Learning environment research has undergone considerable growth in the past thirty years and has now reached a stage of notable diversity and internationalization. Earlier studies often used questionnaires to assess learning environments, but today both qualitative and quantitative approaches are used. Many contemporary studies are a productive combination of these two approaches.

This volume brings together prominent educators and researchers from around the world to share their contemporary research on educational learning environments. The chapters provide information on recent trends and developments and effective applications of different methods to improve teaching and learning. The book will be a critical and specialized source that describes recent advances in learning environment studies across all continents. The contributors come from Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, and the USA.

Contents:

• Classroom Environment, Students' Perceptions of Assessment, Academic Efficacy and Attitude to Science: A LISREL Analysis (J P Dorman et al.)
• Reflective Analysis of Teachers' Behaviour and Students' Perception of Classroom Interaction (M S Khine & A Lourdusamy)
• Improving the Classroom Laboratory Learning Environment by Using Teachers� and Students� Perceptions (A Hofstein)
• Convergence and Divergence Between Students� and Teachers� Perceptions of Instructional Behaviour in Dutch Secondary Education (P den Brok et al.)
• An Action Research Approach with Primary Pre-Service Teachers to Improve University and Primary School Classroom Environments (K J Saunders & D L Fisher)
• "Learning Digitally" — E-Classrooms: Computers Looking for a Problem to Solve? (G Falloon)
• Designing Infrastructures for Learning with Technology (L Lipponen et al.)
• Evaluating the Virtual Learning Environment (S Chard)
• and other papers

View Full Text (34,914 KB)

Readership: Students, researchers, academics, teachers and school principals.

"One of the key foci of the new social sciences is the significance of place and space, site and environment in the formation of knowledge and representation, identity and culture. This volume is a broad and rich selection of international studies of the significance of environment on learning. These studies take us beyond the search for universal pedagogies and methods to re-focus on the significance of classrooms and interaction."

Professor Allan Luke Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Australia

"Much work has been done in the global field of education and in understanding the psychosocial aspect of diverse learning environments. This book is a collection of learning environment studies where researchers and educators in this area share the results of their work with others. These studies present a comprehensive picture as they have been conducted in fifteen different countries throughout the world. This book is a must-have resource for research and evaluation of classroom and school learning environments."