Characteristics of the Learning Environment at the School of Basic Education in Kuwait and its Relationship with Students’ Achievement

Abstract

The current study aimed at investigating students’ perception of the learning environment inside classrooms at the School of Basic Education in Kuwait, along with its relationship with some variables. To achieve the above-mentioned aims, a survey of 52 items was administered to cover the study’s seven dimensions, which included the personal relationship between the instructor and the student, student’s participation in decision making, social relations among students, student enjoyment in the learning activities, organization and clarity in the classrooms, variety and innovation in the teaching methods, and consideration of individual differences. The survey was randomly distributed to a sample of 380 female and male students, representing all majors and school years. Means, standard deviations, t-test, and One-Way ANOVA were used to analyze students’ responses. Results revealed that the classroom’s learning environment can be described as moderate in all dimensions. Results also indicated also that there was no statistically significant relationship between the students’ perception of the learning environment and their achievement, but such a relationship existed within students’ gender in favor of male students in four dimensions. Additionally, there was a statistically significant relationship with the school year variable between fourth- and third-year students in the fifth dimension in favor of the first group, and also between first- and fourth-year students in the sixth dimension in favor of the first group. In light of the study results, researchers suggested some recommendations that could improve the learning environment at the School of Basic Education.