Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

August 1999

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of graduate classroom environments as perceived by the graduate students and faculty in technology courses, at Chinese universities. Relationships between the different dimensions of the social environment of the graduate technology classrooms were examined. The Adult Classroom Environment Scale (ACES) was used to measure the actual and ideal classroom environments on seven dimensions. The research was conducted during Fall 1998. Participants in this study included 317 graduate students and 8 teachers in 8 classes from 6 universities in Beijing, China. The results of data analysis showed that there were significant differences in graduate students' perceptions of the actual and ideal classroom environment. Perceptions of teachers and graduate students in each class differed in their views of the actual classroom environment. Students felt that courses were well-organized, clearly-delivered, and task-focused. Students felt they needed more influence in the classroom, and that instructors should focus on individual development. Teachers perceived Organization and Clarity and Teacher Support as more characteristic of their classrooms but did not see Student Influence and Personal Goal Attainment as important. There were few significant differences on most of dimensions of the actual classroom environment, when contrasted according to age, major, and work experience. Males and females did, however, see Organization and Clarity, Personal Goal Attainment, Affiliation, and Involvement differently. When contrasted with the results of other studies conducted with American students, ratings of the Chinese students were consistently lower. These findings indicate that graduate technology classrooms in Chinese universities are still quite teacher-centered.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

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