Abstract:
The purposes of this study were (1) to investigate students’ achievement goal orientations in learning, perceptions of learning environment in a general education classroom, approach to learn, and learning strategies for critical thinking and (2) to validate a causal model of students’ achievement goal orientations in learning, perceptions of learning environment in a general education classroom, and learning approaches affecting their learning strategies for critical thinking with empirical data. The study comprised 547 first year students who enrolled in a general education course at Srinakharinwirot University. Descriptive statistics was employed to describe the data. Structural equation modeling was used to test a hypothetical model. The results indicated that most students (1) perceived the general education classroom learning as a cooperative learning environment, (2) adopted a mastery achievement goal orientation towards learning, and(3) used a surface learning approach. They had relatively high scores for learning strategies indicating critical thinking. Furthermore, a hypothetical model modified on the basis of the observed data showed acceptable fit.The model showed that learning strategies for critical thinking were influenced by students’ achievement goal orientation, their perceptions of learning environment in a general education classroom, and their learning approach. These findings have substantial implications for the design of innovative classroom learning environments in a general education course.
