Classroom Climate Connection: Student Perceptions Based on Race, Gender, and Classification

Karen Santos Rogers, Jennie M. Carr, & Gibbs Kanyongo   |    Volume 21 Issue 1  |   

This quantitative study examined students’ perceptions of factors considered important in creating a positive classroom climate to add to the literature focused on classroom climate determinants. It sought to answer the following research question: Do students of different race, gender, or classification (freshman, sophomor`e, junior, senior) perceive classroom dynamics uniformly? The Education School Climate Survey (EDSCLS) was streamlined and administered to 198 students. Data were analyzed to measure student perceptions of classroom climate. Both student gender and classification failed to account for differences in perception of classroom climate; however, statistically significant differences were found in six instances when comparing student responses based on race. In these instances, White students ranked the indicated classroom environment factors more positively than students of other races. Four out of six of these factors relate to faculty-student communication and interactions.

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