Teacher and student assessments of the classroom climate: Similarities, differences, and patterns

Abstract

The classroom climate research suggests that students achieve more academically in warm and supportive environments (Wentzel, 1997, 1998, 2003). Many studies have revealed associations between the classroom climate and students' cognitive and affective outcomes (e.g., Khine & Fisher, 2006). However, studies of tertiary classroom climates are outnumbered by studies carried out at the primary and secondary levels (Nair & Fisher, 2001), with the majority of these studies focusing on student or teacher perceptions of the climate but not both. It is argued in this thesis that examining teacher perceptions is equally important, and they need to be examined alongside student perceptions of the same learning environment. A total of 35 Mathematics tutors and their 651 students enrolled in various Mathematics courses at a large university in New Zealand completed a tertiary classroom climate inventory. Student and tutor perceptions of the classroom climate were investigated and compared with respect to a number of academic and non-academic traits. Overall, tutors reported more positive perceptions of the classroom climate on all factors than did their students, and statistically significant differences between tutor and student perceptions of many aspects of the classroom climate were found. Results also showed that student and tutor perceptions of the classroom climate varied significantly with respect to a number of academic and non-academic variables such as ethnicity, gender, the Faculty students belonged to, and the course stage. A cluster analysis revealed three interpretable profiles that emerged out of students' climate perceptions; the Happy Ones, the Conservatives, and the Discontented Ones. Further analyses revealed that the Discontented Ones achieved at substantially lower levels than both the Happy Ones and the Conservatives. As this research has shown, tutor and student perceptions of the classroom climate may not necessarily match. Differences found between tutor and student assessments of the classroom climate, and how these might relate to academic and non-academic aspects point to a need for educators to become more aware of their teaching practices as well as what their students think about the classroom they are in.