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Students’ perceptions of classroom instructional environments in the context of ‘Universal Design for Learning’

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Abstract

Using a sample of 867 students in Grades 5–12, the present study investigated whether students’ perceptions toward the instructional environment in classrooms that employed Universal Design for Learning differed by school grade level and teacher gender. High-school students in the study showed higher perception scores than upper-elementary or middle-school students in the personalisation and participation aspect of the classroom environment. The results for teacher gender indicated that students in the study perceived a more personalised classroom environment with female teachers than with male teachers. Policy implications and methodological considerations are provided for future study.

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Correspondence to Michael M. Abell.

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Abell, M.M., Jung, E. & Taylor, M. Students’ perceptions of classroom instructional environments in the context of ‘Universal Design for Learning’. Learning Environ Res 14, 171–185 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-011-9090-2

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