Open Classroom Climate in International Large-Scale Assessments: Individual Construct or Climate Construct?

This study examines the conceptualization and operationalization of the open classroom climate construct in existing empirical works. Open classroom climate is a classroom environment where adolescents can freely discuss political issues and express their opinions. The study reviewed 45 secondary data analysis articles that examined the open classroom climate construct from the Civic Education Study and the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study, the major international large-scale assessments. This review identified inconsistencies in how these studies define and analyze the open classroom climate construct. These inconsistencies arise from the different interpretations of the construct whether as an individual construct that reflects students’ distinctive perceptions or as a climate construct that represents a collective classroom experience. Due to varied conceptualizations, researchers employed different operationalization approaches, each incorporating distinct statistical methods. It led to varied results and impeded the development of a unified understanding of the concept. Our study emphasizes the necessity for a clear and consistent conceptualization of the open classroom climate construct for future works. It implores researchers to deliberate on the construct’s nature, endorsing a proper operationalization to understand open classroom climate aptly.