Abstract:

Studies have shown that learning environment has a significant role in determining students’ academic achievement and learning. Few studies have however been done in the study area. The purpose of this study was to investigate the students' perception of their learning environment and the various building components that influence learning in such environment. An open ended structured interview was conducted amongst 22 randomly selected students of architecture of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria in the 2016/2017 academic session. A content analysis was carried out to analyze the qualitative research data on a basic level using manual coding by grouping the responses based on thematic issues as presented in tables, word cloud and word trees. Findings revealed the meaningful patterns and themes affecting learning environment as: school design and maintenance, school structure, physical conditions and furniture arrangement. 45.5% of the respondents emphasized physical condition variables such as lighting, ventilation/air quality, noise levels, colour & decoration, as major components influencing learning environment. 54.5% emphasized furniture arrangement and physical conditions as key components of the learning environment. The culminating influence on performance and students’ achievement was also highlighted with a view to improve the quality of learning environment and school design.

Keywords:

Learning environment, students' perception, content analysis, Nigeria.