Improving School Climate Research Articles

Responsibility as a predictor of climate and school violence through autonomous motivation in Physical Education classes: Differences based on sex and educational stage

The purpose of this study was to analyse the predictive power of responsibility on the index of psychological mediators, this on the autonomous motivation, and this on the school climate and the perception of school violence through the Self-Determination Theory. A second objective was to verify the possible differences that may exist according to gender and educational stage. To this end, data were collected by means of self-reported questionnaires in different Secondary and Primary Education centres in Physical Education classes, with a sample of 1007 students from Primary (n = 294), Secondary (n = 601) and Baccalaureate and training cycles (n = 112), with a mean age of M = 13.30 (SD = 2.86). Of the participants, 53.6% were girls (n = 540) and 46.4% boys (n = 467). The data were analysed with IBM SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 23.0 software, using structural equation analysis. The results verified the predictive ability of accountability on the index of psychological mediators, autonomous motivation and on school climate and perception of school violence. The analysis of factorial invariance of the model confirmed its robustness to gender, but not to educational stage. According to educational stage, the analysis of variance showed significant differences between Primary School and Secondary School and Baccalaureate/Training, with younger students showing higher values for all variables except violence. It is concluded that responsibility has a relevant role in the educational environment, due to its predictive power on the school climate and school violence, as well as on the satisfaction of basic psychological needs and autonomous motivation, following the Self-Determination Theory. At the same time, students in higher educational stages presented lower values of responsibility, making it necessary to work on it in the classroom. It is recommended that future research should investigate, on the one hand, interventions where the central core is the promotion of responsibility, in addition to conducting longitudinal analyses with samples of students in different contexts, checking whether the model of this study is corroborated and allows creating a line of work for the improvement of school climate and the reduction of the perception of violence.

Addressing violence against educators: What do teachers say works?

School personnel safety and well-being have received increased attention via national outlets; however, research is limited. The current investigation is the first to examine the reported use and perceived effectiveness of commonly used school-based intervention approaches for addressing school violence, specifically violence against teachers in U.S. schools. A sample of 4,471 prekindergarten-12th grade teachers was asked to rate the use and perceived effectiveness of common school-based approaches, namely exclusionary discipline (e.g., suspensions), school hardening (e.g., metal detectors, school police), prevention (e.g., school climate improvement, social-emotional learning, classroom management), and crisis intervention practices (e.g., de-escalation, physical restraint) to address verbal/threatening, physical, and property violence against teachers. Findings revealed that teachers rated prevention practices as most effective in reducing violence against teachers. The use of exclusionary discipline and crisis intervention practices at school was positively associated with all three forms of violence. Ratings of the effectiveness of specific practices were associated with lower likelihoods of verbal/threatening (i.e., hardening, prevention), physical (i.e., exclusionary discipline, hardening, prevention), and property (i.e., hardening) violence. Implications for school practice, research, and policy are presented. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The Importance of Implementation Fidelity for Teacher-Related Changes Within the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Although teachers are key figures of a program’s effectiveness, most intervention studies to date have not explored how anti-bullying programs are associated with changes at teacher level. Moreover, teacher data also informs about aspects of program implementation, which are essential in program evaluations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to gain insight into the perspectives of teachers working with the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program (OBPP). A scientific evaluation of the OBPP was carried out in 21 German schools. In addition to annual student surveys, regular teacher surveys were conducted. Ordered logistic regressions and linear regressions were used to estimate the variables. As we expected a dosage-response effect, we divided the schools by level of implementation (non-completer, completer, and certified Olweus schools). At baseline, 615 teachers took part in the assessment (68.26%), and 388 teachers at postline 2 years later (47.32%). A positive change in teachers’ intention to intervene in bullying could be found across all schools (p < .001), which was only significant for completer (p < .001) and certified schools (p = .004) when differentiated by implementation level. Teachers’ level of job strain did not change at all (non-significant model fit), while an improvement in school climate only emerged for certified schools (p = .003). The moderating effect of the implementation level turned out to be independent of different school characteristics. The self-reported changes at the teacher level depended on the level of program implementation. Therefore, it is essential to record data about the intensity of program activities when evaluating a program.Trial registration number: DRKS00008202 (date of registration: 08/04/2015).

Understanding teacher‐directed violence and related turnover through a school climate framework

AbstractTeacher turnover is an issue of national significance and has worsened since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Teacher‐directed violence and teacher turnover can significantly impact school life for students, staff, and communities. Using Wang and Degol's school climate framework, we examined school characteristics that contribute to teacher‐directed violence and related turnover. The current study examines the qualitative experiences of 403 teachers who reported that their most upsetting incidents of violence contributed to desires to leave the profession, transfer, or retire. Many teachers indicated concerns about safety and community factors, including parent–teacher relationships and community violence. Educators emphasized issues related to administrators, describing a lack of support and poor leadership. Finally, teachers discussed concerns with policy on both school and government levels. Improving school climate may be one avenue for decreasing teacher‐directed violence and preventing turnover.

Aggressive and Defensive Behaviour, Normative, and Social Adjustment in the Complex Dynamics of School Bullying.

Bullying is a group phenomenon in which schoolchildren take on different roles. Although certain contextual elements play a key role in its evolution, very few longitudinal studies have been carried out to date which investigate how these factors interact. This study aims to explore the different class groupings as regards bullying norms and to examine the effect of the type of norm, social, and normative adjustment and pro-sociality, also of the interaction of group norms with involvement in aggression and victim defence in bullying situations. A total of 3,358 secondary school students (50.71% girls, Mage = 13 years, SD = 1.34) participated in the study. Four groups of norms towards bullying were identified: anti-bullying, anti-bullying but not actively defending, indifference, and pro-bullying. Univariate linear regression models showed that normative adjustment and the type of norms had a direct inverse effect on both types of behaviour, while pro-sociality only had an effect on defence. In groups with pro-bullying norms, a greater effect of normative adjustment was observed for involvement in defence and aggression, and pro-social skills were associated with aggression. These results suggest the need to work on moral, social and emotional elements to improve school climate in schools.

Can School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) improve adolescents' perceptions of school climate?

As school climate plays a key role in adolescents' academic and socio-emotional outcomes, interventions that can enhance this climate are of major interest. In considering research on practices linked to a positive school climate, School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) is a promising approach. To date, most SWPBIS studies have been conducted in English-speaking countries and have been based primarily on adults' perceptions or reports (e.g., suspension rates, office discipline referrals). There is a dearth of research on the effectiveness of SWPBIS among adolescents in different cultural contexts. Moreover, little is known about its propensity to influence adolescents' perceptions of school climate dimensions. The present study examined the effects of SWPBIS on different dimensions of school climate as perceived by French adolescents enrolled in Grades 6–9. An experimental effectiveness study was conducted among 84 grades from 21 middle schools. Multilevel analyses were conducted on data from a sample of 6765 adolescents (Mage = 12.3 years, SD = 1.23; 51% girls) from 40 control and 44 intervention grades, controlling for grade-level school climate dimensions at baseline. The results suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on educational, safety, and teacher-student school climate dimensions. No effects were found on belonging, fairness, and between-students school climate dimensions. The findings suggest that SWPBIS had a positive effect on adolescents' perceptions of three school climate dimensions regardless of their initial perception levels. These results may provide future directions for school teams, researchers, and policymakers interested in ways to improve school climate.

What happens when a whole-school health promotion research trial ends? a case study of the SEHER program in India.

Health promotion interventions that are developed and evaluated by researchers and other external providers are at risk of not being sustained beyond the initial implementation period. When delivered by a lay school health worker, the SEHER study of a whole-school health promotion intervention in Bihar, India was found to be feasible, acceptable and effective in improving school climate and student health behaviors. The objective of this case study is to describe the decision-making processes, barriers, and enablers to continuing the SEHER intervention following its official closure. For this exploratory qualitative case study, data were collected from four government-run secondary schools, two of which continued SEHER and two of which discontinued it after official closure. Thirteen school staff were interviewed, and 100 girls and boys (aged 15-18 years old) participated in eight focus groups discussing their experiences of the process of continuing the intervention (or discontinuing) following its official closure. Thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo 12 using grounded theory. No school sustained the intervention as originally delivered in the research trial. In two schools, the intervention was adapted by selecting sustainable components, whereas in two others it was discontinued altogether. We identified four interrelated themes that explained the complex decision-making process, barriers, and enablers related to program continuation: (1) understanding of the intervention philosophy among school staff; (2) school capabilities to continue with intervention activities; (3) school attitudes and motivation about implementing the intervention, and; (4) the education policy environment and governance structures. Suggestions for overcoming barriers included adequate resource allocation; training, supervision, and support from external providers and the Ministry of Education; and formal government approval to continue the intervention. Sustaining this whole-school health promotion intervention in low-resource school settings in India depended on individual, school and government factors as well as external support. These findings suggest that health interventions will not necessarily become embedded in a school's operations merely because they are designed as a whole-school approach or because they are effective. Research should identify the resources and processes required to balance planning for future sustainability while awaiting trial results about an intervention's effectiveness.

Implementation of a Whole-School Mindfulness Curriculum in an Urban Elementary School: Tier 1 through Tier 3

Mindful education (ME) in schools can address student well-being and stressors, as well as improve the overall school environment. Implementing a whole-school mindfulness curriculum can be challenging, especially when serving students in both general education and emotional behavioral disorder (EBD) settings. We investigated the feasibility, implementation, and benefits of a whole-school mindfulness curriculum (MindUP) in an urban elementary school. This study is unique in that it investigated how to implement mindfulness curriculum within both general education and EBD student populations. Participants included 55 staff and 436 students. This study used a concurrent mixed methods design. The qualitative data included interviews, informal focus groups, and participant feedback, and the quantitative data included participant satisfaction surveys and teacher assessment of student behaviors before/after the curriculum. While implementing MindUP, teacher feedback was incorporated to adapt the program (e.g., decrease lesson length, provide supplemental child-friendly breathing activities). Qualitative data indicated the adapted MindUP program improved school climate and aided teachers with teaching coping skills, especially breathing techniques, to help their students self-regulate when stressed. Data indicated students in regular education improved in their aggression/disruptive behaviors, concentration/attention, and social/emotional competence, whereas students in the EBD program only improved in their aggression/disruptiveness (effect sizes 0.15 to 0.51). An adapted MindUP curriculum was accepted, implemented, effective, and sustainable in both the general education and EBD settings. The program helped students learn mindfulness-based coping strategies with breathing being the most beneficial mindfulness intervention for managing and reducing student stress and for creating a calmer school climate.

‘Put students’ dreams first’: Student perspectives on secondary school climate improvement in Mongolia

Involving students in school improvement can yield many benefits for students and promote meaningful change in educational practices and policies. In this qualitative study, we centered the voices of Mongolian adolescents by soliciting their suggestions for improving safety and support in their schools. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze written comments from 810 Mongolian secondary students grades 8 through 12, yielding five themes related to student voice, food, security, relationships, and holistic development. The aims of the study were to (a) identify similarities and differences between Mongolian student experiences and Western-based school climate research and (b) contribute to the dialogue about school improvement in Mongolia and other non-Western countries. Findings point to recommendations for providing adequate nutrition, ensuring safety, and meeting the basic psychological needs of students in Mongolian secondary schools.

A comparative study of mental health status among left-behind, migrant, and local adolescents in China

ObjectiveInfluence of migration on mental impairments among adolescents has been well assessed. However, there lack empirical data on multiple mental health problems and comparisons of children who suffer from different parental migration. This study aims to compare the mental health status among left-behind adolescents (LBA), migrant adolescents (MA), and local adolescents (LA). MethodsA total of 67,532 adolescents were investigated on depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs). The LBA were registered in Shenzhen's hukou (household register system) and are living in Shenzhen while their parent(s) has/have migrated to work elsewhere for over 6 months. MA, defined as adolescents who immigrated with parents from other places, are living but not registered in Shenzhen hukou. LA referred to adolescents who were registered in Shenzhen hukou and are living with their parents. Social-demographics, family function, and school climate were also evaluated as influential factors. ResultsThe prevalence of overall mental health problems was 37.4 % for LBA, which was higher than that of MA (27.9 %) and LA (27.1 %). Females, adolescents with chronic physical illness, and with family history of mental disorders are all contributed to the increased occurrence of mental health issues. Poorer family function and school climate were also negatively associated with mental health among the three types of adolescents. ConclusionLBA is at a higher risk for poor mental health than other adolescents. Interventions that promoting family function and improving school climate may be helpful, especially for girls with chronic physical illness, or with family history of mental disorders.

The Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement: A Scoping Review

Schools worldwide are developing innovative models in response to, and in anticipation of, societal changes. Aiming to address non-academic barriers to learning, while capitalizing on out-of-school time, some school and community leaders have prioritized family and community partnerships, especially in the United States (U.S.). The Community Collaboration Model (CCM) is one such U.S. partnership-oriented model of expanded school improvement. In contrast to some partnership-oriented models, the CCM prioritizes improvements in classrooms and communities, aiming to support students, assist teachers, and improve relationships beyond the typical school day. This scoping review examines 14 peer-reviewed articles which describe CCM-centered innovations and documented outcomes. Barriers and facilitators associated with CCM adoption and implementation in diverse U.S. school and community settings also are explored. CCM’s contributions to important student and school outcomes (e.g., increased access to mental health services, improved school climate, decreased discipline referrals) are documented in this scoping review. Some researchers have also described implementation-related facilitators (e.g., partnerships with universities) and barriers (e.g., initial resistance by educators) that influence the utility of the model in practice. Drawing on prior research, the authors discuss findings and implications for future research, educational policy, and practice.

Pocket Restorative Practice Approaches to Foster Peer-Based Relationships and Positive Development in Schools

In schools, the implementation of restorative practices is linked to an improvement in school climate, discipline and management of conflict. There are a few systematic reviews about the implementation of pocket restorative practice approaches (PRPA) in schools but they are restricted in terms of practices included, outcomes and study design. Moreover, none of them seem to include evidence-based recommendations for their implementation. We have dealt with such issues by carrying out a systematic review of the effectiveness of PRPA and developing evidence-based practice guidelines. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and we developed eighteen evidence-based practice guidelines. The implementation of PRPA seems to be more common in secondary education and may be used to improve social and emotional skills and relationships, and to deal with and prevent conflicts while changing school culture in disciplinary terms. The greatest evidence available is for a specific model of mediation that is recommended to decrease aggression levels in primary education. Our guidelines may offer support to improve the quality of prevention and intervention actions used in schools. The implementation of these kinds of approaches may help to promote mental health and youth development, and deal with adverse behavioral outcomes such as bullying, which are all major public issues in the school community.

Project-based learning as a tool for bullying prevention (Aprendizaje basado en proyectos como herramienta para prevenir el acoso escolar)

ABSTRACT Bullying is one of the biggest problems faced by schools. Approaching this problem is complex, due to the multiplicity of factors that influence it. Anti-bullying programmes show moderate levels of effectiveness, and their application generates economic and time costs that are sometimes difficult to assume. The Project Based Learning (PBL) methodology, in addition to improving academic performance, could have a positive impact on the improvement of interpersonal relationships. School mediation and PBL owe their success to common factors such as cooperation, negotiation, emotion management, self-knowledge and knowledge of peers, among others. That is why we believe that PBL methodology could contribute to the improvement of school climate and prevent bullying, being a potential ally of traditional mediation programmes.

Safe, supported, and empowered

Many effective strategies exist to keep students safe, supported, and engaged in school. Restorative practice (RP) is a powerful approach for achieving these goals as it elevates student voice and can strengthen school climate. Annie M. White and John Kenneth Weiss share findings from an initiative through which high school student-faculty teams learned strategies to use RP practices and incorporate student voice to improve school climate. After two years, students gained the confidence to work for school change. They offer implementation recommendations, including prioritizing relationship-building, reaching a critical mass, and providing structure for engagement. Ultimately, they found that student voice and engagement may be key to improving school climate.

A Framework for Addressing Foster Care Trauma in the Public Education System: Perceptions and Implications.

It is estimated that approximately 90% of children in foster care have experienced a traumatic event, with nearly half reporting exposure to 4 or more types of traumatic events. Educators must remain alert to indicators suggesting a history of trauma and understand the difficulties foster youth may face regulating their emotions and behavior while in school. A framework for foster youth trauma in the public education system identifies the interplay between macro-level forces, such as federal and state policy, and school and teacher micro-level forces. The framework highlights the inadequacy of educators in identifying the manifestations of trauma, specifically in foster youth, and how the current implemented policy leads to misinterpretation of the outward behavioral displays of trauma as other behavioral issues. Federal and state policies, school districts, teacher and principal practices, teacher and school administrator preparation programs must incorporate knowledge about trauma pervasiveness and the consequences of trauma on foster youth attitude and behavior in the classroom. The framework guides change efforts toward improving school climate and culture through preparing school professionals to meet the diverse needs of foster youth and tackling those policies and behaviors that exclude foster youth from schooling.

Implementing PBIS with Fidelity: Secondary School Staff Members’ Descriptions of School Climate

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is a schoolwide initiative implemented in many schools to address discipline concerns and promote a positive school climate. This phenomenological study examined the school climate perceptions of 12 staff members from three secondary schools in two North Carolina school districts that implemented PBIS with fidelity. All 12 participants favorably described their school climate after PBIS had been implemented with fidelity. Additionally, study participants reported improved discipline practices, as well as improved practices for acknowledging positive student behavior. This study’s findings fill a gap in the existing body of literature, regarding the implementation of PBIS in secondary schools, and provide additional support for the use of PBIS to improve school climate in secondary schools.

SCHOOL CLIMATE, PRINCIPAL MANAGERIAL STYLES AND ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN OYO STATE, NIGERIA

This study seeks to investigate the influence of school climate and principal managerial styles on organisational commitment in public junior secondary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria. A descriptive research design survey type was adopted in this study. Three research questions were raised and answered, while two hypotheses were formulated and tested at a 0.05 per cent level of significance. The population consisted of 604 principals and 14,508 teachers from public junior secondary schools in Oyo state. The multistage sampling procedure uses the Simple Random Sampling technique to select 316 principals and 2,960 teachers. A mixed-method of two validated questionnaires, SCMSOCQ (α = 0.87), MSPQ (α = 0.89), and Key Informant Interview (KII) were used to collect data. The descriptive statistics of mean and percentages were used to analyse the demographic variables while inferential statistics of Factorial ANOVA were used to test hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Discourse analysis was used for the interview. The result revealed that the transformational managerial style is mostly adopted by principals (weighted mean=3.38). Also, there is no interaction between school climate, and principal managerial styles but both are significant to organizational commitment (P&lt;0.05). Based on the findings the study concludes that school climate and principal managerial styles can influence organisational commitment among public junior secondary school teachers in Oyo State. However, based on the results, recommendations were made to improve school climate and principals’ managerial styles that will enhance organisational commitment domain among public junior secondary school teachers in Oyo State.

The Hope of Positive Behavior Interventions and the School Climate

Numerous factors influence educational success. Students’ learning performance and overall development are greatly influenced by their school environment. The term “school climate” refers to how instructors and students perceive the general atmosphere of the school based on their long-term interactions with it. It is directly tied to staff and student morale as well as their satisfaction with the school. As per the study by Pan et al. (2001), the psychological climate of the classroom is crucial in fostering students’ intellectual and physical development as well as personality development. The level of students’ mental health increases with an improved school climate. According to Zhou et al. (2021), the school environment can considerably increase students’ motivation to learn and their level of self-awareness and self-control. High expectations for behavior and a well-organized classroom can give children a safe place to learn in which they can cultivate good study habits and self-control, which will have a long-term effect on their overall development.

The Hope of Positive Behavior Interventions and the School Climate

Numerous factors influence educational success. Students’ learning performance and overall development are greatly influenced by their school environment. The term “school climate” refers to how instructors and students perceive the general atmosphere of the school based on their long-term interactions with it. It is directly tied to staff and student morale as well as their satisfaction with the school. As per the study by Pan et al. (2001), the psychological climate of the classroom is crucial in fostering students’ intellectual and physical development as well as personality development. The level of students’ mental health increases with an improved school climate. According to Zhou et al. (2021), the school environment can considerably increase students’ motivation to learn and their level of self-awareness and self-control. High expectations for behavior and a well-organized classroom can give children a safe place to learn in which they can cultivate good study habits and self-control, which will have a long-term effect on their overall development.

The impact of school climate in social-normative expectations in low and high SES schools.

This study examined the associations among race/ethnicity, school climate, and social-normative expectations (expectations about peers' future achievement) in high and low socioeconomic status (SES) schools, with a particular focus on school climate as a process that might influence social-normative expectations. Results showed that more positive perceptions of school climate were significantly associated with higher levels of social-normative expectations in both low and high SES settings. Additionally, identifying as Black was negatively associated with social-normative expectations in both high and low SES schools. School climate significantly moderated the negative relationship between race and social-normative expectations in high SES schools; however, there was no moderation in low SES schools. In both high and low SES schools, school climate was a robust predictor of social-normative expectations, highlighting the importance of social-normative expectations as a metric of school climate improvement in both high and low SES schools. In conclusion, policies related to school culture and climate, school improvement, and turnaround should explicitly focus on the connection of racial and ethnic equity, specifically for Black and Latinx students, to reflect the range and reality of students' social-normative expectations.