The things that count: negative perceptions of the teaching environment among university academics

Studies have highlighted the influence of how students perceive their learning environment in shaping their attitudes to learning, their approach to learning and ultimately with the quality of their learning outcomes. Although far less extensively researched, it appears that how academics perceive their teaching environment influences both what and how they teach. The nature and effect of these perceptions has important implications for the recruitment and retention of key personnel and for the quality of teaching, learning and campus work life in general. This paper reports the results of a study that investigates the perceptions of a group of Australian and New Zealand academics of their work environment. The aim of the study is to identify those factors perceived as negatively affecting teaching, the key themes underlying these factors and the relationships between perceptions and choice of teaching approach. The results and their implications for the quality of university teaching are discussed.