A nationwide survey of South African students currently studying in 52 American colleges and universities was conducted. The purpose of the study was to determine the perception of American classroom climate in universities and colleges by black South African students. The colleges and universities in the sample were randomly selected from a list of institutions that participate in the Institute of International education. Moos's Classroom Environment Scale (CES) was used. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: Form R to assess the actual classroom climate, and Form I to assess the ideal classroom climate. The CES explores nine areas (subscales) which include affiliation, involvement, teacher support, task orientation, competition, order and organization, rule clarity, teacher control, and innovation.
The study is based on a convenience sample of 78 students. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant positive relationship between students' perception of the social climate (as measured by the total score on the CES) and their interaction with their faculty (as measured by the teacher support subscale). It was also hypothesized that there would be a significant positive relationship between teacher support and student involvement (as measured by the involvement subscale) in the classroom. Frequency distributions and non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted since the study was based on a convenience sample. The discrepancy between the actual classroom and the ideal classroom means was calculated.
The overall perception of the social climate of the classroom environments was positive. However, when looking at the various subscales, affiliation was rated negatively. Although the students were satisfied with their classroom climate, their rating for the ideal classroom indicated a need for improvement in all areas with the exception of competition and teacher control, where they desired less. The unsatisfactory rating on the affiliation subscale indicates that South African students need to affiliate more with other students. Their low rating in this subscale suggests feelings of alienation and isolation. It is recommended that the needs of this group of foreign students could be met by improving their social interaction with other students.
