Vol. 7, Issue 6, Part D (2021)

Abstract
The present study compares the engineering classroom learning environments of selected Private and Government engineering colleges of Jammu city in relation to their attitudes towards engineering. Data was collected from 200 students pursuing engineering in one Private and one Government co-educational engineering college. To assess the classroom learning environments of engineering students, Actual and Preferred versions of Questionnaire What Is Happening in This Class (WIHIC) along with Attitude towards engineering Scale were administered. Directed by the research objectives, numerous statistical analyses were performed. These included Cronbach’s alpha reliability, Mean correlation, Means, Standard Deviations, t-Test, Simple, multiple correlation and regression coefficients etc. The results show that WIHIC along with Attitude scale is a reliable and valid tool for measuring classroom learning environment in engineering classroom settings. The results also show that students of both types of colleges would prefer an enriched learning environment than the one they presently perceive on all WIHIC dimensions. The results also highlight students’ positive attitude towards engineering. This study strongly supports the view that the nature of the classroom environment strongly influences students’ attitudes towards engineering. The results of gender differences with references to students’ perceptions of their engineering classroom learning environments shown that out of seven scales of WIHIC only one scale, .i.e. Teacher Support is significant and no gender differences in their attitudes towards engineering have also been obtained in this research. The results of the comparison of the engineering classroom learning environments between selected private and government colleges show that three out of the seven scales of WIHIC (Teacher Support, Task Orientation and Equity) differ significantly in the two types of colleges in terms of their engineering classroom learning environments.