A positive classroom is more conducive to learning than a negative one. Since the teacher creates the classroom climate, it is important for him or her to follow certain didactic guidelines for creating the right climate. This study investigated the implementation of specific didactic guidelines for creating a climate the most conducive to learning. Kruger and Van Schalkwyk (1992:104) are of the opinion that if a classroom climate is hearty, warm and appealing, everybody is relaxed, and experiences the togetherness as pleasant. Such a setting offers each individual the opportunity for being his or her true self, and the teacher as well as the students are willing to open up and become involved. Should the classroom climate be stiff, cold and clinical, however, the participants become tense, stiff, and introverted. They become unwilling to reveal themselves to one another. The study was aimed at answering specific problem questions, namely: • What does a positive classroom climate entail? • Which didactic measures ensure a positive climate? • What is the current classroom climate at secondary schools? • Which methods and techniques can be implemented to create a positive climate? • Which didactic guidelines can be presented to teachers for optimising the classroom climate? The first two questions were investigated by means of a literature study. Certain findings led to the answers to the problem questions. The third question was answered through an empirical study aimed at determining the climate of a specific secondary school. The study revealed that the students in general experienced the climate as positive. Two control variables, namely gender and language, however, showed slight differences of opinion. Although the results showed no practical statistical significance, a difference was noted between the opinions of girls and boys, as well as between Afrikaans speaking students and students speaking African languages. The questionnaires the teachers completed, were based on the same guidelines for creating classroom climate as were found in the literature study. In chapter 5 various recommendations for further research in this field, relevant to South Africa in particular, were made since it is believed that the school situation here is unique. Further research can offer solutions to persistent problems. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2000

This study is scientifically aimed at the problematic question of the present situation regarding the climate in the Bible Education classroom in secondary schools. A possible cause of the problems experienced with Bible Education and the negative view prevalent with regard to the subject, can be ascribed to the prevailing climate in the Bible Education classroom in the secondary school. An empirical study was conducted by means of a structured questionnaire distributed to the Bible Education teachers and a stratified sample of ten pupils per class at four Afrikaanse secondary schools. The four schools were chosen at random and served as test sample. According to the answers of the respondents, it became clear that the present classroom climate puts a very high premium on rules and control in the classroom. Therefore it would appear as if a lot of work needs to be done concerning the mutual relationship between teacher and pupil for the effective improvement of the climate in the classroom. / Skripsie (MEd (Didaktiese Opvoedkunde))--PU vir CHO, 1995

The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers provide opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills in Grade 8 in Mathematics classrooms. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills in the Mathematics classroom, and to establish how critical thinking could be nurtured during the teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics. Various teaching methods and assessment strategies, types of learning material, a variety of classroom activities and how to create a classroom conducive to the development of critical thinking skills were explored. The literature review provided the framework to design a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of Grade 8 Mathematics teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided for the development of critical thinking skills in Mathematics classrooms. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive research, the self constructed, closed-ended questionnaire was administered to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Mathematics teachers (n = 92) and learners (n = 204) in the Ekurhuleni District of Gauteng, South Africa. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed that teachers do have an understanding of the importance of critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom, but that their understanding is not always fully translated into practical opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills. It was revealed that teachers do make use of questioning and allow learners to communicate during problem-solving, which are important strategies for the development of critical thinking. However, it was evident that teachers appear to be inhibiting the development of critical thinking skills by relying heavily on the use of textbooks and transmission of knowledge during teaching, and seem not to acknowledge the merits of cooperative learning and real life experiences during the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The study is concluded with recommendations on how to nurture and improve critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Learning and Teaching)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers provide opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills in Grade 8 in Mathematics classrooms. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills in the Mathematics classroom, and to establish how critical thinking could be nurtured during the teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics. Various teaching methods and assessment strategies, types of learning material, a variety of classroom activities and how to create a classroom conducive to the development of critical thinking skills were explored. The literature review provided the framework to design a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of Grade 8 Mathematics teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided for the development of critical thinking skills in Mathematics classrooms. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive research, the self constructed, closed-ended questionnaire was administered to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Mathematics teachers (n = 92) and learners (n = 204) in the Ekurhuleni District of Gauteng, South Africa. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed that teachers do have an understanding of the importance of critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom, but that their understanding is not always fully translated into practical opportunities for the development of critical thinking skills. It was revealed that teachers do make use of questioning and allow learners to communicate during problem-solving, which are important strategies for the development of critical thinking. However, it was evident that teachers appear to be inhibiting the development of critical thinking skills by relying heavily on the use of textbooks and transmission of knowledge during teaching, and seem not to acknowledge the merits of cooperative learning and real life experiences during the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The study is concluded with recommendations on how to nurture and improve critical thinking in the Mathematics classroom. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Learning and Teaching)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

abstract: The moderating effects of five characteristics of peers--their effortful control, anger, sadness, aggression, and positive peer behavior--were investigated in two separate series of analyses of preschooler's social behavior: (a) the relation between children's own effortful control and social behavior, and (b) the relation between children's shyness and reticent behavior. Latent variable interactions were conducted in a structural equation framework. Peer context anger and effortful control, albeit with unexpected results, interacted with children's own characteristics to predict their behavior in both the EC and shy model series; these were the only significant interactions obtained for the EC model series. The relation between shyness and reticent behavior, however, showed the greatest impact of peer context and, conversely, the greatest susceptibility to environmental variations; significant interactions were obtained in all five models, despite the limited range of peer context sadness and aggression observed in this study. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012

This study aimed to compare the perception of gifted and non-gifted students with respect to the climate for creativity in the classroom, in the disciplines of Mathematics and Portuguese Language, and to investigate the relationship between creativity and perception of classroom climate for creativity. Twenty-one gifted and 27 non-gifted 6th grade students who attended a public school in Brazil participated in the study. The gifted students evaluated teacher’s support to the students’ expression of ideas in Mathematics in a more satisfactory way compared to non-gifted, and they also showed greater interest in learning Mathematics in comparison to Portuguese Language. A positive correlation between creativity and perception of classroom climate was found for gifted students, and negative correlation for non-gifted students. / El presente estudio compara la percepción de clima para la creatividad en el aula, en las clases de Matemáticas y Lengua Portuguesa, entre alumnos superdotados y no-superdotados, así como investiga la relación entre creatividad y percepción de clima para la creatividad. Participaron 21 alumnos superdotados y 27 no-superdotados del 6° año de enseñanza fundamental de una escuela fiscal de Brasil. Los resultados muestran que los alumnos superdotados evaluaron el apoyo del profesor hacia la expresión de ideas del alumno en el aula de Matemáticas de manera más positiva comparado a los no-superdotados. Asimismo, los alumnos superdotados presentaron mayor interés por el aprendizaje en esta asignatura en comparación a la de Lengua Portuguesa. Se encontró correlación positiva entre la creatividad y la percepción de clima en los alumnos superdotados y correlación negativa en los no-superdotados.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Educational neuroscience (EN) is a transdisciplinary convergence of neurosciences, education, and psychology that has gained international momentum. Its purpose is to advance the application of neurosciences in P-12 education as a way to improve the design of instructional environments and practices that support the multidimensional social, affective, and cognitive learning needs of students. The potential integration of EN practices into school settings affects educators and school social workers who promote positive school climates and address barriers to learning. Despite the ascension of scholarly discourse proposing the integration of neuroscience knowledge with education practices, a shared conceptual framework remains elusive for the emergent discipline, and the translation of EN into education practices is unexamined. A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted to investigate the emerging conceptualization of EN practices and implications for promoting a positive classroom climate. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with two administrators, three teachers, and 48 students as well as four classroom observations from three different fourth and fifth grade classrooms in a US Midwest city. The data analyses generated a conceptual model that revealed how EN practices unfolded in the classroom to facilitate the co-creation of a positive classroom climate. The data indicated that a humanistic organizational structure facilitated the EN practice implementation, and the teacher’s regulatory state was central to the application process. Five themes emerged that characterized EN practices: teaching neuroanatomy, reflecting on emotions, selfregulating, adapting classroom boundaries, and honoring the whole student. Interactions resulting from these practices aligned with four established climate dimensions: teaching and learning, structure of the learning environment, safety, and relationships. The resulting classroom climate contributed to students’ resiliency, as observed by reduced office referrals, readiness to learn, empowered decision-making, greater empathy, and enhanced social connectedness. Findings from this study support a conceptual model for the application of EN practices in elementary classrooms and align with existing research that suggests positive climates promote healthy development, social-emotional learning, and academic success. The results of this study will inform future translational EN inquiry as well as educators and school social workers who seek to co-create positive classroom climates using transdisciplinary EN practices.

No description available.

Researchers have been studying school aggression (often termed bullying) for many years, but it was not until the 1980's that the deleterious effects of school aggression became more apparent. Most of the studies on physical and relational aggression focus upon the experiences of children who perpetrate these actions or who are the victims of this form of aggression. However, few studies have investigated how physical and relational aggression is influenced by the teacher and/or specific classroom environments. To date, there is a scarcity of information available regarding teacher characteristics and attitudes within the classroom and how these specific characteristics are associated with physically and relationally aggressive behavior and the overall climate of the classroom. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether teacher positivity is associated with student levels of physically and relationally aggressive behaviors in the classroom. This study specifically examined the relationship between (1) teacher positivity and student physical and relational aggression, (2) the relationship between classroom climate variables and student physical and relational aggression, and (3) differences in school, teacher, student, and classroom variables (teacher and student gender, student grade, and student ethnicity) based on the level of teacher positivity. Data were collected from 502 male (n=259) and female (n=243) 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from two large urban elementary schools within the School District of Philadelphia during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school year. In addition to student participants, the third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers (n=18) also participated as part of the focus of a systematic observation tool developed by the lead researcher. Results from the first research question found no significant correlations between teacher positivity and non-compliant acts, the proportion of physically aggressive students or the proportion of relationally aggressive students. However, the proportion of physically aggressive students was significantly positively correlated with the average number of non-compliant acts (r = .603, p = .008). Results from the second research question found that the average number of non-compliant acts and the proportion of physically aggressive students was higher in classrooms where the minority of students was engaged and interested in the classroom activity. Results from the third research question showed only that there were differences between School 1 (m = 0.49, sd = .09) and School 2 (m = .29, sd = .14; t (16) = 3.56, p = .003) when comparing teacher positivity by school. Teacher, student, and classroom variables did not produce significant findings. Post hoc analyses, looking more specifically at the types of redirection and praise which composed the teacher positivity score, found correlations between the average number of noncompliant acts and universal redirections (r = .795, p = .000), the proportion of physically aggressive students and total teacher redirection (r = .479, p = .036), the proportion of physically aggressive students and specific teacher redirections (r = .540, p = .021), and the proportion of relationally aggressive students and teacher redirections (r = .477, p = .045) that occurred during an interruption. / School Psychology

The aim of this diploma thesis is to introduce the problem of the classroom climate of the first grade at primary school. Classroom climate is a complex phenomenon and process and is subject to many influences, which are described in more detail in the theoretical part of this thesis. According to the literature, a key role is played by the teacher in the formation and influence of classroom climate. The practical part is aimed at the teacher ? it presents the results of interviews conducted with experienced first-grade teachers. The results show how addressed teachers define the concept of classroom climate, how it is diagnosed and further developed. The teachers also described the climate of their current classes and their opinions were compared with the results of a questionnaire that brought the views of the classroom climate through the eyes of pupils. This thesis is a part of GAJU Project 154/2016/S ?Preparedness of students and fresh graduates of PF JCU to solve educational problems of pupils.?