Gender, Field of Study, and Total Learning Experience: Implications for Teaching and Learning

摘要

A good match between students and environmental condition that support learning in campus is very important to ensure the effectiveness of students learning process. However, comprehensive research that examines aspects of the learning environment is scarce. This study aimed to identify students’ perception of their total learning experience (TLE) and how it differs according to gender and field of study. A total of 740 science and social science students were involved in this study. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researcher to measure students perceptions of seven aspects of their total learning experience comprising of: library, college, faculties, art, co-curricular activities, sports and, community. This paper reports part of a larger study that identifies the impact of the TLE on students learning outcomes. A two-way multivariate analysis of variance was conducted in order to investigate whether there are main and interaction effects between gender and field of study in students’ perception of TLE aspects. The results of the study showed differences in perception of faculty environments between science and social science students. There was no interaction effect between gender and field of study on students’ perception of TLE. Implication for teaching and learning to improve the quality of students learning are discussed.