As more countries align their curricular frameworks with play-based and experiential pedagogies, this paper provides a critical insight into the benefits and challenges that arise in practice when a play-based approach to learning and teaching becomes a political directive in Northern Ireland primary schools. Drawing on socio-constructivist and…

A comprehensive and rigorous investigation of the person-environment fit hypothesis that students achieve better in their preferred environment is described. The design of this study included four notable features. First, the student outcome domain included a comprehensive range of six affective and three cognitive outcomes. Second, classroom…

Describes the development and validation of a questionnaire, the Teacher Communication Behavior Questionnaire (TCBQ), that assesses student perceptions of five important teacher behaviors: (1) Challenging; (2) Encouragement and Praise; (3) Non-Verbal Support; (4) Understanding and Friendly; and (5) Controlling. (Contains 49 references.)…

Presents results of a study comparing student class size preferences among first-year college students and upper-division students. Reports that first-year students prefer small classes and upper division students prefer large classes. Concludes that experience in larger classes results in a stronger preference toward the large classes. Urges…

TO INVESTIGATE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL SATISFACTION WITH CLASSROOM CLIMATE AND LEARNING, 2100 HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS WERE ASKED TO EVALUATE THE HARVARD PROJECT PHYSICS, AN EXPERIMENTAL COURSE WHICH UTILIZED NEW INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND MATERIALS. A 50 PERCENT RANDOM SAMPLE FROM EACH CLASSROOM WAS ADMINISTERED THE PHYSICS…

A rating scale was designed to measure college classroom climate in Primary Teacher Training Colleges in Spain, as well as to describe and compare college classroom environments. Data were gathered from 33 classes of students training to be public or private primary school teachers at colleges in Sevilla and Huelva. Participant observation and…

This study examined five student characteristics with the expectation that if interactive characteristics could be established, attitudes could be improved by assigning students to classrooms with the appropriate degree of openness. It was hypothesized that some pupils might be happier in a traditional, or structured, environment. Five variables…