Teachers as Architects of Conducive Classroom Environments: Perspectives of Selected Teachers in Western Rwanda

This study explored teachers’ perspectives on their roles in creating conducive classroom environments in Western Rwanda to add to existing studies which paid limited attention to teachers’ perspectives. A conducive classroom environment is essential for promoting learner participation, engagement, emotional safety, and meaningful learning. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the study employed a qualitative approach and involved ten purposively selected teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and later analysed thematically. The findings revealed three main themes. First, teachers understood a conducive classroom environment primarily as a product of positive pedagogical relationships characterised by respect, trust, friendliness, and supportive interactions. Second, teachers perceived themselves as central actors in shaping the emotional and social atmosphere of the classroom through positive communication, patience, and effective management of personal emotions. Third, participants emphasised that conducive classroom environments also depend on institutional support, particularly school leadership and the availability of adequate teaching and learning resources. The findings demonstrate that classroom environments are shaped through interactions between teachers, learners, and wider school conditions. The study concludes that teachers are important architects of conducive classroom environments, although their efforts require supportive institutional conditions. The study recommends strengthening positive pedagogical relationships, professional teaching support, and school-level provision of necessary resources.