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An Investigation into a Link between Classroom Climate and Reading 
Achievement  

 
 

Ria Oktaviani 
An English Teacher of Junior High School Fauziah Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia 

riaoktaviani928@gmail.com 
 

 
Abstract 
This research investigated a link between classroom climate and reading achievement, and 
discovered the influence of the classroom climate and reading achievement of the students at one 
junior high school in Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia. Fifty seven students participated in 
this study and were chosen by using convenience sampling method. In collecting the data, 
Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) and reading test were used. Descriptive 
statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation and regression analysis were employed to analyze 
the data. Based on the data analysis, it was found out that r (.175) <rtable (.260) was higher than 
0.05. It designated that the classroom climate and students’ reading achievement were not 
significantly correlated. Since there was so significant link, it was not necessary to conduct further 
investigation, regression analysis, to check the influence of classroom climate and students’ reading 
achievement. It can be determined that classroom climate did not give substantial influence on  
students’ reading achievement. 
 
Keywords: classroom climate, students’ reading achievement 

 

                 Manuscript submitted:  June 24, 2018 
Manuscript revised: September 3, 2018 

Accepted for publication: September 17, 2018 
 
 
Introduction 

 
Education is essential for the development of society. Abrar, Mukminin, Habibi, Asyrafi, 

Makmur, and Marzulina (2018) state that the 1989 law on the Indonesian educational system gives 
English a place as the first foreign language among other foreign languages used in Indonesia 
such as German, Arabic, or Japanese (as cited in Marzulina., 2018, p.64). There are four English 
language abilities in studying English. The prominent skill to be mastered is reading. It allows 
learners to understand all new things in English written form. Wallace states reading is so much a 
part of daily life for those of us who live in literate communities that much of the time we hardly 
considerate her the purposes or processes involved (as cited in Ariesca & Marzulina, 2016, P.25). 
Mikulecky and Jeffries (1996) state that the students are expected to  master the reading skill to 
develop their knowledge, improve their skill, and increase their involvements. The students can 
increase their abilities and achieve their need for information. 

Ironically, Wasliman (2003) argues reading achievement of Indonesian learners among East 
Asia learners still has to be improved. The International Association for the Evaluation of 
Education Achievement in East Asia reports the reading skill of Indonesian learners is the worst 
in this area. Indonesian learners only understand 30% reading resources. Horsburgh says that the 
skill of reading and an interesting reading can only be developed properly by allowing the reader 
to read and enjoy a number of reading texts (as cited in Saputra& Marzulina, 2015, p.189). The  

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learners discover difficulties in reading substances that need intellectual development. Because of 
the learners’ low reading quality, the Indonesian schools learning process at Indonesian schools 
nowadays do not support the students’ intellectual development. It is also supported by Hidi (as 
cited in Marzulina & Rumainah, 2018, p.55) who argues that interest has an important role in 
reader’s text. 

Besides, according to Kusmana (2009), from the outcomes of the Program for Research 
International Student Assessment, it indicates that the learners' reading interests are bad. 
Indonesian students’ reading interests are the worst compared to countries in East Asia. From 42 
countries surveyed, Indonesian learners are in the 39 position, higher than Albania and Peru. In 
mastering the material from the reading, the learners just understand 30% of the material showed 
in the text. According to Kumaravadivelu (2008), in learning process, there are several features or 
topics that disturb learners’ achievement, including in reading. Abrar, Mukminin, Habibi, Asyrafi, 
Makmur, and Marzulina. (2018) state that “external factors ,such as classroom environment, and 
negative comments from teachers and peers, may hinder the learners from actively engaging” 
(p.131). Based on the previous statement, one of the features that can affect students’ 
achievement is environment which related to the climate. According to Leone (2009), classroom 
climate is the classroom environment connecting public views of the learners and teachers. In 
addition, Fraser (1994) states students will get enhanced and have more knowledge if a positive 
classroom climate is made. It can be said that this thing is one of the most current and dominant 
tools that can be used by the teachers to encourage student in studying process. In short, 
classroom climate is needed to gain comprehension in reading a passage. 

After having an interview to the students at one state junior high school in Palembang, the 
students were having some difficulties in reading comprehension part. Having bad motivation in 
learning English is one of the reasons that influenced the students, especially in reading. I also 
tried to interview the teachers at state junior high school in Palembang. They said that the learners 
did not do the assignment seriously; they do not really care on teacher’s talk. The learners were 
passive in learning English and were not eager to follow the English activities in the class until it 
was done. As stated before, it implied that the learners had bad score of their reading achievement 
from bad classroom classmate. It is in line with what Leone (2009) examines on students’ 
achievement in classroom climate. In learning reading achievement, the learners have individual 
needs, like meaningful interactions with their learning classroom climate. Therefore, it is 
important to investigate a link between students’ reading achievement and classroom climate, and 
to classify how far it influences their reading achievement. 
 
Literature Review  

 
Classroom climate 

According to Cropley (1992), interpersonal condition and emotional condition are two 
conditions that established the climate among students. It generally discusses about classroom 
relationship and classroom cohesion. Classrooms which recommend better opportunities for 
learning and make learners become doing well are characterized by greater cohesion and goal-
direction, lesser extent of disorganization and conflicts. Meantime, Murray (1938) states that 
classroom climate is usually conceptualized as a set of regular entities whose existence and 
dimensionality may be inferred from learners’ and teachers’ thoughts of psychosocial attributes of 
the classroom social system. 
 
Reading achievement 

Cline, Johnson, and King (2006) define three meanings about reading; reading means 
decoding and understanding written passage, reading means decoding and understanding passage 
for exacting reader’s aims and reading is the development of obtaining meaning from text. 

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According to Arifin (1990),“achievement” is an action, an ability, and people manner in resolving 
something. Furthermore, Sukarta (2000) states achievement is an output about attitude, knowledge, 
skill, behavior, and accomplished by learners after following teaching and learning activity during 
certain time. 

In line to reading, achievement in reading is the effect of learners’ perceptive of a passage or 
some passages. If students’ experiences are successful, their requirement for achievement will so be 
reinforced. It also happens in reading. Learners who are successful in reading; the requirement for 
achievement in reading will also be reinforced. 

 
The link between classroom climate and reading achievement 

Classroom climate functions as a fuel to start all actions performed by people, whereas the 
learning achievement is as a motor that plays all actions which depend on the capability of fuel 
itself. Koth (2008) states that morals, collective principles, and dispositions create the links between 
all learners in the school and create suitable behaviors and norms for the learning society. Good 
notice to the classroom climate will influence to the achievement in reading achievement. One of 
the significant abilities that learners must be possessed is reading. Obtaining comprehension about 
the passage that the learners have read is the major aim of reading. Some learners lack of 
vocabulary mastery. Therefore, they are having problem in comprehension a text. Accordingly, for 
getting their success in learning process, the learners should be independent to discover other 
sources to help them. To sum up, classroom climate is important for the students in 
comprehending the reading text. 
 
Methodology 
 
Research design, research site, sampling, and participants 
 

In doing this research, correlational research method was used. In particular, this research 
explored whether or not there was a major link between classroom climate and the learners’ reading 
achievement, and whether learners’ classroom climate influenced their reading achievement. The 
sample of this research was fifty-seven students of state junior high school in Palembang, South 
Sumatera, Indonesia. This research used convenience sampling method.  
 
Data collection 

Ready-made questionnaire, Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), a 
questionnaire which was adapted from Taylor and Fraser (1991) were used in this research. The 
questionnaire had 30 items. These 30 items were divided into five groups of statements. Those 5 
scales involved Personal Relevance (PR), Uncertainty of Science (US), Critical Voice (CV), Shared 
Control (SC), and Student Negotiation (SN). I distributed not only the questionnaire, but also the  
reading test. Allocated the time for learners to answer the test was 50 minutes and the test 
consisted of 42 multiple choice questions. 
 
Data analysis 

First, data from questionnaire were analyzed. The smallest amount score of each item was 1 
and highest score was 5. The smallest sum score of each CLES scale was 5 and the maximum sum 
score was 30, whereas the smallest sum score of all the five scales was 30 and the maximum was 
150. To analyze the frequency and percentage of each perception of classroom, climate outcomes 
were classified. Second, the outcome of students’ reading achievement test was tested manually by 
using scoring system. For correct answer, the score was 100. For incorrect answers, the score was 
0. 

 

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Findings and Discussion 
 
Classroom climate and students’ reading achievement 

The highest score was 138, and the lowest score was 75. Itshowed for the descriptive 
statistical analysis of CLES of the participants. 99.46 was the mean of the classroom climate scores 
for the participant and the standard deviation was 12.093. Then, the descriptive statistical analysis 
for reading achievement represented that the highest score was 95, and the lowest score was 19. 
The mean of the reading achievement scores for the participants was 85.96 and the standard 
deviation was 11.381. This mean score showed that the level of reading achievement of participants 
was good. 
 
The result of normality and linearity test 

Two pre-requisite analyses were done prior to correlation and regression analysis, namely 
linearity and normality test. The data were interpreted normal if p> 0.05. If p< 0.05. Kolmogorov-
Smirnov was conducted to observe the normality. The outcome of normality test is that all data 
from each variable normal and suitable for data analysis with coefficients .873 for classroom 
climate and .008 for reading achievement. For linearity test, deviation of linearity was obtained. If 
probability was not less than .05, the two variables are linear. The results indicated that the 
deviation from linearity between classroom climate and reading achievement was .453. In short,  all 
the data were linear for each correlation and regression. 

 
Link between classroom climate and students ‘reading achievement 

Based on Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, the outcome showed that there 
was no major link between classroom climate and reading achievement. The relationship coefficient 
or the r-obtained (.175) was not higher than r-table (0.2609). Then the level of probability (p) 
significance (sig.2-tailed) was .194. So that p (.194) was not lower than .05. Thus, there was no 
significant relationship between the learners’ classroom climate and reading achievement. 

 
Table 5. Link between classroom climate and reading achievement 
 

  Classroom Climate Reading Achievement 

Classroom Climate 
Pearson 
Correlation 1 .175 

 Sig. (2-tailed)  .194 

 N 57 57 

Reading Achievement 
Pearson 
Correlation .175 1 

 Sig. (2-tailed) .194  

 N 57 57 

 
Since the two variables had no major link, it means that there was no effect in students’ reading 
achievement. As H1 was rejected, it was not necessary to do regression analysis. As a result, to 
reinforce the value of this study, the interpretation was made based on the result of data analysis. 
Based on the findings, there was no link between classroom climate and reading achievement of 
students at one state junior high school in Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia. It occured 
because classroom climate was not the only thing that affects reading achievement. I thought that 

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there were some elements affecting students’ reading achievement. Geske and Ozola (2008) state 
there are some elements that persuade learners’ reading achievement; such as: social-economic 
factors of student’s family, collaboration of a student and his/her family, student’s reading out of 
school and student’s reading at school. The main factor found in this research was learner’s reading 
out of school, so, in this research, the classroom climate was not the main factor. It was also 
supported by the interview I hold to students. I found most of the students did not like reading out 
of school. Some of them even said that they did not ever read the book, magazine, newspaper out 
of the school. In addition, there was no major influence of classroom climate on reading 
achievement of the students at one state junior high school in Palembang, South Sumatera, 
Indonesia. 
 
Conclusions 

Based on the findings and interpretations presented above, it can be said that classroom 
climate and reading achievement had no link. The finding indicated that the null hypothesis (Ho) 
was fulfilled and the alternative hypothesis (H1) was not accepted. The result also indicated that 
classroom climate did not help the learners’ reading achievement.  
 
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