Place-based learning environments: Lebanese secondary student perceptions of environmental experiences of learning

The purpose of this study was to describe place-based education programs in urban and rural secondary schools in each region of Lebanon, and to examine the link between environmental education and the students' perceptions of their learning environment. This study investigated: (i) the classroom learning environments of urban and rural secondary school students; (ii) the pedagogy and curriculum of environmentally-focused field activities; (iii) the relationship between expected and "actual" perceptions of students' learning environment. A recently developed learning environment instrument; the Place-Based Constructivist Environment Survey (PLACES), was used to quantify the students responses. The survey adapts a series of constructs from several widely used instruments for use in environmental education settings. Data collection took place over one year and included a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. The results of the study demonstrate the importance of fieldwork and environmental education in Lebanese secondary schools.