Professor Ding
ENG2150
16 August 2023
A Classroom Environment Can Affect Students Both Negatively And Positively
Through many sources, I studied the question of How does the classroom environment affect students. After reading many articles on the topic, I began to believe that a classroom environment affects students positively or negatively. Random details such as seating arrangements, lighting, temperature, and a teacher’s attitude all had an impact on a student’s learning ability. Not only did the articles that I read strengthen and satisfy my opinion but my personal experience was a big help as well. My old English class was hot, the desks were arranged in boring rows, the lights were always off, and my teacher was not very captivating while teaching a classroom full of teenagers who would rather be doing literally anything else. The class was so difficult for me to learn that I wasn’t even motivated to do the work in the comfort of my own room. Once I realized I could not do the work even at home, I knew there was a big problem and I understood that I could not be the only student going through this problem. In the remainder of this paper, I will be exploring the positive and negative ways that students are affected by a classroom environment.
Firstly, I want to start off by pointing out how the classroom environment positively affects a student. Shayna Rusticas and her colleagues Andreah Mah and Tina Pashootan explained in their article What are the key elements of a positive learning environment? Perspectives from students and faculty. the different classroom circumstances in which a student will feel comfortable and do better academically. For instance, the authors claim that a certain classroom setting can positively impact a student and their learning journey. They state “The small classes created an environment in which students and faculty were able to get to know one another more personally; students felt that they were known as individuals, not just as numbers.” (Rusticas, Mah, Pashootan,2023) As a college student, I highly agree with this point. I have had large classes and small classes and as a result, I have done better in the smaller classes because it is more hands-on and more personal. To continue my stance on how the classroom environment can positively affect a student, I chose to read an article from the Council for Children’s Rights, written by Camara, one of their staff members. The article smoothly explains how a positive school environment can not only positively affect students’ academics but their emotional and spiritual growth as well. In the article, named The Effects of A Positive School Environment, Camara says “Research shows that a positive school climate increases attendance rates and academic achievement, promotes student mental and physical wellbeing and teacher retention, and reduces violence.” (Camara, 2019) Many of my classes in high school fit into that category of a “positive climate” therefore my classmates would never skip class, never have attitudes, and had a healthy and honest relationship with the teacher.
To carry on with my opinion of how a classroom environment can affect students positively and negatively, I want to continue with the more positive effects of the matter. Another article I came across pushes the narrative that the classroom environment is one of the most important factors when it comes to students’ success and learning. Geeta Verma, an educationist, wrote this article named, The Importance of a Positive Learning Environment. Verma goes on to explain exactly why a positive educational environment is essential for students. Geeta Verma states “Simply put, a positive classroom environment is essential as it enables students to be inquirers and explorers and true leaders of their own learning. A positive environment is where children are able to work as a team, celebrate each other’s achievements, and learn from mistakes. It enhances students’ ability to learn and to be productive in the true sense of learning things on their own.” (Verma,2019) Once again, I can relate to this statement because I have lived through it. I had a very hands one social studies class with a great environment and because of that class, I learned from my mistakes and learned how to work with others as well. To finalize the positive aspect of my opinion, I want to share another article that resonates with my beliefs. Jessica Kaminski the author of The Reasons Why Your Child Needs A Positive Learning Environment to Study Well explores more reasons how a classroom environment can affect a student positively. Kaminski says “A child learns to question everything around them in the proper environment, thus developing critical thinking. In this atmosphere, they learn to build conversations around concepts they have learned in class. The confidence kids build makes it easier to understand formulas and ideas.” (Kaminski, 2022) This shows how a stable environment can also help students in the long run, not just while in school.
Throughout this paper, I have touched upon the positive effects of a classroom environment so it is time to shed light on my other opinion on the matter. I want to bring light to how a classroom environment can also have negative effects on students. The next source is from the University at Buffalo. Their beliefs closely align with mine. They believe that when a classroom environment is not up to par or stable, then it leads to negative effects academically, emotionally, and in the future. In the article Learning Environments, Buffalo states “In negative learning environments students may feel uncomfortable, confused, unsupported, and afraid to make mistakes. This environment does not force students to “toughen up” or “put in more effort.” Instead, they are likely to judge the course or themselves negatively and become unmotivated or even quit.” (Buffalo, 2023) The University at Buffalo clearly states the negative impact a classroom environment can have on students. Once again, I can relate to their claims. I, along with some of my classmates from high school always felt unheard, constantly anxious, and confused in our old English class. So, therefore, there was a negative effect based on our unstable or inadequate classroom environment which orients with my point of view.
To dive deeper into the idea that a classroom environment affects students both negatively and positively, I want to shed light on the opposing side. While I focused on the more physical and mental environment of a classroom, others believe that the negative and positive impacts are solely based on the emotional environment of a classroom. For example, Sergiy Movchan wrote an article on the matter called What Makes A Good Learning Environment. While arguing how a good learning environment is solely emotional, he continues by stating “An emotional learning environment should promote positive emotions such as hope or joy while minimizing negative emotions like fear or doubt regarding a student’s ability to learn new material or complete tasks successfully within the classroom setting.” (Movchan, 2023) While this idea might be true, Sergiy Movchan does not take into consideration is that there are other environmental factors that contribute to a positive learning environment. To believe it is just based on emotion is very one-dimensional. As I said earlier, there are other aspects to think about such as the physical environment and a mental “environment” of a classroom.
To continue with my argument, I want to incorporate more of my opinion of why the classroom environment can affect a student either negatively or positively. My personal experience, as mentioned multiple times throughout this piece is an extremely large part of why I have these beliefs. Before even thinking about how a classroom environment would reflect one’s emotions, I used to think about how a store’s environment could negatively or positively affect patrons. For example, my mom loved Burlington so I would always be dragged to go with her. However, I hated the environment of the store. I always immediately felt sad and overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Later, my mom and I figured out that I felt these emotions because the store was constantly dark, dirty, and depending on which location we went to, hot. We then started to compare how we felt in different stores like Target. Target was always bright, air-conditioned, and clean. I felt enthusiastic and easygoing while at Target. I realized emotions like this do not have to only apply to stores. It can apply anywhere but I believe it is most important that it can apply to classrooms. Later on, I decided to apply that to my own experience at school. In one class that was hot and gloomy and on the old side of the school, I did not have a good attitude. I skipped class a few times and was constantly in a bad mood. On the other hand, the classroom that was in the school’s newer wing was bright and cool. I never missed a class nor did I ever feel a sense of sadness because of the atmosphere.
Overall, it can be said that a classroom environment can affect students both negatively and positively. They can get better grades, have better study habits, better attendance, and better discipline. The classroom environment can also make it harder for a student to focus, and to want to come to class. Effects like these can, later on, affect how students are in the real world.
Work Cited
- Kaminski, Jessica.
“The Reasons Why Your Child Needs a Positive Learning Environment to Study Well” Brighterly, 2022 https://brighterly.com/blog/positive-learning-environment/
- Verma, Geeta.
“The Importance of A Positive Learning Environment” LinkedIn, 2019 https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-positive-learning-environment-geeta-verma
- Camara.
“The Effects of a Positive School Environment” Council for Children’s Rights, 2019 https://www.cfcrights.org/the-effects-of-a-positive-school-environment/
- University at Buffalo. “Learning Environments”
Cultivating a positive classroom environment to improve your students’ learning experience, 2023 https://www.buffalo.edu/catt/develop/teach/learning-environments.html#:~:text=In%20negative%20learning%20environments%20students,become%20unmotivated%20or%20even%20quit
- Movchan, Sergiy. “What Makes a Good Learning Environment”
Racoon Gang, 2023 https://raccoongang.com/blog/what-makes-good-learning-environment/
- Rusticus, Shayna A., et al. “What Are the Key Elements of a Positive Learning Environment? Perspectives from Students and Faculty.” Learning Environments Research, vol. 26, no. 1, Apr. 2023, pp. 161–75. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/10.1007/s10984-022-09410-4 .