A STUDY ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS REGARDING DEMOCRATIC CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

The democratic environment plays a significant role in active learning and the development of social values among students. Democracy cannot be brought to the classroom but necessarily be developed there. Positivism was the paradigm and the key objective of this study was to examine the perception of university students about democratic classroom environment. A survey method was used and a questionnaire was filled out by university students (n=120). The questionnaire comprised of basic values (freedom, equality, and justice) of democracy. The data were analyzed using the SPSS and descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that there are no statistically significant differences between male and female students’ knowledge. The results provide significant information in reaching conclusion. The findings disclosed that if university teachers democratize their teaching, students learn more effectively. It is vital to nurture and grow democratic values in the students during learning experiences which would lead to a fairer society.