Abstract

While the college classroom has been researched, its climate has received little attention in research. This study analyzes the climate of the classroom using 189 syllabi from various sociology courses. Drawing from data collected by Grauerholz and Gibson (2006) and syllabi from the Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology (TRAILS), the current study compares college classroom syllabi from two different times periods (pre-2005 and post- 2010) to analyze the frequency of classroom climate statements, the variables that may contribute to the presence of a statement, and common language/themes existent in syllabi that did contain a statement. Results showed a large increase in climate statements between the two time periods. The findings also indicated that compared to post-2010 syllabi, those with climate statements from the pre-2005 sample were more likely to also include a statement showing a sense of collaboration among students. The themes and language used in the statements were very similar, however syllabi after 2010 placed a stronger emphasis on behavioral expectations and contained punitive language. Since syllabi are available the very first day of class, these findings suggest that more instructors believe addressing behavioral expectations and shaping the dynamic of the classroom is important.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2017

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Grauerholz, Liz

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Sociology

Degree Program

Applied Sociology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006814

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006814

Language

English

Release Date

August 2017

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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Sociology Commons

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