This paper shows what research about student perceptions of lecture courses can indicate about student approaches to learning and the outcomes of learning. The amount that students will learn from a lecture course depends on: 1) student approach to learning, 2) perception of what is to be learned, and 3) level of information processing. It was concluded that research from the "inside" (student perceptions) evaluates the lecture course better than research from the "outside" (observation of teaching method) because the lecture course atmosphere does not facilitate negotiation of understanding. (CJ)