Abstract:

This study examines the influence of the learning and physical environment on the students' performance, according to the perception of teachers in primary schools in the Arab education system in Israel, which Functioning within a reality of exclusion and ongoing discrimination.

The design of the school and classes conveys messages relating to educational approaches, relationships, personal identities and more, while designed learning environments contribute to both students and teachers. Many studies point to the importance of the design of the learning and physical environment and its significant influence on students' functioning in several areas: emotional, cognitive, social, and aesthetic.

The learning and physical environment has a significant influence, both on the feelings of students and teachers, on the way students function in various fields. Teachers can influence a variety of components in the school's learning and physical environment to promote meaningful learning and create an environment that empowers learning, thinking, creativity, and self-learning and encourages personal growth and social involvement. Yet, when learning environments are detached from the students’ cultural features, it increases their alienation from both physical and content processes.

This study is a correlational study administered among 200 Arab teachers from elementary schools who answered a questionnaire containing: gender, level of education, seniority in work and specialization. In order to test the hypotheses, descriptive statistics and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used in conjunction with the SSPS statistical analysis program. The main results indicate that the learning and physical environment, affects the students' performance in the following areas: cognitive and emotional, from the point of view of the teachers. Details of findings related to teachers' personality variables will be reported in the article. Further conclusions and implications are discussed.

Keywords:

Learning-physical environment, learning functions, Arab Students, Teachers.