Assessing university students’ perceptions toward constructivist learning environments using the CLES
List of Authors
  • Siew Pei Hwa

Keyword
  • Constructivist learning environment, project-based learning, multimedia-mediated learnin

Abstract
  • The research focuses on the adoption of constructivist learning approach in enhancing students’ learning through interactive multimedia web projects, and assess students’ perceptions toward this learning approach. The students worked in small groups to solve their web design and development problems in constructivist learning classrooms with the lecturer and tutor acting as facilitators supporting them in constructivist project-based and multimedia-mediated learning environments. The paper highlights the research findings that assess students’ perceptions toward the constructivist learning environments (CLEs) through a quantitative self-administrative questionnaire method among 79 students in a multimedia course. The 5-point Likert scale questionnaire was adapted from the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), which was first constructed by Taylor, Fraser and Fisher. It contained five dimensions, i.e. Personal Relevance (PR), Uncertainty (UC), Student Negotiation (SN), Shared Control (SC) and Critical Voice (CV) that was used to assess the students’ perceptions of the extent to which the CLEs could enhance learning and improve their understanding of the multimedia course. The research findings show that the view of the students about the CLE was more considering PR, UC and SN dimensions, but less on SC and CV dimensions. Research findings also indicate that female students were more considering these five dimensions compared to male students. The MANOVA test proved that the students prefer some aspects of the CLE such as PR, UC and SN. On the other hand, they do not prefer the CLE characterised by CV and SC.

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