An investigation into the link between classroom environment and student behavior

Student behavioral problems have become more complicated in recent years. We should ask again the most common and fundamental question, "How to help pupils with problems?". A large body of research indicating that students' academic achievement and behavior are significantly affected by students' feeling about themselves and their environment , which indicate that if teachers wish to work with students who behave positively, teachers must create environments that meet students' personal and academic needs. The present study was carried out in a case study school in Hong Kong, it attempted to examine the · nature and extent of students' behavior and students' perception of their classroom environment, and to see that if there is any relation between classroom environment and student behavior. The acquired information and knowledge about the problem are essential for the development of effective measures on the handling of student behavior in school. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire which was developed by the researcher, it was piloted in the case study school and the modified version of the questionnaire was administered to a sample of 209 students which was about one-fifth of the students, they were all taught by the researcher. The main purpose of this study was to investigate into the link between classroom environment and student behavior. The classroom environment was focused on the psychosocial dimensions, which were student teacher relationship, pleasantness in class, teacher support, teacher attitude towards student academic progress, teachers' reward oriented behavior and teachers' charity of expectation. Whilst student behavior was classified into conforming, socially acceptable behavior, self-controlled behavior and responsible behavior. The significant level used in this study was 0.01. Findings indicated that classroom environment was positively related to student behavior, and each dimension of the classroom environment was also positively related to each dimension of student behavior. Additionally, students' perceptions on their classroom environment were compared between different sex and different groups, but no significant relationship could be found; when students' perception on their behavior were compared between different sex and different groups, there was a significant difference between male and female students, but no significant difference could be found between different groups