An Investigation Into Student Satisfaction With Multi-media Classroom Environment And Factors Affecting Satisfaction

Given the massive utilization of the multi-media in higher education, student satisfaction within the context of the environment is clearly a factor of most importance in ensuring the validity of the education environment .Multi-media classroom's characteristics fulfill the requirements for learning in a modern society .The researches on the student satisfaction with the multimedia classroom itself are few. Based on the previous research, the researcher of this thesis developed a comprehensive multi-media classroom satisfaction questionnaire involved with teaching style, courseware content, and courseware manifestation. The tests prove that the validity and reliability of the questionnaire is accepted. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory and Motivation Intensity Questionnaire are to test the students'learning styles and motivation intensity. Both of them are used by many researchers and tested for many times. They are proved to be of high validity and reliability .220 subjects were non-English majors in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) at their second semester of the first year .They are all selected as randomly as possible involving civil engineering, foreign Chinese and telecommunication etc.110 were from L1 and 110 from L3. L3 stands for higher English level and L1 stands for relatively lower English level. After the data was collected, it was processed through the SPSS13. We find out that the students'perceived satisfaction with multimedia classroom environment is at a medium level, but very close to positive attitude. One-way ANOVA data show that there is no significant difference in students'perceived satisfaction between learning styles and the students'perceived satisfaction with multimedia classroom environment. The results accord with the findings of some researches that there is no significant difference in perceived satisfaction between perceived satisfaction and learning styles in the online situation. Independent samples T-test show there are no significant differences in perceived satisfaction with multimedia classroom environment between students with higher motivation intensity and lower motivation intensity and between different English levels respectively . The regress stepwise analysis indicate that among the factors (three attributes: learning style, motivation intensity, English level, three instructional aspects: teaching style, courseware content and courseware manifestation) we suppose correlates with perceived satisfaction, only the teaching style has significant correlation with students'perceived satisfaction. And it is indicated in the regression analysis data that though the correlation is not significant, there is to some extent relationship between the perceived satisfaction and courseware content and courseware manifestation . Of all the factors, the teaching style is the best predictor of the satisfaction with the classroom environment .Then based on the findings, it is recommended the teachers in L1 should cater to the distinctive needs and situations of different types of students and implement corresponding appropriate teaching approaches to the students who are at present time at lower English competency .And also all the teachers should realize the great responsibility for the students'satisfaction with the multimedia classroom environment ,since teaching style is the key factor affecting the students'classroom environment ,and the teachers'professional development should be constantly enhanced. The results presented in this thesis can certainly help institutions improve the education quality.