ERIC Number: EJ729221
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Feb
Pages: 23
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1380-3611
EISSN: N/A
Californian Science Students' Perceptions of Their Classroom Learning Environments
den Brok, Perry; Fisher, Darrell; Rickards, Tony; Bull, Eric
Educational Research and Evaluation, v12 n1 p3-25 Feb 2006
This study utilised the "What Is Happening In this Class" (WIHIC) questionnaire to examine factors that influence Californian students' perceptions of their learning environment. Data were collected from 665 USA middle school science students in 11 Californian schools. Several background variables, such as gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and class size, were included in the study. A hierarchical analysis of variance was conducted. Results from this study indicate that some scales of the WIHIC are more inclined to measure personal or idiosyncratic features of student perceptions and other class features. A variable that consistently affected students' perceptions was student gender. Generally speaking, girls perceived their learning environment more positively than did boys.
Descriptors: Classroom Environment, Student Attitudes, Middle School Students, Science Education, Student Characteristics, Test Validity, Gender Differences, Cultural Influences, Socioeconomic Influences, Teacher Influence, Grade 8, Class Size, Ethnicity
Routledge. 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001. Tel: 212-216-7800; Fax: 212-564-7854; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A