Students’ Perception on Constructivist Learning Environment in Language, Society and Culture Course Design
Universitas Islam Indonesia
ABSTRACT
Creativity and innovation are the keys to facilitate the different needs of students in English Language Teaching. In order to facilitate students’ creativity and innovation, the Department of English Language Education, Universitas Islam Indonesia offers Language, Society and Culture coursework in fifth semester which produces short documentary films. The coursework is project-based and designed based on the four aspects of a constructivist learning environment. This study describes how students perceive the constructivist learning environment of the course design. By using Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), this research involves 31 students taking the coursework in academic year 2015/2016 as respondents. The data were collected from September 2015 until January 2016 and analysed by using descriptive statistics. Means of each items are rated from strongly positive to strongly negative. The study reveals positive results in some items of the four aspects of a constructivist learning environment. In negotiation, the results are positive for asking others’ ideas, talking sensibly to solve problems, and trying to make sense others’ ideas. In prior knowledge, the results are positive in the way that learning environment makes the students think about real life problems and their interest. In autonomy, the students perceive that they think hard about their own ideas and solutions, and decide the time to an activity. Finally, in student centeredness, the results are positive in the way the teacher expect them to remember important ideas, insist the activities be completed on time, and show them correct method in problem solving and in the way the students learn teacher’s method in doing investigation.
KEYWORDS
Constructivist Learning Environment Survey, Course Design, Project-based Learning