THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY STUDENTS

A Thesis Presented to
Thesis Committee
College of Criminal Justice Education
UM Tagum College
Tagum City





In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirement for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Criminology





MAGDALENO C. LABASTIDA JR
CRIS JEMAR L. DAPLINAN
JOJE M. TAJANLANGIT
AUGUST 2014

INTRODUCTION
Environment affects an individuals perspective. Where the learning process
interweaves with the environment it sums up the persons social, emotional and ethical
growth. Learning environment affects a students positive or negative stimulation. This
stimulation will materialized into success and or failure depending on the persons
adaption.
Criminology, a science of study that encompasses psychology and sociology of
crimes, crime detection, and investigation and criminalistics, is an academic forum that
influences the young minds into dynamism of adventure. Combining the dynamism of
students and the learning environment effects the practical output of the profession.
According to edglossary.org. Learning environment refers to the diverse physical
locations, contexts, and cultures in which students learn. Since students may learn in a
wide variety of settings, such as outside-of-school locations and outdoor environments,
the term is often used as a more accurate or preferred alternative to classroom, which
has more limited and traditional connotationsa room with rows of desks and a
chalkboard, for example.
The students of criminology program are influence with varying factors in its
learning of the course. Others are swayed by the peer encouragement while most are
grounded with the learning environment of the school that guided their perspective on
the program.

Classroom teaches the theory and the community immersion puts this theory into
practice. The level of learning affects the foundation of the students in its actual
application of the theory learnt. While these levels are traced from its learning
environment it also weighs the students critical learning necessary for its successful
finishing of the course.
Criminology program is a four-year curriculum which embraces levels of learning
from its introductory subjects to major subjects which tackles comprehensive study of
criminology and the actual immersion of the program.

Statement of the Problem
1. What is the level of learning environment of criminology students in terms of:
1.1. Classroom Interaction where the professor imparts the theory of the
criminology program;
1.2. External application of the course in outside of school locations; and

2. Is there a significant difference in the Level of Learning environment when group
according to:
2.1. Gender
2.2. Year Level

Hypothesis
There is no significance in the learning environment of criminology students
when grouped according to gender and year level.

Theoretical Framework
The significance of the study is to assess the level of learning of criminology
students in various learning environment and whether these learnings are interwoven by
the grouping of the students.
Students when grouped may be affected by the learning process employed by
the school, and in order to measure its outcome, an equal important study must be
performed.
There are learning environment that generally affects the success or failure of a
particular group of criminology students, and there are also a learning environment that
varies in effect on the groupings, a research study to assess these outcome is essential
to address the students.




CONCEPTUAL MODEL








Figure 1. Diagram showing the variable of the study







Learning Environment

1. Classroom Interaction
2. External Application




1. Gender
2. Year Level

Significance of the Study
The importance of this study is to define the factors necessary for the effective
learning of the criminology students. The need to address the critical points in order to
push the barrier for an effective learning, the administration, students and conduct of
researches will be sufficient to tackle the issues.
The administration of the school is the single, most profound source for an
effective implementation of favourable learning environment of the criminology students.
The conduct of this study will enable them to assess and weigh the necessary
components of building a structure that will develop influential tools for the students
successful learning.
Students will likewise be able to discern the important condition in their
surroundings that affects their academic growth. Conditions that maybe affected by the
facilities, classroom interaction, peer pressure or individual behaviour on the program.
The effective conduct of this study will open the flood gate for researchers to
study on specific subjects that ultimately address the problem in the academe such as
low passing rate or drop outs of criminology graduates and students.

Definition of Terms
Learning environment refers to the diverse physical locations, contexts, and cultures in
which students learn.
Criminology is the study of crime, criminals, and the punishment of criminals
CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
According to edglossary.org. learning environment encompasses the culture of a
school or classits presiding ethos and characteristics, including how individuals
interact with and treat one anotheras well as the ways in which teachers may
organize an educational setting to facilitate learninge.g., by conducting classes in
relevant natural ecosystems, grouping desks in specific ways, decorating the walls with
learning materials, or utilizing audio, visual, and digital technologies. And because the
qualities and characteristics of a learning environment are determined by a wide variety
of factors, school policies, governance structures, and other features may also be
considered elements of a learning environment.
Psychologists who've closely studied and researched 'classroom management'
have found that certain management practices have a clear impact on student
achievement (Anita Woolfolk, Educational Psychology, 2004).Some of these practices
includes rules for interaction with others; these vary according to the age group but
generally include guidelines for respecting others and their property, listening while
people are speaking, and obeying the rules of the school
Another study illustrates that the students perceptions of higher education are
complex to investigate, because students demographic and social characteristics such
as gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, and academically related
characteristics (e.g., GPA, class standing, major) may affect their perceptions.
A substantial body of research shows that, for good or ill, a schools social
environment has broad influence on students learning and growth, including major
aspects of their social, emotional, and ethical development.Much of the available
research shows that supportive schools foster these positive outcomes by promoting
students sense of connectedness (Resnick et al. 1997), belongingness
(Baumeister& Leary 1995), or community (Schaps, Battistich, & Solomon 1997) during
the school day.
From the students perspective, effective classroom management involves clear
communication of behavioural and academic expectations, as well as establishing a
cooperative learning environment (Davis, 2009). The strategies include stating fair
policies that are stated clearly in the syllabus, Enforcement of policies consistently,
respecting the students, arriving on time and ending on time and providing a
constructive feedback.
The physical environment also affects the level of learning of students. Studies
about student academic achievement and building condition conclude that the quality of
the physical environment significantly affects student achievement. 'There is sufficient
research to state without equivocation.
That the building in which students spends a good deal of their time learning
does in fact influence how well they learn' (Earthman, G 2004:18).
Decent facilities make additional contributions to teachers work. Siegel has found
there was a direct relationship between architecture and the collaboration of teachers.
'The arrangement of space has immediate and far reaching consequences for teacher's
ability to effectively and efficiently accomplish daily activities, the formation of social and
professional relationships, and the sharing of information and knowledge.
(Siegel, J 1999:4).

Recognizing, understanding, appreciating, and valuing personal differences in
each individual student can eliminate groupthink both in the classroom as well as in the
boardroom. Groupthink is a pattern of faulty and biased decision making that occurs in
groups whose members strive for agreement, among themselves, at the expense of
accurately assessing information relevant to a decision. Groupthink is not a desirable
objective in today's diverse and sophisticated world of intermingled competition. This
usually happens in homogeneous teams and groups because everyone's societal
values tend to be similar. Research has shown that homogeneous teams are neither as
creative nor as productive as heterogeneous teams when dealing with or solving
complex problems. Diverse teams can achieve synergistic results if they appreciate,
understand and value their differences effectively. Synergy is where the whole is greater
than the sum of its parts.( http://iteslj.org)



The study of learning environments began 60 years ago by Lewin and Muray. In
his study, Lewin (in Fraser 1998) have studied the problems associated with the
individual's motivation and motivation within the group in a particular situation. Based on
his research, Lewin recommended a formula that explained about human behavior that
is B = f (P, E). In this formula, B described as human behavior which is formed as a
result of an individual's personality functions (P) and environment (E).According to
Lewin, for a variety of business done is public life of an individual. This life space
contains the individual and psychological environment that exists for them. This formula
has identified that the environment and interaction with personality is an important factor
in determining human behavior. (http://www.curtin.edu)

Research on classroom environments has focused historically on its
psychosocial dimensions, those aspects of the environment concerned with human
behavior in origin or outcome (Boy and Pine, 1988). Reviews of classroom environment
research by Fraser (1998b), Dorman (2002), Goh and Khine (2002) and Khine and
Fisher (2003) have delineated at least 10 areas of classroom environment research
including: associations between classroom environment and outcomes, evaluation of
educational innovations, differences between students and teachers perceptions of
classrooms, comparisons of actual and preferred environments, effect on classroom
environment of antecedent variables (for example, gender, year level, school type,
subject), transition from primary to secondary school, school psychology,
teacher education, educational productivity research, and using environment
instruments to facilitate changes in classroom life.

Millar (2004) defined practical work as any teaching and learning activity, which
involves at some point the students in observing or manipulating real objects and
materials. In face-to-face teaching, active learning takes place quite easily because the
teacher is physically present to guide, assist, motivate, and stimulate the students to
think and make responses (Lal, 1979). In distance education, on the other hand,
students do not have regular access to a teacher but have to study mostly by reading
printed materials. They may be tempted to respond passively to such materials without
carrying out practical activities they are expected to complete (Lal, 1979). Such a
passive response can in turn militate against active learning and consequently reduction
in acquisition of practical skills/knowledge.

Elsewhere, it was reported that practical knowledge can often lead to a deeper
understanding of concepts through the act of doing and personal experience. The
importance and significance of practical knowledge have already been pointed out in
the literature (Reckwitz, 2002; Dosi, Nelson and Winter, 2002; Schatzki, Knorr-Cetina
and Von Savigny, 2001). As earlier commented, one of the characteristics of distance
education is the physical separation between teacher and students. This condition
according to Pepi and Malati (2012) requires distance education institutions to have
learning strategies that can support learning competency in terms of knowledge and
practical skills.