Exploring the Relationship between Classroom Climate, Reading Motivation, and Achievement: A Look into 7th Grade Classrooms

Winnie Mucherah

Abstract


Research has shown that reading development is impacted by a wide variety of factors, including both those specific to the student, most particularly the motivation to read, as well as external factors such as the climate of the reading classroom.  Although a great deal of work has been done examining relationships among reading motivation, classroom climate and achievement constructs, there is no clear evidence to date regarding the mechanism by which student specific and external factors influence reading skill.  The current study sought to bridge that gap through the use of a moderated mediation model in which the relationships between several aspects of classroom climate and reading achievement were mediated by reading motivation.  In addition, the possibility of student gender moderating this mediation model was also investigated.  Participants included 104 (49 females, 55 males) 7th grade students from a public school. Participants completed the classroom climate and reading motivation questionnaires after taking their standardized test. Results showed that indeed the relationship of classroom climate to reading achievement was mediated by student reading motivation, and certain aspects of this mediated relationship were moderated by gender. More specifically, greater perceived order and organization, teacher support, and affiliation was associated with higher test scores through the reading motivation mediators of aesthetics, challenge, efficacy, and compliance. Implications of the study are discussed.

 


Keywords


classroom climate, reading motivation, achievement, middle school students

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References


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