Students' Perceptions of Mathematics Classroom Learning Environment: Measurement and Associations With Achievement

• In Event: 44.085 - Poster Session 9
  In Poster Session: 44.085-3 - Quantitative Approaches to Studying Learning Environments

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to measure students’ perceptions of mathematics classroom learning environment and their associations with students’ achievement. A new instrument, Mathematics-related Constructivist Oriented Classroom Learning Environment Survey (MCOLES), was developed with 7 dimensions and 56 items, using theories surrounding classroom learning environment, and administered to 423 students from 5 schools in India. Validation by exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis yielded maximum likelihood estimates for an 11-factor solution. Correlation analysis for achievement on a topic taught revealed weak to moderate associations with the majority of factors, suggesting practical implications about their relative importance in classroom teaching. This study is methodologically significant within the field of learning environments because it involved validating the widely-applicable MCOLES.

Authors

• Venkata Lakshmi Narayana Aluri, Curtin University

• Barry J. Fraser, Curtin University