Impact of Positive Learning Environment on Students’ Academic Performance in Colleges of Education

Isaac Kow Gaisiey; Afua Ntoaduro; Joseph Asamoah-Gyawu; Grace Yeboah; Daniel Inkoom; Kingsley Opoku; Frank Attila; Emmanuel Eshun; Grace Aba Mensah

doi:10.53103/cjess.v5i1.306

Authors

Isaac Kow Gaisiey OLA College of Education, Cape Coast https://orcid.org/0009-0002-6803-9596
Afua Ntoaduro Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5937-6174
Joseph Asamoah-Gyawu Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1790-1801
Grace Yeboah Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2492-9522
Daniel Inkoom University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7329-1871
Kingsley Opoku Seventh-Day Adventist College of Education, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4877-6161
Frank Attila University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast
Emmanuel Eshun University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8356-7533
Grace Aba Mensah Wesley College of Education, Ghana https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7116-2803

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v5i1.306

Keywords:

Colleges of Education, Curriculum, Science Education, Assessment, Tertiary Students

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the learning environment and student's academic performance in integrated science courses at colleges of education in Ghana's Central Region. The study examines three main environmental factors: physical, social, and psychological surroundings, and their influence on students' academic performance. Data were acquired using a quantitative technique using structured questionnaires administered to 290 students from three colleges of education. Descriptive and regression analyses were used to evaluate the predicted correlations between the identified environmental components and academic performance. The results indicated that the physical (β =.077, p =.308), social (β = -.060, p =.328), and psychological (β =.024, p =.745) settings did not significantly predict the performance of students in college. The study showed that students' average performance in assessment and integrated science courses fell short of expectations, although there was no significant predictive relationship. This shows how complicated academic achievement is and how things outside of the learning environment, like the quality of the teaching and the engagement of the students, can affect it. The study encourages educational institutions to prioritize improving the learning environment through improved lecture room configurations, providing sufficient teaching resources, and cultivating positive connections between students and teachers.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adenıran, S. A. (2020). Influence of Teaching and Learning Resources on Student's Performance in Senior Secondary Schools in Gusau Local Government, Zamfara State. The Eurasia Proceedings of Educational and Social Sciences, 18, 124-131.

Allen, J. G., MacNaughton, P., Satish, U., Santanam, S., Vallarino, J., & Spengler, J. D. (2016). Associations of cognitive function scores with carbon dioxide, ventilation, and volatile organic compound exposures in office workers: a controlled exposure study of green and conventional office environments. Environmental health perspectives, 124(6), 805-812.

https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510037

Amerstorfer, C. M., & Freiin von Münster-Kistner, C. (2021). Student perceptions of academic engagement and student-teacher relationships in problem-based learning. Frontiers in psychology,12,713057. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713057

Amponsah, M. O., Milledzi, E. Y., Ampofo, E. T., & Gyambrah, M. (2018). Relationship between parental involvement and academic performance of senior high school students: The case of Ashanti Mampong Municipality of Ghana. American Journal of Educational Research,6,1-8.https://doi.org/10.12691/education-6-1-1

Ayllón, S., Alsina, Á., & Colomer, J. (2019). Teachers' involvement and students' self-efficacy: Keys to achievement in higher education. PloS one, 14(5), e0216865.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216865

Baafi, R. K. A. (2020). School physical environment and student academic performance. Advances in Physical Education, 10, 121-137. https://doi.org/10.4236/ape.2020.102012.

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Barkley, E. F., & Major, C. H. (2020). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. John Wiley & Sons.

Castro, R. (2019). Blended learning in higher education: Trends and capabilities. Education and Information Technologies, 24(4), 2523-2546.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09886-3

Colvard, N. B., Watson, C. E., & Park, H. (2018). The impact of open educational resources on various student success metrics. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 30(2), 262-276.

Dimosthenous, A., Kyriakides, L., & Panayiotou, A. (2020). Short-and long-term effects of the home learning environment and teachers on student achievement in mathematics: a longitudinal study. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 31(1), 50-79.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2019.1642212

Duruji, M. M., & Oviasogie, F. O. (2014). State Failure, Terrorism and Global Security: An Appraisal of the New Islamic Radicalism in Northern Nigeria.

Duruji, M. M., Azuh, D. E., & Oviasogie, F. O. (2014). Learning environment and academic performance of secondary school students in external examinations: A study of selected schools in Ota

Esia-Donkoh, K. (2018). Teacher Characteristics and Motivation Variances in Public Basic Schools in Mankessim Education Circuit of Mfantseman Municipality, Ghana. African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 11(2), 52-60.

Foster, C. (2003). Stanford magazine: Albert Bandura. Retrieved from september/october 2006 > features > albert bandura" Stanfordalumni.org.

Gudaz, J. (2016). Creating community at a large Ivy League institution: The benefits of improving recreation facilities (Doctoral dissertation, Creighton University).

Haggbloom, S. J. Warnick, J. E. Jones, V. K., Yarbrough, G. L., Russell, T. M., Borecky, C. M., & McGahhey, R. et al. (2002). The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Review of General Psychology, 6(2), 139-152.

https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139

Hesse, F., Care, E., Buder, J., Sassenberg, K., & Griffin, P. (2015). A framework for teachable collaborative problem-solving skills. Assessment and teaching of 21st century skills: Methods and approach, 37-56.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9395-7_2

Juvonen, J., Lessard, L. M., Rastogi, R., Schacter, H. L., & Smith, D. S. (2019). Promoting social inclusion in educational settings: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Psychologist,54(4),250-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1655645

Konold, T., Cornell, D., Jia, Y., & Malone, M. (2018). School climate, student engagement, and academic achievement: A latent variable, multilevel multi-informant examination. Aera Open,4(4),1-17.https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858418815661

Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Table for determining sample size from a given population. Educational and Psychology Measurement Journal, 3, 607-610.

https://doi.org/10.1177/001316447003000308

Li, Y. (2018). Teacher-student relationships, student engagement, and academic achievement for non-Latino and Latino youth. Adolescent Research Review, 3(4), 375-424.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-017-0069-9

Lombardi, D., Shipley, T. F., Bailey, J. M., Bretones, P. S., Prather, E. E., Ballen, C. J., Knight, J. K., Smith, M. K., Stowe, R. L., Cooper, M. M., Prince, M., Atit, K., Uttal, D. H., LaDue, N. D., McNeal, P. M., Ryker, K., St. John, K., van der Hoeven Kraft, K. J., & Docktor, J. L. (2021). The Curious Construct of Active Learning. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 22(1), 8-43.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100620973974

Matsuoka, R. H. (2010). Student performance and high school landscapes: Examining the links. Landscape and urban planning, 97(4), 273-282.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.06.011

McBride, K. A., MacMillan, F., George, E. S., & Steiner, G. Z. (2019). The use of mixed methods in research. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences (pp. 843-860). Springer.

McLeod, S. A. (2016). Bandura's social learning theory. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Ofosu-Amaah, E., Kwenin, A., Appiah, S., Dontoh, J., & Kwarteng, P. (2019). An investigation into public basic school teachers teaching styles and motivational strategies in Ghana. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 5(3), 184-193.

Ogbeba, J., & Muluku, A. (2013). Influence Of Clean School Environment and Standard Class Room Size and Facilities on Students' Achievement in Biology in Gwagwalada Area Council of Fct-Abuja. International Journal of Case Studies, 21 - 26.

Peter, E. E. (2012). Critical thinking: Essence for teaching mathematics and mathematics problem solving skills. African Journal of Mathematics and Computer Science Research, 5(3),39-43. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJMCSR11.161

Putri, D. F., Qushwa, F. G., Putri, D. M. S., Widiasari, F., Zahro, F., & Baharun, H. (2024). Behaviour Management in the Classroom: Improving the Quality of Education through Systematic Optimization of the Learning Environment. Jurnal Studi Keislaman, 15(1), 35-47. https://doi.org/10.62097/falasifa.v15i1.1787

Qaiser, S., & Ishtiaq, H. (2014). Effects of classroom physical environment on the academic achievement scores of Secondary School Students in Kohat Division, Pakistan. International Journal of Learning and Development, 4(1), 70-82

https://doi.org/10.5296/ijld.v4i1.5174

Ryan, M. (2015). Introduction: Reflective and reflexive approaches in higher education: A warrant for lifelong learning? Springer, Cham.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09271-3_1

Salkind, N. J. (Ed.). (2010). Encyclopedia of research design (Vol. 1). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412961288

Shahrokh Esfahani, M., & Dougherty, E. R. (2014). Effect of separate sampling on classification accuracy. Bioinformatics, 30(2), 242-250.

https://doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btt662

Smith, M. K. (1999). The social/situational orientation to learning the encyclopedia of informal education. Retrieved from www.infed.org/biblio/learning-social.htm.

UNICEF (2000). Defining quality in education. A paper presented by UNICEF at the meeting of June 2000 Working Paper Series Education Section Programme Division United Nations Children's Fund New York, NY, USA.

Voltz, D. L., Sims, M. J., & Nelson, B. (2010). Connecting teachers, students, and standards: Strategies for success in diverse and inclusive classrooms: strategies for success in diverse and inclusive classrooms. ASCD.

Wahab, M. B. (2012). Teacher motivation and quality education delivery: A study of public basic schools in Tamale Metropolis in Ghana (Doctoral dissertation).

Wang, M. T., & Hofkens, T. L. (2020). Beyond classroom academics: A school-wide and multi-contextual perspective on student engagement in school. Adolescent Research Review, 5(4),419-433. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-019-00115-z

Yin, J., Zhu, S., MacNaughton, P., Allen, J. G., & Spengler, J. D. (2018). Physiological and cognitive performance of exposure to biophilic indoor environment. Building and Environment,132,255-262.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.01.006