Making Sense of Consensus: Disagreement in Student Survey Reports Can Help Identify Instructional Microclimates within Classrooms

Purpose: Educators increasingly rely on student survey data to assess classroom climate and implementation of ambitious new teaching standards. Aggregates of student survey reports have face validity as indicators of typical student experiences and can reliably distinguish among classrooms and predict valued student outcomes. Investigating within-classroom variation in addition to classroom aggregates can provide important context for interpreting classroom climate data, helping identify differential instructional experiences and perceptions of instruction among different groups and potential issues impeding high-quality learning opportunities for all students. We investigate whether consensus in student survey reports can offer additional evidence to help identify instructional microclimates in science classrooms. Methods: We use a mixed-methods approach combining multilevel regression models with embedded case studies to qualitatively illuminate patterns of within-classroom consensus. Findings: We find relatively low consensus among students on all aspects of classroom climate but not systematic differences in perception based on race, gender, or English learner or socioeconomic status. Holding average climate ratings constant, we found limited evidence that greater consensus was positively associated with observation scores. Our embedded case studies suggest that students in high-consensus classrooms had more opportunities to collaborate and interact, and more formalized opportunities for participation than in low-consensus classrooms. Finally, we find that consensus around classroom climate is not related to student academic outcomes but is positively associated with student growth mindset. Implications: Our findings illustrate potential new ways in which data from student classroom surveys can be used to inform instructional improvement efforts.