Classroom environment and its effect on student achievement in a 3rd grade mathematics classroom: An autoethnographic study.

Student achievement in mathematics is a concern of policy-makers as well as those who teach the subject. Due to concern regarding lagging mathematical achievement in the United States that began with a series of events that include the launch of Sputnik in the 1950s, the federal report A Nation At Risk, and the Third International Mathematics and Science Study have sparked a fervent desire for school children to succeed and compete mathematically with our global neighbors. Although policy-makers are striving to improve educational practices of mathematics by formulating curriculum plans to foster mathematical achievement and a joy of mathematics, one element has been given little consideration, though it plays a significant role in accomplishing these goals and that is the classroom environment. First, to create a classroom environment that promotes student achievement, it is necessary to understand the social and educational milieu. To document the events of this study, I utilized an autoethnographic approach to social research through self-reflection. The students that I observed made strides in mathematics and developed positive affect for mathematics. The results of this study concluded that the classroom environment created through the interpersonal relationships between a teacher and students plays a significant role in her students’ achievement in mathematics.