In this study of 431 Grade 9 and 10 students, we investigated gender and frequency of practical work as determinants of science students' perceptions of their learning environment and attitudes. We assessed classroom environment with the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (SLEI) and attitudes with the Students' Adaptive Learning Engagement…

Background: To address declining enrolments in science and other STEM subjects in high school and university, particularly disproportionately low enrolments of females in physics, engineering and computer sciences, integrated STEM programs are becoming more popular. However, few studies have investigated classroom experiences or gender differences…

In response to the leaky STEM pipeline, particularly for girls, many schools have introduced integrated STEM (iSTEM) programs to enable students to solve problems using skills from each STEM area and hopefully enhance their interest in continuing with STEM subjects in senior-high school and university. We investigated whether gender differences in…

With the advent of COVID-19, universities around the world have been forced to move to a fully online mode of delivery because of lockdown policies. This led to a flurry of studies into issues such as internet access, student attitudes to online learning and mental health during lockdown. However, researchers need a validated survey for assessing…

Recently, integrated STEM projects have been introduced into school curricula in an attempt to increase students' understanding and interest in pursuing STEM subjects in senior high school and university. However, little is known about the classroom emotional climate in STEM classrooms and its effect, along with teacher-student interpersonal…

Although the field of classroom learning environments has undergone remarkable expansion and internationalisation, no study in Afghanistan in any subject area or at any educational level has ever adopted a learning environment framework or involved the assessment and investigation of classroom environments. Our study in Afghanistan included seven…

Past research has revealed that, relative to primary-school students, high-school students have less-positive attitudes to mathematics and perceive their classroom environments and teacher--student relationships less favourably. This study involved the transition experience of 541 students in 47 classes in 15 primary (year 7) and secondary (year…

Although learning environments research has thrived for decades in many countries and school subjects, English classroom environment research is still in its infancy. This article paves the way for expanding research on English classroom environments by (1) reviewing the limited past research in English classrooms and (2) reporting the first study…

This paper reports an evaluation of a curriculum development project aimed at promoting interest and understanding among elementary school students in engineering and technology through activities integrated into their school's teaching and learning program. In collaboration with students, teachers and school administrators, we developed…

We evaluated the effectiveness of two alternative middle-school science curriculum sequences, namely, a general science model and a topic-specific model (i.e., physics, chemistry, etc.). We also investigated the differential effectiveness of the alternative sequences for two ethnic groups. The sample consisted of 367 grade 8 science students from…

We investigated relationships between the learning environment and students' mathematics anxiety, as well as differences between the sexes in perceptions of learning environment and anxiety. A sample of 745 high-school students in 34 different mathematics classrooms in four high schools in Southern California was used to cross-validate the What Is…

No previous research has employed learning environments criteria in evaluating the effectiveness of the system of teacher certification sponsored by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Because the litmus test of any professional development effort is the extent of the changes in teaching behaviours in participating teachers'…

This article reports the development, validation and use of an instrument designed to provide teachers with feedback information, based on students' perceptions, about their classroom environments. The instrument was developed to provide teachers with feedback that they could use to reflect on their teaching practices and, in turn, guide the…

This article reports a cross-national study of classroom environments in Australia and Indonesia. A modified version of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire was used simultaneously in these two countries to: 1) cross validate the modified WIHIC; 2) investigate differences between countries and sexes in perceptions of…

This article reports the development, translation, validation and application of a modified Arabic version of a modified form of the What Is Happening In this Class? (WIHIC) questionnaire. When parallel Arabic and English versions of this questionnaire were field tested with a sample of 763 college students in 82 classes, the WIHIC exhibited sound…