Examining the Relationship between Classroom Environment and Student

Motivation at Saver’s Technological College of Davao, Inc.

An Undergraduate Research Paper

Presented to the Faculty of Saver’s Technological
College of Davao, Inc.
Digos City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

Practical Research II

by:

Princess Lica B. Felicia

Leocelle Mae S. Regidor
Junrick A. Ulan-ulan
Christian Kier F. Allego

November, 2024
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A positive and supportive classroom atmosphere, characterized by clear

expectations, engaging teaching methods, and supportive relationships between

teachers and students, has been consistently linked to higher levels of student

motivation. When students feel valued and respected within their learning

environment, they tend to exhibit greater enthusiasm for learning, increased

persistence in academic tasks, and higher levels of intrinsic motivation.

Conversely, negative aspects of the classroom environment, such as lack of

teacher support, unclear expectations, or disruptive peer interactions, can

significantly diminish student motivation. Studies indicate that environments

perceived as stressful or unsupportive can lead to reduced engagement,

decreased academic performance, and higher levels of disengagement among

secondary school students. Effective classroom management strategies, including

promoting a sense of belonging and autonomy, fostering positive teacher-student

relationships, and creating opportunities for student collaboration and decision-

making, are crucial in cultivating a motivating learning environment that supports

academic success and overall well-being in secondary education (Al-Husban, A.,

and Alshoubaki, W. H. (2020).

In the Philippines today's education system, it is still a constant challenge

to encourage students to participate in the classroom. Recent studies have shown

that there is a decrease in students' motivation, and this can lead to reduced
participation in classroom activities, which could affect their learning outcomes.

Motivation is a multidisciplinary concept that includes students' thoughts,

emotions, and actions, which influence their approach to assignments, emotional

management, and participation in the classroom (Ryan & Deci, 2017).

The study on student engagement, academic motivation, and school

climate influenced by academic self-efficacy is conducted in a foreign setting. No

study had been conducted exploring the relationship of the abovementioned

variables in the Davao Region, explicitly exploring student engagement, academic

motivation, and school climate as influenced by academic self-efficacy. Hence, on

this premise, the researcher wishes to discover the rationale behind these

problems that may contribute to planning effective programs that will help the

teachers develop more effective strategies and approaches in school and guide

the students toward their accountability, confidence, and success. One way to

develop self-efficacy for struggling students is through the school’s climate.

School connection and academic self-efficacy attitudes positively and significantly

affect academic achievement. If they feel connected to school and secure in their

abilities, both male and female high school learners succeed (Zeinalipour (2022).

Effective metacognitive learning techniques help students organize their studies

better, track and evaluate their learning and knowledge, take responsibility, find

and solve problems, and work hard to learn deeply. Students’ sense of self-

efficacy can be hurt by stressful and competitive environments. For this reason,

teachers in medical schools should try to create supportive and calm learning

environments, give students appropriate and positive feedback, create interactive

classrooms, and encourage students to work together rather than compete with

each other in class discussions (Hayat et al., 2020).

Furthermore, a positive and supportive classroom environment, which

promotes clear expectations, teacher-student relationships, and independence

students have in the classroom, plays a vital role in fostering student motivation

and engagement. This is particularly crucial in the context of the Philippines,

where declining motivation can negatively impact participation and learning

outcomes. The importance of academic self-efficacy, as influenced by school

climate, has been highlighted in various studies, underscoring the need for

strategies that enhance students’ confidence, accountability, and success. As no

prior research has explored the relationship between student engagement,

academic motivation, school climate, and academic self-efficacy in the Davao

Region, this study aims to address this gap, providing valuable insights for

developing effective teaching methods and programs to support students'

academic growth and overall well-being.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aimed to determine a significant relationship between classroom

engagement and student motivation at Saver’s Technological College of Davao

Inc.

Especially it sought to answer the following questions:

1. The level of the classroom environment at Saver’s Technological College of

Davao, Inc. in terms of:

1.1 Physical Environment;

1.2 Social and Emotional Environment; and

1.3 Organizational Environment

2. The level of student motivation at Saver’s Technological College of Davao, Inc.

in terms of:

2.1 Learning Environment;

2.2 Teaching Methods; and

2.3 Class and Curriculum Structure

3. Is there significant relationship between independent variables and dependent

variables.

HYPOTHESIS

The following hypothesis were tested at level of significance:

Ha1: There is no significant relationship between classroom environment and

classroom motivation at Saver’s Technological College of Davao, In

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This section contains various related literature to understand the content of

this study. The literature review is divided into parts, part one present the literature

regarding the independent variable, Classroom Environment, which is includes

three factors: Physical environment, Social and Emotional environment, and

Organizational environment. The second part, fucoses on the dependent variable,

Student Motivation, which encompasses three factors: Learning environment,

Teaching Methods, and Class and Curriculum Structure.

Classroom Environment

Class environment refers to utilization of available physical, instructional

facilities and maintenance of discipline in classroom for effective teaching and

better students’ learning (Williams, 2016). It is an amalgamation of internal and

external factors like curriculum, methods of teaching, teachers’ behavior and

interaction with students, learning atmosphere, academic and social environment

and support services used in classroom for teaching and learning process.

Physical Environment the physical space of an environment includes the

land, air, water, organic life, man-made buildings, and the natural infrastructure of

an area. Students spend a significant amount of time in classrooms, yet students

dread going to class. Students reported being bored and tired, experiencing

feelings of anxiety and stress, not considering it a fun space, and more when

asked to describe their environment (Perks et al., 2016). Classroom spaces

should create comfortable, calm, productive, and inviting learning spaces. If the
classroom is not set for a conducive learning environment, then it hinders the

students to succeed to the best of their ability (Perks et al., 2016).

Social and Emotional Environment is vital for students because it teaches

them crucial life skills, including the ability to understand themselves, develop a

positive self-image, take responsibility for their actions, and forge relationships

with the people around them. The school’s role in the development and nurturing

of important life skills, such as social-emotional skills, has evolved over time.

Schools have been increasingly seen as another parent of sort for children, often

providing physical and mental first aid services (e.g., nutrition, attire) in addition to

the academic achievement that has been intensely focused on (Wood &

Brownhill, 2018).

Organizational Environment is a quality of the organization’s internal

environment experienced by its members, influencing their behavior, and can be

described by the values of the characteristics of the organization. Organizational

climate assessment can be done by extracting data from the perceptions of

individuals in the organization. Owens and Valesky (2015) state that

organizational climate is the study of perceptions that individuals have of various

aspects of the environment in the organization.

Student Motivation

Motivation in the classroom is the willingness and desire of a student to

learn. Motivation can be measured by four indices: choice, effort, persistence, and

level of achievement. The higher these indicators are, the higher a student's

motivation. Providing feedback enables students to gain control over their own

learning and a sense of belief about their abilities (Ferlazzo, 2015). Teachers who
provide feedback to students about their efforts give them the idea that through

hard work, they can achieve tasks and do well (Ferlazzo, 2015)

Learning Environment school environment or school climate is another

factor that affects motivation in education. School environment refers to different

norms and regulations that determine the overall climate in the school. According

to Hwang and Fu (2020), a smart learning environment is regarded as a learning

system for facilitating efficient personalized learning. Adaptive learning provides

technical and methodological support for personalized learning. Personalized

adaptive learning makes adaptive adjustments according to the individual

characteristics of learners to promote the individualized development of students

Teaching Methods students are more likely to retain their motivation in

education if educators use different teaching methods. That creates diversity and

prevents students from getting bored. Giving room for certain choices such as

which partner they’d like to work with can be beneficial too. Students in a single

class are likely to have different styles of learning. The methods of teaching

provide the ability to carry the lesson through implementation and execution in the

various domains of learning especially on the motivation process of the learners

to satisfy students’ worth, acceptance, values, preference, beliefs and

commitment, and in coordination of their information, ability, and academic

performance. This acquires knowledge and skills in the different situations of

learning in the new normal that will provide better learning process and output,

Mallillin, (2020)

Class and Curriculum Structure children thrive when there is structure and

struggle when there is chaos. When students sense or see that classes follow a
structure, and the curriculum and class materials have been prepared

beforehand, it provides them with a greater sense of security. The feeling of

security is one of our basic needs. When that’s provided in a learning

environment, it allows students to fully focus on the learning material. Curriculum

and instruction must focus on teaching techniques that employ best practices and

emphasize a broad swath of knowledge and skills reflecting the diverse cultural

backgrounds of students (Hoffmann, 2017).

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theoretical framework to be used will be as follows: Classroom Environment

and Student Motivation Theory.

Public-health interventions informed by theory can be more effective but

complex interventions often use insufficiently complex theories. We systematically

reviewed theories of how school environments influence health. We included 37

reports drawing on 24 theories. Using systematic reviews to develop theories of

change might be useful for other types of ‘complex’ public-health interventions

addressing risks at the individual and community levels (Bonell C., Fletcher A., et

al (2023). Guney A., Sensoy S., (2012) There have been only just a few studies

about how physical environment is related to learning process. Many researchers

generally consider teaching and learning issues as if independent from physical

environment, whereas physical conditions play an important role in gaining

knowledge; in learning. Schools' applications of learning theories had better

determine morphological characteristics of them. (Guney A., Sensoy S., (2012).

 A brief introduction, five reports, books, and articles that examine the

issues of engendering, maintaining, or regaining student motivation are

summarized. While some offer specific strategies that can be used at the

classroom level, others address issues beyond the classroom, recognizing that

schoolwide policies and practices can also stimulate or fill students' hunger for

learning. James P. Raffini challenges educators to examine the "win/lose"

mentality present in many schools. He offers suggestions for structural change

and class strategies designed to boost student motivation. Noting that "the

classroom is not an island" Martin L. Maehr and Carol Midgley focus on

schoolwide policies, practices, and procedures that have an impact on student

motivation. They suggest a process through which school leaders can begin to

move the school away from an emphasis on relative ability and toward an

emphasis on "learning, task mastery, and effort." Carole A. Ames focuses on how

motivational concepts and processes can be applied to everyday problems and

decisions facing teachers. Jere Brophy gives examples of four categories of

motivational strategies teachers can use to stimulate interests in learning. They

are: first, maintain students' expectations of success; second, supply extrinsic

motivation; third, capitalize on existing intrinsic motivation; and forth, stimulate

student motivation to learn (Lumsder S., (1994). Achievement motivation is not a

single construct but rather subsumes a variety of different constructs like ability

self-concepts, task values, goals, and achievement motives. The few existing

studies that investigated diverse motivational constructs as predictors of school

students’ academic achievement above and beyond students’ cognitive abilities

and prior achievement showed that most motivational constructs predicted

academic achievement beyond intelligence and that students’ ability self-concepts

and task values are more powerful in predicting their achievement than goals and

achievement motives (Steinmayr R., Weidinger A., et al (2019).

Figure 1. shows the conceptual figure of this study, refers to the support

provided by educators to help students bridge this gap and achieve higher levels

of understanding and competence. To create an engaging classroom

environment, educators can implement various strategies aligned with Vygotsky’s.

Student-centered learning, collaborative group activities, and hands-on projects

encourage social interaction and facilitate knowledge construction. Teachers can

act as cognitive apprentices, guiding students through challenging tasks and

encouraging active participation (Sahoriar, 2024)

 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

IV DV

Classroom Environment Student Motivition

Figure 1: The schematic diagram showing the variables of the study

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

This study focuses on Saver’s Technological College of Davao, Inc., to

explore the specific challenges and dynamics that influence student engagement

and motivation in the classroom. By concentrating on this particular institution, the

research aims to uncover the unique factors affecting these elements, drawing on

both behavioral and cognitive perspectives.

However, several drawbacks could impact the study’s effectiveness. One

concern is the potential for undue treatment by teachers, which may negatively

affect student motivation and participation. Additionally, student burnout and

stress could further hinder engagement and lessen the effectiveness of

motivational strategies.

Teacher competency is another critical factor; a lack of subject matter

expertise can undermine teachers' credibility, while biased or culturally insensitive

teaching practices may alienate students. From the students’ side, diverse

learning needs and capabilities pose challenges to providing inclusive instruction.

Communication barriers, such as language differences, and varied learning

preferences could also complicate teaching methods, necessitating greater

flexibility.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The result of this study will benefit the following:

Students. This study will help the students to attend their class regularly since this

will provide information about the benefits that they can acquire in attending

school. This student would be able to go to school on time. They would become

more responsible.

Teachers. They could help each other in implementing plans in helping the

students to attend the school and will be equipped with scientific research thus

they can treat this problem objectively.

Parents and Guardians. Parents and Guardians could encourage, the children to

go to school, it is also to know how their children behave at school, likewise, this

would give them the opportunity to help. Guide their children in leading with

problems that may affect performance especially with regards to their academics.

Future Researcher. The conducted studies will further open doors for future

researchers to refine and expand studies in relation to cutting classes. This may

serve as a source of information about what provokes students to cut class on an

individual’s academic perform.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

CLASSROOM EVIRONMENT. refers to student willingness to participate in and

be successful in their learning process

STUDENT MOTIVATION. Motivation is one of the dominant reason that

encourage people to be constantly interested to put effort in a specific given task

to attain a goal successfully something that teachers strive for in their classrooms,

but it’s a term that isn’t always easy to define.

CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT. the level of interest, attention, and participation

show in the classroom.

SELF-EFFICACY. is a person's belief in their ability to perform actions that lead to

specific outcomes. It's a judgment of one's capabilities, not an actual measure of

performance.

INSTRINSIC MOTIVATION. a term used to describe the incentive we feel to

complete a task simply because we find it interesting or enjoyable.

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION. what we feel when we complete a task for some

external reward. In short, intrinsic motivation allows us to perform at our very best.

SCHOOL-WIDE POLICIES. formal guidelines that regulate the behavior of

students and staff at a school. These policies can cover a range of topics,

including discipline, safety, and the use of technology.

BROAD SWATH. a long, wide strip or belt of something. For example, you might

describe a large area of land or a wide range of public opinion as a broad swath.

METACOGNITIVE. the act of thinking about one's own thought processes. It

involves being aware of how one's mind works to make sense of the world.

ENTHUSIASM. a feeling of strong interest, excitement, or approval for something.

It can also refer to the quality of being able to bring excitement to a situation
 CHAPTER 2

METHODOLOGY

Presented in this chapter two are the research design, the research

participants, the research instrument, the data gathering procedure, the data

analysis, and the ethical considerations.

RESEARCH DESIGN

The study’s design was quantitative, descriptive and inferential. This study

utilize a quantitative, correlational study design, where student perceptions of their

classroom environment are correlated with their self-reported levels of

motivation; this approach could be particularly useful in examining the impact of

specific environmental factors like teacher support, student autonomy, and

classroom climate on student motivation levels, R. Ames (2015). The independent

variable in this research study was the variety of flexible seating options, and the

dependent variables were student learning, motivation, and behavior. The design

of this current research study was descriptive type in nature, so survey method
was applied to answer research questions for achieving study objectives. It is the

most suitable method used in social research studies for properly elaboration of

characteristics and variation of population which helps to describe samples as per

demands of the study for further description of educational phenomenal (Leob et

al., 2017).

Since the purpose of this research is to determine the variables that affect

the student motivation, it examines and analyses the studies that influence

student motivation. According to Seeram (2019), correlational research can

uncover interacting variables and the type of interaction occurring, allowing the

researchers to make predictions based on the discovered relationships.

RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

Participants were selected from Saver's College. The study included 12th-grade

and 11th-grade students from HUMSS, ABM, GAS, SMAW, ATS, CSS, EIM

strands, and Tesda Department.

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

The researchers modified the survey questionnaire developed by Tapia-Fonllem

et al. (2020) to measure the level of school environment. The School Environment

Questionnaire consists of 30-item that was categorized into three sub-variables:

physical, academic, and social, each of the category has eight items on a 5-point

Likert scale. This instrument was pilot tested with Cronbach’s Alpha value of

which implies that it is reliable. On the other hand, to determine the level of

student motivation, this study adopted the 30-item. As a whole, the adapted

questionnaire was composed of 60 questions. Student motivation in School

questionnaire which was categorized into three sub-variables: affective(9-item),

behavioral(12-item), and cognitive(12-item) on a 5-point likert scale.

RESEACRH MATERIALS

In the experimental classroom, a variety of flexible seating was made

available open classroom design; student seating is not fixed, and there are no

stationary tables or work spaces. These features afforded the classroom space to

be adapted to support different instructional strategies. Participants reported the

flexibility of the design affords for students and instructors to move around the

classroom enabling social interaction and collaboration. Students felt that the

classroom design “erased the line” between instructors and students which

encouraged interaction and led students to feel closer personal connections with

their instructor and their peers, creating a sense of community and enhancing

student engagement.
 To interpret the level of attendance rate, are the following scale:

NUMERICAL RANGE OF VERBAL DESCRIPTIVE

SCALE MEANS DESCRIPTION MEANING

5 4.20 – 5.00 Strongly Agree It indicates that

the student always
feel safe, respect and
engage their learning
spaces.
4 3.40 – 4.19 Agree It indicates that
the student frequently
makes an effort to
engage with the school
spaces.
3 3.60 – 3.39 Fair It indicates that
the student show
moderate interest and
effort.
2 1.80 – 2.59 Disagree It indicates that the
student demonstrate
some interest but
lack persistence and
engagement.
1 1.00 – 1.79 Strongly Disagree It indicates that the
student show little
interest and unorga-
nized environment
that hinders learning.
Data Gathering Procedure

In asking permission to conduct the study, a permission letter was sent to

the Saver’s Technological College of Davao. The following steps were done by

the researchers in gathering the data:

Permission and Ethical Clearance. Obtaining permission for student

research projects in schools is a complex process that involves of approval and

ethical research standard. By adhering to school administrator requirements.

Data Validation.

Collation and Processing of Data. After retrieval of the survey

questionnaires, data were arranged for easy statistical processing to answer the

questions made by the researchers in the study.

Interpretation and Analysis of Data. When the data gathered through the

survey questionnaire were organized and processed statistically, the said data

was analyzed and interpreted to answer the problem in the study.

Statistical Treatment of Data

To obtain a result that is valid and reliable, the following statistical

treatment tools were used. All interpretation is based on the 0.05 level of

significance. The statistical tools employed in this study are the following:

Mean: To describe the used combination of observational methods of

classroom environment and student motivation of the participants.

 Pearson’s r: To determine the strength and significance relationship

between Classroom environment and Student motivation .

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