction, Task Orientation, Innovation, and Individualization and has both an Actual and a Preferred Form. 130 teacher-education students from a variety of content area backgrounds completed the inventory prior to (preferred) and at the end of (actual) a semester unit in Educational Psychology. The Cronbach alpha measure of reliability using the student as the unit of analysis confirms the already reported internal consistencies of the 7 scales. Although some values are relatively low, this can be explained in terms of the influence on Cronbach alpha of low variance.

Use of classroom and school climate scales in evaluating alternative high schools

Some alternative high schools which aim to provide an appropriate ethos for adult learners were evaluated in terms of both student perceptions of classroom environment and teacher perceptions of school environment. From within the alternative schools, a sample of 536 students in 45 classes responded to the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory and a group of 106 teachers responded to the School-level Environment Questionnaire. Relative to some control groups, students in the alternative high schools perceived their classes as having greater involvement, satisfaction, innovation and, individualization, while teachers in the alternative schools perceived more professional interest, achievement orientation, and innovativeness.

Validity and use of an instrument for assessing classroom psychosocial environment in higher education

A strong tradition in research in primary and secondary schools has involved student and teacher perceptions of psychological characteristics of actual or preferred classroom environment. This paper provides a foundation for the extension of this tradition to the higher education level by describing the development, validation, and use of a new instrument, the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI), suitable for small higher education classes often referred to as seminars. The CUCEI assesses students' or instructors' perceptions of the following seven psychosocial dimensions of actual or preferred classroom environment: personalization, involvement, student cohesiveness, satisfaction, task orientation, innovation, and individualization. Administration of the CUCEI to 372 students in 34 classes and to 20 instructors attested to the internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity of the actual and preferred forms with either the individual or the class mean as the unit of analysis, and supported the ability of the actual form to differentiate between the perceptions of students in different classrooms. A research application of the CUCEI involving associations between student outcomes and classroom environment tentatively suggested that the nature of the classroom environment affects outcomes. Another research application suggested that both students and instructors preferred a more favorable classroom environment than the one actually present, and that instructors viewed classroom environments more positively than did their students in the same classrooms. Desirable future applications of the CUCEI for research purposes and in improving teaching in higher education are considered. The first main aim of this paper is to describe the development and validation of a new instrument to assess perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment in university and college classrooms. The second major purpose is to report the first two research uses of this instrument in, respectively, a study of associations between student outcomes and classroom environment and an investigation of differences between students and instructors in their perceptions of actual and preferred classroom environment. As well, desirable future research directions involving the new instrument are suggested. Before describing the development and use of the new instrument for the higher education level, important background information about analogous work at the primary and secondary school levels is briefly reviewed in an attempt to place the new work into context.

Differences Between Students' and Instructors' Perceptions of Actual and Preferred Classroom Environment in Higher Education

ABSTRACT The College and University Classroom Environment Inventory was developed for assessing higher education students' or instructors' perceptions of the following seven dimensions of actual or preferred classroom psychosocial environment: personalisation, involvement, student cohesiveness, satisfaction, task orientation, innovation and individualisation. Each scale displayed satisfactory internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity for use in its actual and preferred forms with either perceptions of students in different classes. Use of the instrument in a study in 20 higher education classes revealed that, first, both students and instructors preferred a more favourable classroom environment than the one actually present and, second, instructors perceived the environment of their classes more positively than did their students in the same classrooms.

Development of an instrument for assessing classroom psychosocial environment at universities and colleges

ABSTRACT Despite a strong tradition of research and practical applications involving perceptions of classroom psychosocial environment in primary and secondary schools, surprisingly little analogous work has been conducted at the tertiary level. Consequently, in order to facilitate such work, an economical new instrument called the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI) was developed to assess students' or teachers' perceptions of seven dimensions of the actual or preferred environment (e.g. personalisation, involvement, task orientation, individualisation) of university or college seminars and tutorials. Validation data collected from a total sample of 499 students and 20 instructors supported each scale's internal consistency reliability and discriminant validity in either its actual or preferred form, with either Australian or American students, for both students and instructors, and using either the individual or the class mean as the unit of analysis. Potentially useful applic...