Examination of the Relationship between University Students’ Perceptions Regarding the Chemistry Laboratory Environment and their Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety

Abstract

This research examined the relationship between university students’ perceptions of the chemistry laboratory environment and their chemistry laboratory anxieties. The method of the study is correlational research. The study was conducted on 281 university students who enrolled in biology, physics, chemistry, and science teaching programs and took the chemistry laboratory course. The chemistry laboratory classroom environment scale and the chemistry laboratory anxiety scale were used to collect research data. The obtained data were analyzed via the structural equation model. The research results revealed that students’ perceptions of the chemistry laboratory environment were a significant predictor for their chemistry laboratory anxiety. Furthermore, it was determined that 13% of the variance in laboratory anxiety was explained by the perceptions of the laboratory environment.