Perceptions Of School Climate Research Articles

The role of school climate on student disclosure of private information and cyberbullying: a comparison of regular and vocational school students in China

IntroductionAdolescents are experiencing an unprecedented cyber-saturated environment where the disclosure of private information should be approached with caution. This study aims to investigate the effects of school environment, including student support, teacher support, and opportunities for autonomy, on students’ disclosure of private information and their experiences with cyberbullying.MethodsIn September 2022, a total of 1,716 students (mean age = 14.60, SD = 1.35) from three regular and vocational schools in China participated in the survey.ResultsThe results showed that 35.6% of the participants had experienced victimization by cyberbullying, and 12.6% had perpetrated cyberbullying. Vocational school students reported significantly higher rates of cyberbullying and lower levels of perceived school climate than students from regular school. Student support in the school environment was found to negatively affect both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization, with this impact appearing to be stronger in regular schools as compared to vocational schools. Opportunities for autonomy and the disclosure of private information were positively correlated with experiences of cyberbullying.DiscussionThis study introduces a novel perspective that perceived school climate influences adolescents’ disclosure of private information and their involvement in cyberbullying. The findings could provide implications for future research and practices aimed at child protection in cyberspace.

The impact of school climate on academic burnout of Chinese students: the mediating effect of psychological capital

BackgroundStudents are in their teenage years during middle school, which is a period of acceleration and transition for individual physical and mental development. Therefore, junior high school students are easily influenced by their internal and external environment, leading to academic burnout. The main activity venue for middle school students in school homework is the external environment that affects their academic performance. Psychological capital is the student’s own resource and the external environment that affects their academic performance.AimsThis study aims to explore the interrelationship among school atmosphere, psychological capital, and academic burnout, and construct a theoretical model among them. This study provides practical and feasible methods and guidance suggestions for educational institutions and teachers, helps students improve their mental health level, enhances the positive perception level of the school atmosphere, and alleviates their academic burnout.MethodsBuilding upon previous research on school climate, psychological capital, and academic burnout, this study employed the following research tools: The Perceived School Climate Questionnaire (PSC), the Positive Psychological Questionnaire (PPQ), and the High School Students’ Academic burnout Scale. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 1,267 students from three different regions of Chongqing, involving various types of junior high schools.ResultsThe findings of this study demonstrate that both the external school climate and internal psychological capital exert an impact on academic burnout. A positive school climate can foster the development of psychological capital, subsequently enhancing academic performance. Additionally, psychological capital directly influences academic burnout. The higher the level of positivity is, the more pronounced the alleviating effect becomes. The school climate can directly affect academic burnout, and it can also indirectly affect academic burnout through the mediation of psychological capital, with psychological capital playing a partial mediating role.ConclusionTo avoid academic burnout, schools should actively create a good school atmosphere and mobilize students’ learning enthusiasm; teachers should provide targeted psychological counseling to reduce students’ negative emotional perception; students should correct their learning attitude and recognize their own learning status.

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN SCHOOL AND CLASS CLIMATE

Although there is no generally accepted definition of school climate and a single position on its dimensions, most authors agree that school climate is a multidimensional and complex construct, which refers to the quality and character of school life. Educational reforms that want to improve the quality of learning, but also improve the educational effect of the school, should not ignore that the school climate is one of the most researched school phenomena that affects the behavior and life of all participants in school life. In addition to the definition of school climate and other terms that conceptually overlap with school climate or other aspects of school life, it is necessary to define school climate and classroom climate. In contrast to school climate, classroom climate refers to social interactions in the classroom, student expectations for behavior, and school performance, but also to the physical characteristics of the classroom or the “intellectual, social, emotional, and physical environment in which students learn”. Classroom climate refers to the perception of the classroom environment, and school climate refers to the perception of the entire school. Classroom climate affects the perception of school climate as a more comprehensive phenomenon. The school climate’s perception depends on individual factors and the classroom climate. Teachers are the ones who represent one of the main factors in shaping students school experiences. A study conducted by Hallinan (2008) indicated that the teacher-student relationship predicts student commitment to school. Two special dimensions of that relationship are social and emotional support for students and teachers expectations of students. Students and teachers perceive the school climate more favorably when they feel safe and when aggression and victimization are not frequent. Students who feel safe at school are better adjusted, exhibit less delinquent and aggressive behavior, and report higher self-esteem. By improving the school climate, and especially the relationship between teachers and students, by establishing fair rules in the school and respecting diversity, the students behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement in school is affected, which further affects various areas of the student’s life, such as student well-being or and their academic achievement.

Assessing students’ perceptions of school climate in primary schools

AbstractResearch at the secondary school level provides compelling evidence to suggest that a positive school climate is related to improved health, wellbeing, and cognitive outcomes for students. In response to these findings, school systems around the world are mandating the collection of school climate data in schools. However, reviews of the literature indicate that there are relatively few instruments that provide evidence to support translation and criterion validity and assess the school climate from the perspectives of primary school students; and all of them were considered unsuitable or problematic for our purposes. To overcome this gap in the literature, this article describes the development and validation of a school climate survey designed to assess primary school students’ perceptions of school climate. Evidence to support translation validity is provided through data collected at various stages of the development process. Further, data collected from a sample of 1193 primary school students (years 3 to 6) were analysed to provide evidence to support convergent, discriminant concurrent, and predictive validity. The survey and evidence of its psychometric properties are significant for researchers, schools, and education systems seeking to assess primary school students’ perception of the school climate.

Parental Phubbing and Adolescent Smartphone Addiction: Depression and Perceived School Climate Matter.

This study investigated the association between parental phubbing and adolescents' smartphone addiction, the mediating role of depression, and the moderating role of perceived school climate in the association. Seven hundred forty-two Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.97, SD = 0.64, 45.55 percent female) were recruited and self-reported questionnaires were administered. Results indicated that parental phubbing was positively associated with adolescents' smartphone addiction. Depression partially mediated the above relation. Further, perceived school climate moderated the relation between parental phubbing and depression, such that the positive association between parental phubbing and depression was stronger among adolescents who perceived their school climate as more negative (vs. positive). The findings deepened our understanding of the relation between parenting behaviors and adolescents' smartphone addiction and implications for interventions and practices were discussed.

Longitudinal Relationships Between School Climate, Academic Achievement, and Gaming Disorder Symptoms Among Chinese Adolescents.

Despite growing concerns regarding the development of gaming disorder symptoms among adolescents, the longitudinal relationship between school factors and gaming disorder symptoms remains far from being fully understood. This two-year longitudinal study examined the relationship between school climate perceptions, academic achievement, and gaming disorder symptoms among three distinct demographic cohorts: preadolescents (n = 1513; 46.9% girls, Mage = 10.64 years, SD = 0.56), early adolescents (n = 1771; 48.3% girls, Mage = 13.54 years, SD = 0.70), and late adolescents (n = 2385; 50.1% girls, Mage = 16.41 years, SD = 0.59). A four-wave study was conducted (six months apart) using random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) to separate the within-person (state level) from the between-person (trait level) effects. The results obtained from the RI-CLPMs indicated that fluctuations in school climate perceptions negatively predicted subsequent changes in gaming disorder symptoms among preadolescents at the within-person level, but not among early and late adolescents. Fluctuations relating to gaming disorder symptoms also negatively predicted subsequent changes regarding academic achievement in late adolescents, but not in preadolescents and early adolescents. The effect of school-related factors on gaming disorder symptoms varies across different developmental stages. While preadolescents may represent a particularly susceptible subgroup for gaming disorder in terms of being predicted by their school environment, late adolescents appear to be more vulnerable to predictors of gaming disorder symptoms. The current study also discusses the implications of school-wide programs aimed at improving school climate and preventing the development of gaming disorder symptoms during key developmental periods.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of universal school-based SEL programs in the United States: Considerations for marginalized students

The present study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the evidence for universal school-based SEL programming within the United States to understand nation-specific trends in SEL implementation and effectiveness, and provide specific recommendations for marginalized students- particularly those with minority gender-, racial- ethnic, linguistic-, and disability identities, within SEL. Analyzing the effects of 90 universal school-based social and emotional learning studies, reflecting 47 discrete SEL programs, and 20,626 students in grades K-12 in the United States, from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2020, we report that students who participate in universal school-based SEL programs experienced significantly improved academic achievement, school functioning, social and emotional skills, attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of school climate and safety. Furthermore, programs in the United States benefited students in elementary and secondary school equally, and had the strongest outcomes for students when teachers were the program implementors. SEL programs in the United States were varied in their program features, duration, and dosage, had limited engagement with families and community, and did not show evidence of an overall follow-up effect 6 months or longer after a program ends. SEL programs were found to be equally efficacious for boys and girls meta-analytically, and systematic review of available studies revealed preliminary evidence of differential and positive effects for students with marginalized racial and ethnic identities. Limited representation of marginalized linguistic, sexual, and ability identities inhibited exploration of additional effects analytically, and descriptive results, alongside opportunities for increasing reporting and analyses are discussed.

Adolescents’ perceptions of Student and Teacher/Staff Defending Against Stigma-Based Peer Victimization

ABSTRACT We investigated (1) grade differences in perceived stigma-based peer victimization (SBPV), (2) differences in perceived student and teacher/staff defending against types of SBPV, and (3) whether defending against SBPV affected student subjective wellbeing (SSWB) via anti-victimization school climate perceptions. Participants were 1124 US adolescents (48% girls, 48% boys, 3% another identity) in Grades 6–9. Participants identified as Hispanic (61%), Black (12%), White/Non-Hispanic (12%), and other racial/ethnic identities (15%). We found small differences in perceived defending against different types of SBPV. There were no differences between grades for perceived student defending, but teachers/staff defended 9th-graders less than 6th-graders across all types of SBPV. Student defending against ability-based victimization and teacher/staff defending against sexuality- and weight-based victimization predicted SSWB indirectly through anti-victimization school climate perceptions. Although SBPV is harmful to adolescents’ school functioning, students and teachers/staff can defend against SBPV to promote more adaptive perceptions of school climate and wellbeing.

Students in the margins: Lesbian, gay, and bi+ students’ perceptions of school climate and discrimination

This study examines how youth evaluate their school climate and experiences of discrimination within public schools in the Southeastern U.S. Participants included 9th (N = 499, M age = 14.67, SD = 0.66) and 10th (N = 360, Mage = 15.63, SD = 0.61) grade students who reported on their school climate and experiences of teacher and peer discrimination. Findings showed that lesbian, gay, bi+ (LGB+) participants reported significantly higher levels of peer discrimination than their heterosexual peers. Boys and 9th graders reported significantly higher levels of teacher discrimination than did girls and 10th graders, respectively. Experiences of discrimination from peers and teachers were distinctly associated with participants’ perceptions of their school climate. LGB+ adolescents reported less positive social relationships with teachers, perceptions of school discipline, opportunities for engagement, academic support, parental involvement, and school connectedness compared to their heterosexual peers. There were no significant differences in perceived exclusion based on sexual orientation. This study is an important step in continuing to understand school experiences of LGB+ adolescents within the Southeastern U.S.

Bullying Behavior and Depressive Symptoms Among College Students: The Role of School Climate Perception

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between bullying experience, perception of school climate, and depression. METHODS: The bullying experience questionnaire, the school climate perception questionnaire, and the Streaming Center Depression Scale were used to survey 451 college students. RESULTS: (1) There was a significant negative correlation between bullying experience and school climate perception (r = -0.204, p < 0.01), a significant positive correlation between bullying experience and depression (r = 0.349, p < 0.01), and a significant negative correlation between school climate perception and depression (r = -0.431, p < 0.01); (2) The direct predictive effect on depression (B=0.305,SE=0.047***), a significant predictive effect of school climate perception on depression (B=-0.319,SE=0.035***), and a significant direct predictive effect of bullying experience on school climate perception (B=-0.268,SE=0.061***). The mediating effect value for school climate perception was 0.086, which accounted for 22.05% of the overall effect. CONCLUSION: Bullying experience may be a high-risk predictor of depression, while school climate perception plays a protective role. School climate perception plays a mediating role in the effect of bullying experience on depression, and can be improved to help college students cope with depression and other psychological problems.

Associations between a technical assistance model to build school organizational capacity and improvements in student perceptions of school climate.

Organizational capacity building-the process of developing leadership, collecting and analyzing data, building buy-in, and implementing programming-is foundational to effectively changing schools, and frequently relies on technical assistance. This study employed a quasi-experimental, repeated measured design to evaluate the role of technical assistance provided through Safe School Certification model in improving school climate. Schools worked through an eight-element framework, using data from a sample of six middle and high schools in Washington, D.C. that completed data collection in all years of the evaluation. Students in schools receiving technical assistance for implementing the SSC Framework had more positive changes in perceptions of school climate than students in schools that did not receive support, but those differences were small. The results from this study offer limited evidence that providing schools with technical assistance to improve organizational capacity is associated with more positive student perceptions of school climate.

The Influence Mechanism of Curriculum Ideology Politics on College Students' National Identity: The Role of Cultural Confidence and School Climate

Based on a questionnaire survey of 560 college students, this paper examined the relationship between the curriculum ideology politics function and college students' national identity, as well as the mediating and moderating effects of cultural confidence and school climate. The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the curriculum ideology politics function and the national identity of college students, and that cultural confidence could significantly mediated the relationship between the curriculum ideology politics function and the national identity of college students, that is, the curriculum ideology politics could enhance college students' cultural confidence, thereby enhancing college students' national identity; This mediating path was moderated by school climate, that is, the curriculum ideology politics mainly played an indirect effect through cultural confidence, especially when the perceived school climate was low. These results showed that cultural confidence was an important intermediary process of the curriculum ideology politics affecting college students' national identity, and the high school climate was conducive to promoting the ideological and political function of the curriculum.

School Climate Perception among Latinx and White Students: An Examination of Intersecting Race/Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Identities in Context

Limited research has explored how the characteristics of student and teacher racial/ethnic composition may explain students’ perceptions of school climate. This study used stratified analysis to assess the associations of two prominent diversity aspects (i.e., student racial/ethnic diversity and teacher racial/ethnic diversity) with students’ perceived school climate. Particularly, this study controlled for student- and school-levels demographic characteristics among 41,237 Latinx students and 23,819 White students from 7th grade to 12th grade enrolled in 250 California public schools. The findings indicated that higher teacher racial/ethnic diversity had a mild to moderate positive association with perceived school attitudes to parental participation (Economically Disadvantaged Latinx: β = 0.20, p < .05; Economically Disadvantaged White: β = 0.37, p < .01) and perceived school equity and safety (Economically Disadvantaged Latinx: β = 0.16, p < .05; Economically Disadvantaged White: β = 0.19, p < .05) among Latinx and White students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Only Latinx students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds perceived less favorable school safety and equity in schools with a higher student racial/ethnic diversity (Economically Disadvantaged Latinx: β = −0.20, p < .05). Results have implications for addressing school climate disparities at an organizational level. Impact Statement Although ecological theories have proposed that school climate perception is constructed by contextual and individual characteristics interactively, relatively little research has attempted to understand how school demographic compositions, such as teacher and student racial/ethnic diversity, interact with students’ intersecting social identities in shaping perceived school climate. This study provided empirical evidence of the positive influences of teacher racial/ethnic diversity on perceived school climate. This effect was observed among White and Latinx students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Latinx students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds perceived less safety and equity in schools with higher racial/ethnic diversity.

Analyzing the Contribution of School Climate to Academic Achievement Using Structural Equation Modeling

The main goal of the current paper was to determine the effects of perceived school climate dimensions (leadership, relationships, professional learning-teaching climate, safety, and physical environment) on students’ learning performance in upper primary schools. Correlational design consisted of structural equation modeling with mediation analysis was applied. Three hundred twenty-eight randomly chosen teachers and pupils from upper primary schools of Injibara and Chagni, Awi zone of Ethiopia participated. The 16-item school climate scale that was employed had an internal consistency score of 0.91 according to Cronbach’s alpha. To create a well-fitting measurement model, as well as to ascertain the convergent and discriminant validities and the composite reliability of school climate domains, confirmatory factor analysis was carried out. Together, the five school climate factors explained 19% variation on student academic performance. Academic achievement of students was directly and significantly influenced by school leadership and the professional learning-teaching environment. Pupils’ academic success was significantly and favorably directly impacted by the overall perceived favorable school climate. Positive professional learning-teaching environment fully mediated effect of physical setting and safety on learning achievement, even though it partially mediated the effect of leadership practice of school. Contribution of positive school climate elements to student’s learning achievement should also be further investigated using longitudinal multilevel structural equation models.

Examination of Science Teachers’ Burnout Levels in Terms of School Climate and Various Variables

The burnout levels of science teachers hold significant implications for both educators and students. Burnout can evolve in response to significant social events or be influenced by various variables. In this context, the objective of this study is to examine the burnout levels of science teachers, taking into account factors such as gender, age, length of service, and working time in the institution, with a particular focus on the perception of the school climate. The study adopted a descriptive survey model, utilizing a convenience sampling method, and involved 182 science teachers employed in Adana province. Data collection instruments encompassed the “School Climate Survey” and the “Maslach Burnout Inventory”, along with their sub-dimensions. Data were gathered through a face-to-face survey conducted by one of the researchers following rigorous efforts. The results showed that the burnout levels of science teachers were relatively low. In addition, when evaluated in general in terms of all the variables examined, it was determined that all averages in the dimension of emotional exhaustion, one of the three sub-dimensions of burnout, were always higher, while the values in the dimension of depersonalization were always lower. Although it varied according to gender, age, length of service, and working time in the institution, it was found that burnout differed either in the overall scale or in at least one sub-dimension. Notably, science teachers with a low perception of the school climate experienced significantly higher burnout levels across the overall school climate scale, encompassing all sub-dimensions of burnout. While this pattern varied within sub-dimensions of school climate perception, dimensions exhibiting significant differences also favored those with lower climate perception. In the final section of the study, various recommendations are presented in light of these findings.

The different role of adversity before and after birth in adolescent depression

BackgroundEarly adversity is strongly linked to adolescent depression, but there is limited research on the impact of indirect exposure to adversity before birth and the distinct role of adversity before and after birth. MethodsA total of 1911 Chinese adolescents (48.8 % males; ages 11 to 19, Mean = 13.96) reported early adversities before and after birth, depression, negative self-cognition and perceived school climate. Structural equation model was used to test the association between early adversity before/after birth and adolescent depression, with negative self-cognition serving as a mediator and school climate as a moderator. ResultsAdversity before birth was related to adolescent depression through the full mediating role of negative self-cognition. Furthermore, it was more associated with negative self-cognition in schools with a more favorable climate. Adversity after birth was related to adolescent depression through the partial mediating role of negative self-cognition, and school climate played a nonsignificant moderating role in the mediating path. LimitationsEarly adversity was measured through adolescent reports, possibly generating recall bias. The cross-sectional design should be taken into consideration when drawing conclusions about causality. ConclusionsAdversities before and after birth are associated with adolescent depression in distinct ways. The more association between adversity before birth and negative self-cognition in a favorable school climate supports the “healthy context paradox.” Interventions that target depression should focus on promoting a positive school climate and helping adolescents who have experienced early adversity bolster positive self-cognition.

School climate, attitude toward school violence, and violent behaviors among high school students in Vietnam.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between Vietnamese high school students' violent behaviors and their violence exposure (observing and being victimized by school violence), and attitude, and perceived school climate. The results from 496 Vietnamese high school students show that students' acceptance of school violence and their experience of being the victim of school violence have a significant, and direct, positive effect on their violent behaviors at school. In the moderation model, when students' perception of school climate is more positive, the effect of their acceptance of violence on their violent behaviors at school reduces, implying the moderating effect of school climate. The results have practical implications for educators and policy makers to intervene school violence in Vietnam.

Elevating Student Voices and Addressing Their Needs: Using Youth Participatory Action Research to Improve School Climate During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and shifts to virtual learning drastically altered school environments, often leaving students without a say in the many changes happening in their lives. To understand how diverse adolescents experienced their school’s climate during the COVID-19 pandemic and elevate youth voice in school decisions, we conducted a youth-participatory action research project in collaboration with a Title 1 middle school in California. Fourteen students participated in this YPAR study—mostly students of color. This mixed-methods study utilized both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative sources included meeting transcripts and chat logs, field-notes, and responses to open-ended survey questions, all of which were coded inductively. Quantitative data sources included pre- and post-surveys on students’ feelings of belonging, mattering, empowerment, and perceptions of school climate, which were compared via paired sample t-tests. Students sought to improve one of the few-shared experiences of school during the pandemic, the school lunch, and showed increased feelings of empowerment and mattering over the course of the project. These findings provide insight into students’ experiences of school climate during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as offer implications for both practitioners and researchers on the importance of including youth voice in the issues that impact their lives.

Role of ethical school leadership in shaping adolescents’ aggressive attitudes: A doubly latent multilevel SEM analysis

Based on ethical leadership and authoritative school climate theories, the current study used doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling (M-SEM) to test links between school principals’ ethical leadership and students’ aggressive attitudes through the mediation of authoritative school and classroom climates. Data included three sources: 317 educators (homeroom teachers), 504 teachers and 6589 students from 64 Arab Israeli middle schools (grades 7–9). Results showed that ethical leaders positively affect educators’ perceptions of authoritative school climate (a disciplinary structure of fairness and justness, and student support), which in turn affect their classroom conditions of fairness, justness and student support, as perceived by their students; this then negatively affects students’ aggressive attitudes. Furthermore, ethical leaders negatively affected students’ aggressive attitudes through the mediation of authoritative school climate and educators’ work reflected in classroom climate. Classroom climate was directly and negatively related to aggressive attitudes; however, school climate was not directly related. Further examination of the dimensions of climate separately demonstrated that only classroom fairness and student support (students’ willingness to seek help and teachers’ respect) negatively affect students’ aggressive attitudes. Finally, only a school climate of justness was directly related to students’ aggressive attitudes.

COVID-19 Fatigue and Middle School Students’ Engagement and School Aversion: The Mediational Roles of Emotion Regulation and Perceptions of School Climate

Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has included disruption, uncertainty, and additional stress for students. Adverse learning outcomes are a growing concern, especially for vulnerable groups such as middle school students. While COVID-19 research is currently emerging, more research needs to address the specific experiences of middle school students. The current study examined the meditating role of coping (emotion regulation strategies) and perceptions of school climate on the relationship between COVID-19 fatigue and student outcomes (student engagement and school aversion) in a sample of middle school students (N = 301). Findings from parallel mediation path models indicated that COVID-19 fatigue was inversely related to student engagement and positively related to school aversion. School climate provided a moderate to strong mediation, and emotion regulation provided small partial mediation compared to school climate. The findings suggest that utilizing adaptive emotion regulation strategies can help promote student engagement and dampen school aversion in relation to COVID-19 fatigue. Additionally, positive perceptions of school climate can encourage school engagement and reduce school aversion. A deeper explanation of the importance of regulation and the way middle schoolers perceive school rules and support in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed.