Abstract:
Students’ perceptions of the actual and preferred classroom environment were evaluated using the Science Laboratory Environment Index (SLEI). The SLEI evaluates the classroom environment based on five scales: Student Cohesiveness, Open-Endedness, Integration, Rule Clarity and Material Environment. In addition to evaluating the total classroom environment, the level of integration was evaluated between students in a face-to-face lecture course and students in an online lecture course. A sample of 109 post-secondary students enrolled in Introduction to Entomology Laboratory at the University of Florida responded to the SLEI. Results revealed statistically significant differences between the actual and preferred classroom environment. The results suggest that students enrolled in this laboratory course would like to see an increase in activities that fall within all scales of the SLEI. Additionally, there should be a greater level of integration between information presented in lecture and experiments carried out in the laboratory portion of the course.
Key words: student cohesiveness, open-endedness, integration, rule clarity and material environment
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