This study deals with the cultural environments of students and how cultural and contextual factors might interact with student perceptions of their learning environment and their preferred instructional modes. Data was collected from approximately 2,500 lower secondary students in Australia using the Students' Learning and Cultural Environments (SLACE) inventory that incorporates four dimensions of culture: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity/femininity, as well as a relationship dimension that assesses the extent of interpersonal support and help between participants, a personal development dimension that assesses personal growth, and a system maintenance and system change dimension. Results reveal that students who indicated a strong congruence between the school approach to learning and their own cultural approaches saw their own preferred classroom environment as being one which is characterized by higher affiliation, involvement, teacher support, task orientation, and order/organization, compared to those who saw less connection between school and home. Other findings include: males were more likely to view classroom roles as being gender-related than female students and males were less threatened by classroom competition than female students. Contains 37 references. (JRH)