Volume 08 Issue 01 January 2025
Peter Yidana(PhD)
Head of Academic Affairs,C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Navrongo.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i1-86Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
Research indicates that the psychosocial learning environment in higher education substantially influences the quality of teaching and learning by shaping classroom instructional practices. However, the extent to which teachers’ communication style, classroom management strategies, and the classroom physical environment predict the learning climate remains largely unexplored. Using the structural equation modelling technique, this study aimed to determine how these factors predict the psychosocial learning environment in Ghanaian public universities. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, involving 403 students from four public universities in Ghana. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses validated the conceptual framework of the psychosocial learning environment. Structural equation modelling revealed that teachers’ communication style and classroom physical conditions positively and significantly predict the psychosocial learning environment in higher education. The study concludes that teachers’ classroom management style and physical environment jointly play critical roles in shaping the psychosocial learning environment, which encompasses students’ sense of belonging, emotional support, involvement, cohesiveness, interactions, cooperation, satisfaction, and task orientation. The researcher argue that these factors are essential and should be prioritised to enhance the higher education psychosocial learning environment. Teachers and higher education authorities must take deliberate steps to improve the classroom physical environment by providing necessary facilities and resources that ensure student comfort and security. Furthermore, improving the communication style and effectiveness of higher education teachers should be a key focus in initiatives aimed at enhancing teaching, learning, and student welfare. Future research should explore the impact of the psychosocial learning environment on students’ motivation and self-reported academic achievement."
KEYWORDS:Psychosocial learning environment, teachers’ communication style, classroom management style, classroom physical environment, higher education.
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