Perceptions of university students of a safe learning environment and its obstacles

Abstract

This study has multifaceted objectives. It investigated the safety level of the learning environment at Al-Ain University from the perceptive of its students, it sought to identify any physical, social, and psychological obstacles that may affect the students' sense of safety in their learning environment. It explored the role of demographic factors, such as age, gender, academic program and year of study in shaping these perceptions. This study adopted a quantitative descriptive research method and used a survey to collect data through a web-based questionnaire. The total sample number consisted of 89 undergraduate and graduate students at the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education at the university. The findings revealed that the students' perception of the safety level of the currently existing learning environment at Al-Ain University is high and that they do not experience any significant obstacles whether physical, social or psychological that could negatively impact their feeling of safety at the university premises. Moreover, the findings revealed statistically significant differences in the students' perceptions based on age with older students tending to have different perspectives compared to younger students. However, there were no statistically significant differences reported due to the student's gender, academic program, and year of study. These findings provide important insights for university administrators and policymakers aiming to enhance student well-being. Institutions can further improve the perceived safety and overall quality of the learning environment by addressing the specific needs of different age groups.