Relationship of perceived classroom social climate and course performance in computer literacy classes

Abstract

The three conjectures which formed the basis for this study were: (1) People who have more authority and responsibility in a setting tend to see the setting more positively. (2) Perceptions of the classroom social climate may be influenced by factors involving the time class is offered, location of class, and gender of students. (3) Students choose to participate in learning activities when they feel comfortable and challenged within the classroom and in return have lower absentee rates and receive higher course grades;The population selected for the study were 25 sections of the course Introduction to Computer Literacy, which was conducted on two campuses of the Des Moines Area Community College during the 1991 spring semester;The Classroom Environment Scale Real Form by Moos and Trickett and a demographic questionnaire were administered to students and their instructors at mid-term. Instructors at the end of the semester reported each student's final course grade and number of absences;From the conjectures, eight hypotheses were developed. The findings only partially supported the hypotheses and raised questions for further exploration;The study revealed that students' and instructors' perceptions of the classroom social climate were not congruent. When day classes were compared with evening/Saturday classes, day students perceived more competition in their classroom. Competition and innovative techniques utilized were perceived to be different between the two campuses. Females felt a higher level of involvement and teacher support in classrooms than males. Students who perceived the instructor as providing a high level of support, gave clear assignments, and had structured classroom activities received higher grades. Absenteeism was lower in classroom when students understood what was expected of them, what would happen if they did not follow the rules, and knew the instructor was consistent in handling students who break the rules;Suggestions for future research are: (1) Develop a way to calculate a composite score on the CES utilizing adult teaching and learning theory. (2) Include factors such as motivational level, academic ability, and student age as covariants with classroom social climate perceptions.