This study describes the perceptions of 110 diploma nursing students regarding the learning environment in case based and traditional classrooms. The study was conducted in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi Institutes ofNursing in UAE. Sixty Level I and fifty Level II students were randomly selected from the two institutes to participate in this study. The purpose of this study was to examine nursing students' perceptions regarding the classroom learning environment in courses that are taught by case studies and those that are taught by traditional method, and to compare their perceptions toward conventional and CBL learning environments. The questionnaire used was the College and University Classroom Environment Inventory (CUCEI). The students in the CBL class had more positive perceptions toward their learning environment on the subscales Involvement , Innovation , and Individualization. A significant difference emerged favoring traditional classroom environment on the Task orientation subscale. There was no significant difference between the participants' ratings for the case-based and traditional classroom learning environments on the subscales of Personalization, Cohesiveness, and Satisfaction. Thus, the study results support the superiority ofCBL environment regarding the students' perception of Involvement, Innovation, and individualization. Moreover, the study results indicated that students perceived class activities to be more task oriented in traditional than in case based classroom environments.

Thesis (M.Cur.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.