Handbook of Research on Science Education

CHAPTER 5

Classroom Learning Environments

Barry J. Fraser

Curtin University of Technology, Australia

Because students spend approximately 20,000 hours in classrooms by the time that they graduate from university (Fraser, 2001), their reaction to their teaching-learning experiences are of considerable importance. However, despite the obvious importance of what goes on in school and university classrooms, teachers and researchers have relied heavily and sometimes exclusively on the assessment of academic achievement and other learning outcomes. Although no one would dispute the worth of achievement, it cannot give a complete picture of the educational process.

Although classroom environment is a subtle concept, it can be assessed and studied. ...