An examination of classroom social environment on motivation and engagement of college early entrant Honors students

This study set out to examine the relationships between the classroom social environment, motivation, engagement and achievement of a group of early entrant Honors students at a large urban university. Prior research on the classroom environment, motivation, engagement and high ability students was examined, leading to the assumption that the classroom environment was linked to student achievement. Early entrant students (n=65) were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the classroom environment and their levels of motivation, engagement and achievement. An instructor support for engagement scale (Ryan & Patrick 2001) was used as an indicator of classroom environment. A goal orientation scale measuring mastery orientation, adapted from the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey (PALS; Midgley et al., 1996) was used to measure student motivation and engagement was assessed using the modified task-related interaction subscale Patrick (2007). Student achievement self-reported as grade point average (GPA) was collected. The results of the analysis revealed correlations between the classroom and student experience (r=.32, p>.01) and engagement (r=, .30, p>.05); engagement and motivation were correlated (r= .32, p> .01). None of the variables were correlated with achievement.