Measurement of Student Experiences for Supportive Classroom Environment
Scope
The following are questions taken from survey instruments used in research studies on belonging in the classroom to assess the degree of classroom support. These questions have been organized into five domains. Review the domains and questions and reflect on the areas of your course where you would like to collect more data. While these questions come from validated instruments, the intent of providing them here is to support course improvement, not to facilitate formal research but to help provide information to aid in assessing how your course supports all students. Instructors will typically select several elements from this list to measure during a semester.
Create a copy of a Google Forms survey you can customize for your students.
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Classroom Management
The elements found here relate to how an instructor can structure and administer a course to build a more supportive classroom environment. They are organized using the following categories:
- Context-creating practices — Practices that establish a supportive course setting.
- Communication practices — Supportive communication practices.
- Community-building practices — Practices that promote connection and caring.
- Design practices — Practices that lead to support instructional materials.
| Context-created practices | |
|---|---|
| The instructor allows students to do make-up work. | |
| The instructor accepts legitimate excuses for missed work. | |
| The instructor does not lose their temper with students. | |
| The instructor arrives to class on time. | |
| The instructor ends class on time. | |
| The instructor leaves time for questions and comments. | |
| The instructor prepares interesting class activities. | |
| Communication practices | |
| Tests and papers are graded and returned promptly. | |
| The instructor provides constructive feedback. | |
| The instructor is competent with technology used in teaching. | |
| Community-building practices | |
| The instructor establishes clear course rules. | |
| The instructor establishes a climate conducive to learning. | |
| Design practices | |
| The instructor gives good (and diverse) examples. | |
| The instructor prepares interesting class activities. | |
Teaching Techniques
The elements here relate to how an instructor can present content to build a more supportive classroom. They are organized using the following categories:
- Coherence practices — Classroom practices that make instruction more transparent for students.
- Content-creating practices — Practices that make content more accessible for students.
- Feedback practices — Classroom practices that provide students and the instructor with information about student learning and experience.
| Coherence practices | |
|---|---|
| The instructor maintains class order. | |
| The instructor follows the syllabus. | |
| The instructor brings the necessary materials to class. | |
| The instructor provides an outline for class discussions. | |
| The instructor covers materials to be tested. | |
| The instructor writes fair and relevant test questions. | |
| The instructor follows an outline closely. | |
| Content-creating practices | |
| The instructor takes time for difficult concepts. | |
| The instructor gives good examples of concepts. | |
| The instructor goes into too much detail. | |
| The instructor is helpful when I’m confused. | |
| The instructor makes difficult assignments. | |
| The instructor uses technology to support/enhance lectures. | |
| The instructor uses interesting and relevant examples. | |
| The instructor is knowledgeable about the course content. | |
| The instructor does not read straight from notes or books. | |
| The instructor relates topics to current situations. | |
| The instructor is helpful when I am confused. | |
| The instructor asks challenging questions in class. | |
| The instructor asks thoughtful questions. | |
| The instructor presents relevant materials in class. | |
| The instructor has realistic expectations of/for students. | |
| Feedback practices | |
| The instructor experiments with teaching methods. | |
| The instructor asks questions when students make comments. | |
| The instructor easily answers student questions. | |
Interpersonal Interactions
The elements found here relate to how instructors interact with students to build a more supportive classroom. They are organized using the following categories:
- Instructor identity practices — Practices that identify an instructor as a supportive teacher.
- Recognition practices — Practices that signal that students matter.
- Student interaction practices — Classroom practices that promote supportive instructor-student interactions.
| Instructor identity practices | |
|---|---|
| The instructor is knowledgeable in many areas. | |
| The instructor is enthusiastic about teaching. | |
| The instructor accepts criticism from others. | |
| The instructor is a good listener. | |
| The instructor admits mistakes. | |
| The instructor seems knowledgeable in many areas. | |
| The instructor smiles. | |
| The instructor speaks in a loud, clear, strong, voice. | |
| The instructor makes eye contact with students. | |
| The instructor is friendly. | |
| The instructor is enthusiastic. | |
| Recognition practices | |
| The instructor responds respectfully to student comments. | |
| The instructor pays attention when students state opinions. | |
| The instructor doesn’t take credit for others’ success. | |
| The instructor shows respect for students. | |
| The instructor greets students as they come in the room. | |
| Student interaction practices | |
| The instructor encourages students to ask questions. | |
| The instructor encourages students to share viewpoints. | |
| The instructor displays openness to other ideas/viewpoints. | |
| The instructor does not interrupt students when they speak. | |
| The instructor checks for comprehension before moving on. | |
| The instructor repeats information if necessary. | |
| The instructor initiates conversations with students. | |
Community
This category measures students' perception of the qualities of the classroom community.
| Community practices | |
|---|---|
| I feel students in the class care about each other. | |
| I feel connected to others in this course. | |
| I do not feel a spirit of community. | |
| I feel this course is like a family. | |
| I feel isolated in this course. | |
| I trust others in this course. | |
| I feel that members of the course depend on me. | |
| I can rely on others in this course. | |
| I feel uncertain about others in this course. | |
| I feel confident that others will support me. | |
| I feel encouraged to ask questions. | |
| I receive timely feedback. | |
| I feel uneasy exposing gaps in my understanding. | |
| I am reluctant to speak openly. | |
| I feel this course results in only modest learning. | |
| I feel other students do not help me learn. | |
Agency
The category measures students' perception of students’ voluntary actions in the classroom.
| Agency practices | |
|---|---|
| Students discuss one another’s ideas. | |
| Students feel free to disagree with the instructor. | |
| Students volunteer their own opinions. | |