Student personal perception of classroom climate: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of an instrument developed to assess elementary students' individual perceptions of their classroom environments. The Student Personal Perception of Classroom Climate (SPPCC) originally consisted of six subscales adapted from previously published scales. Exploratory factor analysis identified the underlying dimensions of the SPPCC. The authors subsequently tested the four-factor model against the six-factor model using confirmatory factor analyses with an independent sample of students. The four-factor model appeared to be a more tenable solution because of its equally adequate fit indexes, parsimony, exploratory factor analytic support, and the high correlations between some factors. Future research and potential limitations of the study are discussed. © The Author(s) 2010.