Secondary Pre-service Teachers' Perceptions of an Ideal Classroom Environment

Abstract

The classroom environment can impact students’ motivation and engagement, and can influence students’ academic learning. In some cases, pre-service teachers’ influence on the classroom environment may not always be conducive for student learning. This exploratory study investigated pre-service teachers’ perceptions of an ideal classroom environment. Specifically, this study focused on the effect of a 16 week initial field experience, and the school level (High School or Middle School) of the field experience on secondary pre-service teachers’ perceptual changes of an ideal classroom environment. As a means of collecting data to address the focus of this study, the participants completed the Classroom Environment Scale (Form I) on three different occasions during the initial field experience. Results of the data analysis revealed that the participants’ perceptions of an ideal classroom environment remained consistent but were focused on attributes that contribute to a classroom environment conducive to academic success.

Keywords

• classroom environment
• secondary pre-service teachers
• classroom perceptions
• field experiences