Dissertation, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2021

This study focuses on learning climate in universities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Learning climate constitutes one of the most important criteria for educational quality as it influences the learning outcome. The study is conducted in the DRC, one of the developing countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, where the quality of education is very important to remedy the traditional educational system applied in several schools and universities. Using a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews (n = 32) based on a theoretical sampling, following grounded theory, four types of climate were revealed in the data analysis: The climate based on learning where the learner feels better considered, the climate based on social relations where the interactions between the teacher and the learner are positive, the climate based on the teacher where the learner is passive, and the climate based on the use of authority where the learner only submits to the decisions of the authority. These four types are discussed in relation to their functionality to learning and recommendations for the further development of universities are given.