STUDENT EVALUATION OF CLINICAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT

ehaviors of discrimination and generalization, which define the “understanding of concepts”
(Thomas, 1991).
Theoretical Perspectives on Evaluation of the Learning Environment
One of the main differences between these two frameworks lies in their focus for the
study of learning and of the learning environment. The situated cognition model focuses on the
process of learning as well as learning outcomes, whereas the behaviorological model is
concerned with the learning process primarily as it impacts the behavioral product of learning.
The situated cognition focus on process would support investigation of student thoughts and
feelings about the learning environment and about “coming to know” a particular skill or
concept. Student perceptions of the environment are considered by some to have even more
influence on student learning than does the “actual” environment, because the perceptions
influence the way a student approaches a task, and thus, ultimately determine the quality of
learning outcomes (Cust, 1996). If instruction is to be student centered (Marshall, 1990), it is
important to determine student perceptions of the environment and about how it might be
improved to benefit learning, since students may interpret the same environment differently. The
applied cognition perspective also focuses on the quality of relationship and communication
between students and peers, practitioners and instructors (Moos, 1979; Slavin, 1997).
Behaviorologists, however, would not be as concerned about student perceptions of the
learning environment as they would about the student behaviors that indicate a particular
"attitude", because verbal statements about satisfaction are viewed as often unreliable and
inconsistent (Skinner, 1953). A behaviorologist would be more likely to observe the
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