LAUSR

BACKGROUND As a versatile and dynamic process, classroom climate directly affects the learning levels of students and their quality of life while in school. OBJECTIVES The study was conducted to explore and compare nursing students' perceptions of classroom climate throughout four years of university education and to evaluate the influencing factors. DESIGN AND SETTINGS The longitudinal study was conducted between 2017 and 2020 in the nursing department of a university in Turkey. PARTICIPANTS The study was carried out with 134 nursing students who enrolled in their first year and agreed to participate in the study. METHODS The data were collected at the end of the fall semester of each of the four years using the Student Information Form and the Classroom Climate Inventory. RESULTS The mean score of students' perceptions of classroom climate was 2.88 ± 0.83 for all academic years. The classroom climate inventory mean scores of fourth-year students were statistically significantly higher than their scores in the first and third years (p = 0.000). The students' classroom climate levels were statistically significantly affected by the positive classroom communication among students in all academic years in a positive direction. Statistically significant effective factors in students' classroom climate perceptions by year were as follows: the sense of belongingness to the class in the second and third years (although significantly lower in the first year), socio-cultural activities organized at school the second and fourth years (p < 0.05), instructors' attitudes supporting classroom communication in the first year, and opportunities supporting communication in the school environment in the fourth year (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Students' perception of the classroom climate was moderate overall and affected by positive classroom communication among students in all academic years. School administrators and educators can develop strategies and organize activities to increase positive communication in the classroom.