Classroom Climate Research Articles

Uncovering the effect of classroom climates on learning experience and performance in a virtual environment

ABSTRACT A virtual classroom constructed with virtual reality technology enables a more intuitive and immersive experience for learners. The classroom climate is an important factor affecting students’ learning experience and performance in a virtual environment. However, there is a lack of research on the role of climate on learning experience and performance in virtual classrooms. This study investigated the effect of classroom climates (positive, neutral, and negative) on students’ learning experience (cognitive load, learning motivation, and emotion) and performance (behavior and outcome) in a virtual environment. A total of 96 undergraduate students participated in the study. The results indicated that learners performed better when they perceived a positive classroom climate. Compared with the neutral climate group, the negative climate group reported stronger immersion, more active behavior, and better learning outcomes. The findings provide evidence for instructors and designers to create a suitable climate to improve students’ learning experience and performance in a virtual environment.

Emotional competence training promotes teachers’ emotion socialization and classroom environment: Effects from a TIK-in-School pilot study

Primary school teachers spend many hours each day assisting students with various emotional challenges in the school environment. However, many teachers lack specific skills in how to guide and support children with challenging emotions. Thus, there is a need for interventions that directly enhance teachers’ emotional competence and capacity to respond to students’ emotional needs, thereby ensuring that improvements in the learning environment are ongoing and sustainable.This pilot study explored implementation fidelity and acceptability and the outcomes of a newly developed emotion-focused teacher intervention, Tuning in to Kids in School (TIK-S), on primary school teachers’ emotion socialization practices and classroom environment. Two Norwegian schools were allocated into intervention or waitlist control, with 74 teachers from grades 1 to 4 participating. The intervention included group training for teachers focusing on how to identify, understand and regulate emotions and use emotion coaching with students, while reducing emotion dismissing. Assessments at pre- and post-intervention included teacher questionnaires on their emotion coaching and emotion dismissing practices and observations of the classroom environment. Data were analysed using mixed models. Facilitators reported high fidelity and participants good acceptability of content delivery. Results showed a significant decrease in teacher-reported emotion dismissing practices and improvement in observed positive classroom climate in the intervention, but not control, condition. Although non-significant, emotion coaching had an increasing trend in the intervention condition post-intervention.Participation in TIK-S contributed to improved skills in teacher's emotion socialization and improved classroom climate, factors that are important for an optimal school learning environment.

Preventing school bullying: Examining the association between classroom management, classroom climate, and relational aggression and victimization

This research aims to examine the relationship between classroom management, classroom climate, and relational aggression and victimization in high school students. A total of 42 teachers and 2168 students from 5 high schools in Shenzhen, China participated in the study. Teachers completed a classroom management style scale, while students answered a questionnaire based on relational aggression peer-nomination and a relational victimization experience scale. Data was analyzed using correlation and multiple regression analysis. The study found no significant correlation between teachers’ management style and levels of relational aggression and victimization. However, there was a positive correlation between teachers’ sympathy for the victim of relational aggression and the levels of relational aggression in the classroom. Teachers’ attitudes towards relational aggression predicted the level of relational victimization, but not the level of relational aggression. Teachers’ handling strategies did not predict the levels of relational aggression and victimization. Support from classmates and solidarity were negatively correlated with relational aggression and victimization. The results suggest that teachers’ attitudes towards relational aggression play an important role in predicting levels of relational victimization. Teacher sympathy for the victim of relational aggression may inadvertently reinforce the behavior. The study highlights the importance of creating a supportive classroom climate and promoting solidarity among students to reduce relational aggression and victimization. Teachers can be trained to recognize and address relational aggression, and to create a positive and supportive classroom climate. Strategies promoting peer support and solidarity may help to reduce levels of relational aggression and victimization.

Student Perceptions of Instructor-Student Rapport and Motivation In Hybrid Courses During COVID-19

The relationship between instructors and their students is essential for developing a classroom climate where students feel motivated to learn. The current study surveyed 658 undergraduate students to examine the relationship between instructor-student rapport and motivation in online and face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated (1) students experienced more rapport with their instructors during face-to-face classes compared to their online classes, (2) students perceived their motivation was greater during face-to-face classes than in online classes, and (3) there was a significant positive relationship between instructor-student rapport and student motivation in both online and face-to-face classes. This study’s findings lend further support to research that emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of community in online classes, where students feel connected to their instructors and, consequently, motivated to learn. KEYWORDS: Instructor-Student Rapport; Motivation; Hybrid Courses; COVID-19; Online Learning

Teachers' Emotional Intelligence, Burnout, Work Engagement, and Self-Efficacy during COVID-19 Lockdown.

Teachers' psychological well-being is a crucial aspect that influences learning in a classroom climate. The aim of the study was to investigate teachers' emotional intelligence, burnout, work engagement, and self-efficacy in times of remote teaching during COVID-19 lockdown. A sample of 65 teachers (Mage = 50.49), from early childhood through lower secondary education, were recruited during a period of school closure to answer self-report questionnaires and other measures assessing study variables. Results showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers reported higher levels of burnout and lower levels of self-esteem due to multiple challenges related to remote teaching and the growing sense of insecurity regarding health safety in the school environment. However, the negative effects of COVID-19 on teachers' self-efficacy, work engagement, and burnout varied according to their own levels of emotional intelligence. These results demonstrate that emotional intelligence may support teachers in facing these challenges.

Teacher Behavior and a Safe Classroom Climate

The learning process should be able to create a conducive classroom atmosphere or classroom climate to support the creation of quality learning processes. There are several ways that teachers can do to involve children in maintaining a safe classroom climate, including: first, making children responsible for maintaining the classroom as a safe place; two, to make all children able to keep each other safe for themselves to the group of children; third, make children have to respect each other; fourth, make children have to trust each other; Fifth, teachers must be able to be partners for children.

Effects of classroom and school climate on language minority students’ PISA mathematics self-concept and achievement scores

Grounded in ecological theory, this study investigated relative contributions of perceived classroom and school climate variables to mathematics self-concept and achievement of English-at-home and English learner (EL) students using PISA 2012 data for American middle-grade students. For both outcomes, results of 3-step hierarchical linear regression models for the combined sample closely mirror those of English-at-home students and mask the unique characteristic of ELs. For self-concept, six (classroom management, cognitive activation, disciplinary climate, teacher support, sense of belonging, and teacher student relations) out of seven predictors were statistically significant and positive predictors for English-at-home students (teacher support being the strongest); only two predictors (disciplinary climate, and teacher student relations) were significant and positive for ELs. Similarly, group discrepancies were found for mathematics achievement. Five variables (classroom management, teacher support, disciplinary climate, sense of belonging to school, and teacher student relations), were significant predictors of English-at-home students. Yet, only three variables (classroom management, disciplinary climate, and teacher support) significantly predicted achievement of ELs. Classroom climate was consistently an important predictor across outcomes and student populations and was the strongest contributor for ELs. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Peer Relationship Contribution

Education is an effort to help the souls of students, both born and mental, from their nature towards a better human civilization. Likewise, peer groups are social environments where members interact where members have the same age, besides that members also have similar schools, hobbies, interests, social status, economics, and so on. The purpose of this study is to find out how a teacher builds interaction and social competence of children with their peers. Because nowadays, there are rampant conflicts between children and peers such as bullying both in the classroom and outside the classroom. So that with this research, it will make it easier for teachers to regulate the classroom climate and social climate when the learning process takes place for children and their peers.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: Longitudinal associations among American adolescents’ civic engagement and family and school characteristics

Adolescents’ civic engagement is related to other aspects of their positive development. Many family and school characteristics can promote adolescents’ civic engagement, but they are often studied separately. Furthermore, studies have often used adolescent self-reports and measured only one aspect of the multidimensional construct of civic engagement. Using longitudinal, multi-rater data from 539 adolescents (59.4% girls, 56.8% White) and 356 parents (80% mothers), we examined family and school characteristics that promote adolescents’ social responsibility and five civic actions. Structural equation models showed that parents’ social responsibility and civic actions predicted adolescents’ corresponding civic outcomes six months later. Extracurricular opportunities in school predicted adolescents’ community service and helping behaviors. Open classroom climate predicted adolescents’ helping behaviors and moderated the association between parents’ and adolescents’ social responsibility. Parental warmth and classroom discussion of social issues did not predict adolescents’ civic engagement. We discuss limitations, implications, and directions for future research.

Analyzing Classroom Climate From Teachers’ Perspectives: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study is to determine perspectives of teachers about classroom climate by investigating teachers' descriptions of a positive classroom climate, their practices towards a positive classroom climate, the challenges they encounter in creating a positive classroom climate, and their suggestions for a positive classroom climate. The research adopted a case study design. The study group consisted of 45 teachers and the data was collected via a questionnaire form which was composed of four open-ended questions. Based on the content analysis, sub-categories and categories were identified for each sub-problem and frequencies were reported. Findings showed that teachers regarded classroom climate as a multidimensional construct and their descriptions of a positive classroom climate included a wide range of interrelated in-class and out-class variables. It was also determined that teachers substantially focused on the instructional practices in order to enhance the classroom climate. The most frequency encountered challenge was related to students’ disinterest that was followed by uninvolved parenting. For a better classroom climate, teachers suggested improvements in terms of all stakeholders, instructional practices, social, emotional and physical environment and rules. Findings were discussed based on previous research and suggestions were offered for further studies.

Positive classroom climate buffers against increases in loneliness arising from shyness, rejection sensitivity and emotional reactivity.

Loneliness is detrimental to well-being, particularly during the transition into and early years of adolescence when peer relations are ascendant. Shy and emotionally sensitive youth, who often spend considerable time alone, have known vulnerabilities to loneliness. Studies of young children suggest that a supportive classroom context may mitigate adjustment risks, reducing victimization and improving a sense of belonging. Herein we extend this work to older students, testing the hypothesis that a positive classroom climate protects temperamentally vulnerable children (i.e., those who are shy, emotionally reactive, or sensitive to rejection) from escalating levels of loneliness across the course of a school year. A community sample of 540 (277 boys, 263 girls) Lithuanian students in grades 5-7 (10-14 years old) completed identical surveys twice, 4-5 months apart. Self-reports assessed shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity, as well as perceived positive classroom climate and loneliness. Path analyses indicated that longitudinal associations from shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity to increased loneliness were mitigated by positive classroom climate. In each case, temperamental vulnerability anticipated greater loneliness for youth reporting low but not high positive classroom climate. The results held after accounting for several potential confounding variables. The findings have practical implications, suggesting that scholars and practitioners redouble efforts to improve classroom support, particularly for temperamentally vulnerable children who are at elevated risk for solitude, loneliness, and attendant mental health challenges.

The Teacher Classroom Climate Scale (TCCS): Development and Validation of a New Instrument for Use in Primary School

Background: A positive classroom climate is crucial for student well-being and academic success. There is a lack of validated teacher-rated instruments that assess classroom climate in primary school to ensure that the psycho-social and academic learning conditions in class are beneficial for all students. Objective: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a teacher-rated instrument for use in primary school that addresses key aspects of the classroom climate. The instrument is called the Teacher Classroom Climate Scale (TCCS). Data: Data consisted of a large population-based sample of teachers (n = 1,720) form Norway who rated 14 items encompassing the classroom climate in their class. Data were collected as part of a longitudinal effectiveness study that was implemented in 65 ordinary and representative Norwegian primary schools (Grades 1-7). Methods: The sample was divided into two randomized halves, and exploratory factor analysis was performed on the first half (n =846) whereas confirmatory factor analyses were performed on the second half (n = 874) to verify the factor structure. In addition, we evaluated the convergent validity of the TCCS by inspecting correlations between classroom climate scale and students' academic achievements and problem behaviors. Results: The results revealed a three-factor structure (social relations, learning conditions and task orientation). The analyses showed that two of the 14 items had low factor loadings, and were therefore omitted from the final version of the scale. The final scale showed good internal consistency. The TCCS correlated moderately both concurrently and predictively with academic level and academic differences in class, and with severe problem behavior in class. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the TCCS may be a useful instrument to assess classroom climate in primary school. The need for further research on the TCCS is emphasized.

Classroom Climate: Unique Dependent and Independent Variables

Class climate plays a dual role as a dependent and independent variable. As a dependent variable, the class climate is influenced by several variables. On the other hand, as an independent variable, the class climate is correlated with other variables. This research aims to confirm the studies that have been done before and ensure that these related variables must be increased or become the impact of increasing the classroom climate. This type of research is a literature study that explores more than 40 articles about classroom climate conducted in Indonesia and other countries. The data analysis technique used is descriptive qualitative analysis. The results of this study indicate that among the variables that influence or contribute to classroom climate are simulation strategies, student attitudes, teacher behaviour, and integration between media and learning approaches. Variables that are affected by classroom climate include student behaviour, student achievement, student motivation, learning outcomes, and bullying behaviour. Therefore, teachers and principals are recommended to increase the variables that affect classroom climate and the classroom climate itself because they will also affect other variables. This study convinces the reader that classroom climate is an intermediary variable which is a key factor for improving the learning process.

More Than Just a Game: Teachers’ Experiences of the PAX Good Behavior Game

<p style="text-align:justify">The PAX Good Behavior Game (PAX-GBG) is an evidence-based universal preventive intervention program for classroom use. Our aim was to explore teachers’ perceptions of PAX-GBG and their work with it, and whether this changed during the implementation of the intervention. In addition, we explored teachers’ perceptions, and changes in perceptions, regarding how they perceived their workload when learning and using PAX, how it influenced relationships in the classroom and students with special needs. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with six female teachers at three time-points during a school year. Based on thematic analysis, four themes illustrating teachers’ experiences and the perceived effects of PAX-GBG on classroom relationships were identified: (1) Working with PAX-GBG, (2) The Game, (3) Focus on Behaviour, and (4) Relationships. A notable finding was that most teachers, at the outset, had concerns regarding the PAX Game and that these concerns mostly disappeared after they had experienced working with it. Based on improved student behaviours and overall enhanced relationships in the classroom, our results show that PAX-GBG is a suitable intervention for all students. Students with special needs may especially benefit due to a focus on clear expectations, positive reinforcement, and a more inclusive classroom climate. Some remaining concerns regarding the universal suitability of the game need to be explored further in future studies. Based on the results in this study, PAX-GBG seems to have high social validity in a Swedish context.</p>

When civic knowledge matters but is not enough: The role of classroom climate and citizenship self-efficacy on different facets of civic engagement

The global need to reverse political disaffection has motivated researchers to seek ways of fostering citizenship engagement. This study focuses on the role adolescents’ citizenship self-efficacy plays in linking civic knowledge and classroom climate to civic engagement. We use data from 4838 Chilean students (M age = 14.16) who participated in the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS). Using structural equation modelling, a mediational model with multilevel clustering showed that civic knowledge positively affects formal participation, but not civil participation, while an open classroom climate increases both forms of engagement during adolescence. Citizenship self-efficacy mediates the relation between classroom climate and both types of participation. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design citizenship education curricula for youth who live in contexts of inequality.

The Influence of Classroom Climate Inventory on High-Quality Learning Practices of Junior High School Students

The purpose of this study was to determine what domain that influences of classroom climate inventory on high-quality learning practices of Junior high school students. This research included 200 Laureta National High School grade 10 students as participants. The statistical tools used were mean, Pearson-r, and Regression Analysis. This papers research design was quantitative non-experimental research using the correlational technique with regression analysis. Results show that the quality of classroom climate inventory of Junior high school students is very high, which suggests that classroom climate inventory is very much observed. The level of high-quality learning practices of junior high school students is extremely high, which signifies that high-quality learning practices are very much evident. Therefore, Correlation results revealed a significant relationship between the classroom climate inventory and high-quality learning practices. Thus, among the seven indicators in the independent variables, individualization shows that the school promotes an organized and purposeful atmosphere for learning of the students effective classroom climate inventory influences to high-quality learning practices.

AirBadminton for Physical Activity and Well-Being in Spanish Students: Post-COVID-19

Sports commitment is a psychological construct that has been studied since the 1990s and that has been used in the educational field. The main objective of this study is to analyze the suitability of AirBadminton to acquired sports commitment and the classroom climate generated through the practice of AirBadminton. It was also proposed to analyze the physical, technical and temporal characteristics of AirBadminton. The research was developed with 1298 students between 13 and 15 years of age (mean ± standard deviation; body height: 1.61 ± 7.08 m; body mass 59.68 ± 7.11 kg); one group developed an AirBadminton didactic unit forming the experimental group, and a second group carried out other net games, being the control group. The following instruments were used: the Sports Commitment Questionnaire-2 CCD-2, the Brief Class Climate Scale EBCC, the analysis software LongoMatch version 1.10.1, the heart rate (HR) and the distance traveled of some participants were monitored with different Polar brand sensors (Polar H10 and Verity Sense) and two SPI-Elite GPS devices from the GPSports brand. Results show that sports commitment was increased in the experimental group. AirBadminton shows aspects that are directly and positively related to intrinsic motivation and adherence to sports practice; it improves the classroom climate and increases the desire to excel of the participants.

Kebijakan Tentang Jumlah Siswa dan Keefektifan dalam Proses Pembelajaran

ABSTRACT
 The purpose of this research is to describe the importance of considering the capacity of the number of students in the learning process so that the learning process becomes effective. This study uses the literary method, by exploring theoretical studies and expert opinions and looking for literature reviews as material for analysis to draw conclusions. The conclusion of this study is that effective learning is a process of producing students' absorption of learning material and changes in student behavior that are useful for their lives. The success of learning is not only focused on student achievement academically which is symbolized by numbers but also concentrated on how to make students smart, well-behaved and broad-minded. The number of students can affect the task-oriented classroom climate, increase student participation in class, make it easier for teachers to monitor students and achieve learning goals properly and according to plan. Conclusion, an important factor in effective learning is class organization including the number of students in one class, a number that is too large is less effective in achieving learning goals.
 
 Keywords: number of students, effectiveness, learning

Social participation in inclusive physical education: On the importance of class, teaching methods and teacher characteristics

Inclusive education aims to give all children access to the general education system, regardless of their disposition, and thereby reduce social exclusion. The aim is to achieve equal participation in society called for in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In many countries, including Switzerland, this has led to the increased integration of children with special educational needs into mainstream schools in recent years. However, studies show that the social participation of children with special educational needs in inclusive classes is often accompanied by challenges. Compared to their peers, children with special educational needs have fewer interactions and friendships and are less accepted. In particular, children with intellectual disabilities are at risk of social exclusion.
 Regarding reduced social participation, inclusive physical education is seen as having a particular potential to promote this participation. However, joint teaching alone is no guarantee that children with and without special educational needs are equally involved in social processes in their class. In inclusive physical education, social exclusion can be particularly visible and tangible, as the learners' physicality is more in focus than in other subjects. In inclusion research, it is therefore of interest how social participation can be promoted. In the field of inclusive physical education with children with intellectual disabilities, however, there is hardly any empirical knowledge on this. This dissertation addresses this research gap and investigates how aspects of social participation of children with intellectual disabilities are shaped in inclusive physical education and which factors are related to them.
 The data for the three manuscripts submitted for the dissertation all come from the SoPariS research project, which focuses on inclusive physical education with children with intellectual disabilities. In 2019, a cross-sectional study with quantitative questionnaires was conducted for pupils and physical education teachers, surveying 109 primary school classes (3rd-6th grade). Multilevel regressions and social network analysis show that children with intellectual disabilities receive significantly less social interaction (Furrer et al., 2021, 2020) and are less accepted (Furrer et al., in press) than their peers without disability. At the same time, there are fewer social interactions in physical education than in classroom teaching (Furrer et al., in press). The individual reference norm orientation of the physical education teacher is positively related to social acceptance and social interactions, whereby these are particularly increased for children with intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, teaching cooperative norms is positively related to children's social acceptance (Furrer et al., 2020). However, social interactions are not related to the physical education teacher's attitude towards inclusive teaching (Furrer et al., 2021). Finally, social interactions in both physical education and classroom teaching are positively related to classroom climate (Furrer et al., in press).
 In summary, it can be stated that the investigated aspects of social participation of children with intellectual disabilities are significantly lower than those of children without intellectual disabilities, even in inclusive physical education at primary school level. Specifically, social interactions and acceptance are below average. However, factors could be identified that are positively related to social participation. The great challenge of integrating children with special educational needs is to make teachers aware of the importance of social processes in the classroom and to train and develop them in this area. While the manuscripts of this dissertation provide valuable insights into the promotion of social participation of children with special educational needs in inclusive classrooms, further longitudinal intervention studies are needed to investigate the direction of impact of these factors and to show change over time.
 References
 Furrer, V., Mumenthaler, F., Eckhart, M., Nagel, S., & Valkanover, S. (in press). Zum Zusammenhang von Klassenklima und sozialen Interaktionen. Ein Vergleich zwischen inklusivem Klassenzimmer- und Sportunterricht [On the relationship between classroom climate and social interactions. A comparison between inclusive classroom and physical education teaching]. Zeitschrift für sportpädagogische Forschung.
 Furrer, V., Mumenthaler, F., Valkanover, S., Eckhart, M., & Nagel, S. (2021). Zum Zusammenhang zwischen der Einstellung der Lehrkraft zu inklusivem Sportunterricht und sozialer Interaktionen von Kindern [On the relationship between teacher attitudes towards inclusive physical education and children's social interactions]. Zeitschrift für Grundschulforschung, 14, 237-256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42278-021-00108-9
 Furrer V., Valkanover S., Eckhart M., & Nagel S. (2020). The role of teaching strategies in social acceptance and interactions; Considering students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive physical education. Frontiers in Education, 5, Article 586960. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.586960

Prosocial behavior in students with intellectual disabilities: Individual level predictors and the role of the classroom peer context.

Prosocial behavior at school, such as helping and sharing, contributes to positive individual development, peer relations, and classroom climate. Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) may have difficulty to demonstrate prosocial behavior, but little is known about the levels of prosocial behavior and its predictors in this population. This study aims to describe the prosocial behavior of students with ID attending special needs schools and related individual (i.e., age, sex, and general functioning) and classroom level (i.e., classmates' mean prosocial behavior) predictors. School staff members assessed prosocial behavior of 1022 students with ID (69.5% boys; Mage = 11.34 years, SD = 3.73, range: 4-19 years) at the beginning and the end of a schoolyear. We found that students with ID on average demonstrated moderate levels of prosocial behavior, this was lower compared to norms of typically developing students. Correlations within each timepoint proved that prosocial behavior was more present in older students, girls, and students with higher general functioning. Using a longitudinal multilevel model, we found that, prosocial behavior increased more over the schoolyear in older students and in students with higher general functioning. Classmates' mean levels of prosocial behavior did not affect later individual prosocial behavior. We conclude that prosocial behavior in students with ID depends on several individual characteristics, but less on the levels of prosocial behaviors in their special needs classroom peer context.