Upper primary pupils' classroom environment perceptions, attitudes and achievement in Science

This study of pupils' classroom environment perceptions, attitudes and achievement is the first of such studies to focus on the learning environment of the primary school science classroom in Singapore. The primary aim was to examine the relationship between pupils' perceptions of their science classroom environment and their achievement and attitudes in science. Another purpose was to compare the actual and preferred perceptions of pupils, and the perceptions between boys and girls. The instrument used to assess the pupils' perceptions was adapted from pre-existing ones. The sample used consisted of 7 intact classes of Primary 5 pupils from one coeducational government primary school in Singapore.

The investigation of attitude-environment, achievement-environment and attitude-achievement associations involved using simple and multiple correlational analyses. A univariate one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures was used to compare pupils' actual and preferred, and boys' and girls' perceptions. The instrument used was analyzed for internal consistency, discriminant validity, ability to differentiate between classes and its factor structure.

The findings revealed the existence of positive associations between the nature of the primary science classroom environment and the pupils' attitudinal and achievement outcomes. In addition, it was found that girls held more favourable perceptions than boys.