A Positive Classroom Environment Helps Kids Succeed In School and Life

A recent study released by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence using data from 35 classrooms, grades 5-6, cites that supportive classroom environments are associated with improved student outcomes.

Said another way, children's perceptions as to whether or not they are being supported matters.

Connecting with kids

The study states that students who have stronger relationships with their teachers invest more time in academics, earn better grades, report being more satisfied, and behave in more prosocial ways as they transition from childhood into adolescence.

"When adolescents do not feel connected to school, their grades often suﬀer, they behave disruptively in class, and they are unlikely to aspire to higher educational goals (Eccles and Midgley 1990)."

What are the barriers to a supportive classroom? One barrier cited in the study is high-stakes testing.

"The environment of high-stakes testing prevalent in the aftermath of the No Child Left Behind era could be damaging the protective emotional connection that many children build with their teachers and school (Mulvenon et al. 2005)."

Investing in relationships

Researchers in this study recommend that teachers create a supportive classroom by engaging with students on a regular basis in ways that convey caring and concern without appearing as prying or forced.

This study also cites that individualized or varied instructional styles nurture a perception of support in the classroom.

"When teachers know which students are struggling and which students are succeeding, they can vary their instructional styles to match their students’ needs. Such diversiﬁed instruction communicates to students that their teachers care about them."

The study reinforces the notion that children benefit from positive, relationship-based teaching methods and suggests that educational interventions targeting classroom processes be enacted at the school level and assessed by both teachers and students.

The notion that supportive classrooms and teaching methods are crucial for providing children with the social and academic skills they need to succeed is not a surprise, but it is reassuring to know that in these findings, common sense and science align.

References

Cipriano, C., Barnes, T.N., Pieloch, K.A. et al. Learning Environ Res (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-018-9274-0

Teaching Through Play: Teachers' Thinking and Classroom Practice: By Bennett, Neville

The Effect of Classroom Environments on Student learning: By Hannah, Ryan

Cipriano, C., Barnes, T.N., Pieloch, K.A. et al. A multilevel approach to understanding student and teacher perceptions of classroom support during early adolescence, Learning Environ Res (2018).