Mona Faisal Al-Qahtani
The fundamental objective of education is to facilitate students’ learning which is influenced by multiple variables embedded mainly in the students’ attitude and the characteristics of the learning environment. Many measures have been designed to identify students’ attitude and perception of their learning environment. However, very few of these measures have integrated the role of computers in students’ perception of their learning environment and their attitude towards computers and computing courses. The objective of this study was to identify environmental factors of the laboratory that affect the learning of computer and computing courses using the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory. The study also explored students’ attitude towards studying computer and computing courses using the Attitude towards Computers and Computing Courses Questionnaire. It was the purpose of this study to investigate the relationship between academic achievement, environmental, and attitudinal variables. Finally, it determined the role of the years of study on the above issues. The target population included all students in second, third, and fourth years at the Department of Health Information Management and Technology, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Non-parametric statistics tests were conducted. The general findings indicated the following: (1) there were significant positive associations between environmental and attitudinal variables; (2) the year of study influenced the degree of satisfaction with the computer learning environment; attitude; and test anxiety; (3) there were significant positive associations between academic achievement and both the environmental and attitudinal factors. It is anticipated that the information gathered in this study will be used to improve the computer learning environment, and will be a constructive influence on students’ learning in Saudi Arabia.
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