CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING - AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ACTUAL AND PREFERRED PERCEPTIONS OF HONG-KONG SECONDARY-SCHOOL STUDENTS

This study is based on the responses of 180 Form 3 Hong Kong secondary students to preferred and actual forms of Chinese versions of the Cla ssroom Environment Scale (Moos & Trickett 1974) and Learning Process Q uestionnaire (Biggs 1987) with reference to their Science classes. The data tended to support qualitative research indicating that Hong Kong secondary school students perceive their classroom to be relatively c ompetitive and teacher controlled and as encouraging rote learning. Th e students tended to prefer a friendlier atmosphere where students and teachers collaborated to provide a greater variety of interesting but challenging activities. Such a learning environment, the students ind icated, would tend to promote the deeper, more achievement- oriented a pproach to learning that they would prefer. The relationship was stron gest between preferred deep approach and preferred learning environmen t. Some implications for improvement of student learning are discussed .