University Students' Perceptions of the Learning Environment and Academic Outcomes: Implications for theory and practice

ABSTRACT The relationship between university students ’ perceptions of their academic environment, their approaches to study, and academic outcomes was investigated at both university and faculty levels. The responses of a large, cross-disciplinary sample of undergraduate students were analysed using higher order path and regression analyses, and the results con � rmed students ’ perceptions as in � uencing both ‘hard ’ (academic achievement) and ‘soft ’ (satisfaction, development of key skills) learning outcomes, both directly and mediated through their approaches to study. Perceptions of heavy workload and inappropriate assessment in � uenced students towards surface, and perceptions of good teaching towards deep, approaches to study. Students ’ perceptions of their current learning environment were a stronger predictor of learning outcomes at university than prior achievement at school. Protocols are proposed to guide more � ne-grained analysis of students ’ perceptions. This article seeks to make both a theoretical and practical contribution to the literature regarding the nature and impact of university students ’ perceptions of an academic environment on their learning approaches and outcomes. We will argue that the clarity and generalisability of previous research investigating the association between presage factors in a university learning environment and students ’ approaches to learning in that environment