3.1 Field of Learning Environments

The study draws on and contributes to the field of learning environments (Fraser, 1994, 1998a). Contemporary research on school environments partly owes inspiration to Lewin s (1936) seminal work in non-educational settings, which recognised that both the environment and its interaction with characteristics of the individual are potent determinants of human behaviour. Since then, the notion of person-environment fit has been elucidated in education by Stern (1970), whereas Walberg (1981) has proposed a model of educational productivity in which the educational environment is one of nine determinants of student outcomes. Research specifically on classroom learning environments took off about 30 years ago with the work of Walberg (1979) and Moos (1974) which spawned many, diverse research programs around the world (Fraser, 1994, 1998a) and the creation of Learning Environments Research: An International Journal (Fraser, 1998c). Although earlier work often used questionnaires to assess learning environments, the productive combination of qualitative and quantitative methods is a hallmark of the field today (Tobin & Fraser, 1998).

The dimensions measured by individual classroom environment instruments can be classified according to Moos (1974) scheme for classifying human environments. Moos identified three basic dimensions including: the Relationship Dimension, which measures the nature and intensity of personal relationships; the Personal Development Dimension, which measures the directions in which personal growth and self-enhancement occur; and the System Maintenance and System Change Dimension, which measures the extent to which the environment maintains clear objectives and...