STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK (UNIVERSITY OFBENIN)

Graetz (2006) asserts that all learning takes place in a physical environment with quantifiable and perceptible physical characteristics, be it in a large lecture hall, underneath a tree, or in front of a computer screen. Lizzio, Wilson and Simons (2002) identified the learning environment as a major variable in the interacting system of the learning process. Learning environment and how it is perceived by the students or learners have been identified as having major influence on both learning processes and outcomes. In this regard, Frenzel, Pekrun and Goetz (2007) reports that numerous studies have clearly demonstrated the significant relationship between perceived learning environmentand student achievement. Randhawa and Michayluk (1974) attribute much of the reliable variance in student performance to the aptitude of the learner and the environment of learning. In the view of Zhu, Valcke, Schellens and Li (2009), the quality of student learning seems to be closely related to their perceptions of the learning environment.