The Association between Students’ Perceived EFL Classroom Environment and their Achievement in English Language: Selected Ethiopian Secondary Schools in Focus
Author :
Abstract
Keywords
Abstract
This study investigated the association between students’ perceived EFL classroom environment and their achievement in English language. The participants of the study were 200 grade 10 students selected from Gidole and Chencha Secondary schools in Ethiopia. In order to gather data for the study, classroom environment inventory questionnaire and English language achievement test were used. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was used to examine correlations between students’ perceived EFL classroom environment / subscales and English language achievement scores. In order to know the joint effect of students’ perceived classroom environment variables on English achievement scores, and the relative contribution of each variable, multiple regression was employed. The findings indicated significant positive relationships between students’ perceived EFL classroom environment variables (task challenge, involvement and teacher support) and their English language achievement test mean score. Divergently, no statistically significant relationships were found between some perceived EFL classroom environment variables (cohesiveness, cooperativeness and satisfaction) and students’ English language achievement test mean score. Moreover, the finding revealed that classroom environment variables mingled together, predicted students’ English language achievement significantly to 20.5%. Specific to the relative contribution of each variable, task challenge was found to be the most predictor of English language achievement. Based on the findings of this study, implications for theory and practice have been drawn.
Keywords
- Ames, C. (1992). Classrooms: Goals, structures and student motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(3), 261-27
- Anderson, C. (1982). The search for school climate: A review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 52, 368−420
- Baek,S., & Choi, H. (2002). The Relationship between Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Environment and their Academic Achievement in Korea. Asia Pacific Education Review, 3(1), 125-135.
- Brophy, J. (1987). Synthesis of research on strategies for motivating students to learn. Educational Leadership, 45, 40-48
- Ceranic, H.(2009). The English Teacher's Handbook. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group.
- Chan, G. (1993). Classroom environment and approaches to learning: In J.B. Biggs & D.A. Watkins (Eds.). Learning and teaching in Hong Kong: What is and what might be (pp.153-163). Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong.
- Chavez, R., & Cardenas, M. (1980). The affective dimension in a bilingual bicultural classroom: What’s the status? In Ethno perspectives in bilingual education research: Theory in bilingual education, (2). Ypsilanti, MI: Eastern Michigan Press.
- Cheng, Y. (1994). Classroom environment and student affective performance: An effective profile. Journal of Experimental Education, 62, 221-239.
- Deng, B. (1992). A multilevel analysis of classroom climate effects on mathematics achievement of fourth-grade students. Memphis, TN: Memphis State University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. Ed 348 222)
- Dorman, J. (1996). Use of teacher perceptions inschool environment research. School Organization, 16(2), 187-202.
- Dornyei, Z., & Morphey, J .(2003). Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Dunn, R. & Harris, L. (1998). Organizational dimensions of climate and the impact on school achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 25(2), 100-114.
- Elias, H. (2011). Relationship between Students’ Perceptions of Classroom Environment and their Motivation in Learning English Language. International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 1( 21).
- Fisher, D., & Fraser, B. (1983). A comparison of actual and preferred classroom environment as perceived by science teachers and students. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 20, 55-61.
- Fouts,J., Biao, L., & Chain, J. (1993). Secondary social education in the People’s Republic of China: A quantitative study of classroom environments in the Guangdong Province. Theory and Research in Social Education, 21(1), 7-24.
- Fraser, B. (1994). ‘Research on classroom and school climate’. In D. Gabel (Ed.), Handbook of research on science teaching and learning (pp. 493-541). New York: Macmillan.
- Fraser, B. (1998). Classroom environment instruments: Development, validity and applications. Learning Environment Research, 1, 7-33.
- Fraser,B., Treagust,N., & Dennis, R. (1986). Research describing the development and validation of the instrument. Studies in Higher Education, 11(1).
- Good, T., & Brophy, J. (1986). School effects. In M. C. Wittrock (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching (3rd ed.). New York: MacMillan.
- Haertel, G., Walberg, H., & Haertel, E. (1981). Social-psychological environments and learning: A quantitative synthesis. British Educational Research Journal, 7(1), 17-36.
- Howes, C. (2000). Social-emotional classroom climate in childcare, child-teacher relationships and children’s second grade peer relations. Social Development, 9(2), 191-204.
- Krashen, S. (1981). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Oxford: Pergamon Press.
- Li, T. (1995). A Study on the differences of classroom climate between junior and senior forms in Hong Kong secondary students ( Unplished postgraduate thesis). Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong.
- Montoya, A., & Brown, N. (1990). Perceptions of school climate and student achievement in middle and elementary school. U. S. Department of Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 324 111)
- Old father, P., West, J., White, J. & Wilmarth, J. (2005). Learning Through Children’s Eyes: Social Constructivism and the Desire to Learn. Washington, DC: America Psychological Association.
- Paradise, L. (1994). Classroom dynamics. In R. Corsini (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Psychology, 1, (2nd edt.). Canada: John Wiley & Sons.
- Shapiro, S. (1993). Strategies that create a positive classroom climate. The Clearing House, 67, 91-96.
- Slonaker, M. (1989). A study of the relationship between sixth grade students’ perceptions of the classroom climate and progress in reading. Dissertation Abstracts International, 44(07A), 2099.
- Talmage, H., & Walberg, H. (1988). Naturalistic, decision-oriented evaluation of a district reading program. Journal of Reading Behavior, 10(2), 185-195.
- Tomlinson, C.(2003). Deciding to teach them all. Educational Leadership, 61 (2): 6-11.
- Tudor, I. (1996). Learner-Centeredness as Language Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Walberg, H., & Greenberg, R. (1997). Using the learning environment inventory. Educational Leadership, 54(8), 45-47.
- White, D. (1986). Relationships between school climate and classroom climate, between school climate and student achievement, and between classroom climate and student achievement (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
- Wong, N. (1995). Discrepancies between perceived and actual mathematics classroom environment as perceived by students and teachers in Hong Kong. Psychologia, 38, 124-131.
- Wren, T. (1992). School climate/satisfaction perceptions as predictors of student reading achievement. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS.
