Assessing students’ perceptions about classroom learning environments: the New What Is Happening In this Class (NWIHIC) instrument

The New What Is Happening In this Class questionnaire (NWIHIC) was constructed based on Moos’s scheme for human environments. The sample consisted of 2280 students from elementary and secondary schools (grades 5–9). The data were analyzed using SPSS26 and AMOS software version 25. Principal components factor analysis with oblique rotation, as well as convergent and discriminant validity analyses, revealed a strong structure of the questionnaire (χ2 = 3104.307; χ2/dƒ = 2.69; RMR = 0.038; RMSEA = 0.027; GFI = 0.947; AGFI = 0.937; NFI = 0.956; TLI = 0.968; IFI = 0.972; CFI = 0.972). As a result, eight factors emerged: student cohesiveness, teacher support, involvement, task orientation, cooperation, equity, differentiated instruction, and ongoing assessment. Moreover, significant gender and grade differences were also found.