Classroom Emotional Climate, Student Engagement, and Academic Achievement

The emotional connections students foster in their classrooms are likely to impact their success in school. Using a multimethod, multilevel approach, this study examined the link between classroom emotional climate and academic achievement, including the role of student engagement as a mediator. Data were collected from 63 fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms (N = 1,399 students) and included classroom observations, student reports, and report card grades. As predicted, multilevel mediation analyses showed that the positive relationship between classroom emotional climate and grades was mediated by engagement, while controlling for teacher characteristics and observations of both the organizational and instructional climates of the classrooms. Effects were robust across grade level and student gender. The discussion highlights the role of classroom-based, emotion-related interactions to promote academic achievement.