School Climate Survey Research Articles

The role of bullying perpetration and victimization in adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media usage

AbstractPrevious research has reported a relationship between adolescents' perceptions of school climate and social media use. However, the underlying mechanisms associated with the relationship have yet to be fully explored. This study aimed to examine the role of peer bullying in the relationship under consideration. This cross‐sectional study applied a correlational research model to examine the perceptions of 718 adolescents aged 11–14. Data gathering entailed the School Climate Survey, Peer Bullying Self‐Report Form, and the Social Media Disorder Scale. Significant relationships between school climate, social media addiction, and peer bullying emerged from the gathered data. The study also found that peer bullying partially mediated the relationship between school climate and social media usage, both in terms of perpetrating bullying behavior and experiencing victimization. Specifically, 22.43% of the total effect of school climate on social media addiction was mediated through exposure to bullying perpetration, while 25.10% was mediated through experiencing victimization. A notable finding of this study is the role played by a perceived negative school climate in terms of increasing social media addiction; additionally, this increase may be partially mediated by exposure to peer bullying. A discussion of the results in light of the relevant literature is included, along with suggestions for future study.

The Impact of Epistemological Beliefs and School Climate on the Sustainability of Critical Thinking Dispositions in Middle School Students

The objective of this study is to ascertain whether school climate and students’ epistemological beliefs serve as predictors of sustainable critical thinking dispositions in middle school students. This research is designed as a correlational study. A total of 585 students from four middle schools in Çanakkale, Turkey, participated in the research. To this end, the researchers administered the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, the Middle School Students’ Epistemological Belief Scale, and the School Climate Survey, gradually collecting the raw data. Following the collection of the data, they were subjected to analysis using multiple linear regression. The results of the statistical analysis demonstrated that the students’ critical thinking dispositions were significantly predicted by both epistemological beliefs and school climate. In other words, belief in the omniscient power of authority and quick learning were found to have a negative correlation with critical thinking, whereas belief in simple knowledge was observed to have an inverse positive relationship. The dimension of the school climate, relating to positive student–teacher relations, appeared to constitute a prospective positive predictor, while authoritarian student–teacher relations and the lack of resources were identified as the main negative classroom environment factors. The study highlights the complex mutual influence of individual beliefs and the learning environment in the development of critical thinking dispositions.

Hear, act, connect, support: Youth recommendations for educators who administer school climate surveys

AbstractSchool climate surveys are commonly used to solicit youth perspectives about their experiences in schools. However, to move climate surveys from solicitation towards a more youth‐centered, partnered practice for school improvement, guidance is needed from the youth themselves about how and in what ways they hope adults respond to their survey responses. In the present study, we analyzed data from four focus groups conducted with middle school and high school students. Findings reveal that, following the administration of climate surveys, youth want adults to: recognize their voices, take action based on their responses, cultivate opportunities for connection, and increase mental health supports. These student‐generated insights can help inform how adults in schools—from educational leaders to licensed mental health professionals—use student data to inform decision‐making.

“Striving Toward Equity for All”: Social Work Faculty and Staff Define Social Justice

ABSTRACT Purpose The guiding documents of the social work profession establish social justice as central to the discipline and practice of social work, yet there is little consensus on the meaning of the term. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how faculty and staff in one school of social work defined social justice. Methods Data for this study were drawn from a school climate survey distributed within one school of social work with an explicitly stated commitment to social justice. Ninety-three staves and faculty responded to the open-ended question: How do you define social justice? Findings Three themes were identified in how participants defined social justice as a form of evidence-based meaning making: (1) equality, (2) equity, and (3) advocacy and action. Discussion We conclude this article by discussing implications for how social workers can incorporate a critical approach to defining social justice that extends beyond equality and equity. Specifically, we recommend that the profession work toward a common, evidenced-based understanding of social justice to effectively educate current and future social workers to dismantle systems of oppression at all levels of social work.

The relationship between teachers' disciplinary practices and school bullying and students' satisfaction with school: The moderated mediation effects of sex and school belonging.

An authoritative school climate, along with greater teacher support and warm relations among peers are frequently connected with less school bullying. The main aim of this paper is to examine the direct link as perceived by students between teachers' disciplinary practices and bullying in school and students' satisfaction with school. The indirect relationships are explored via the mediation of school belonging and the moderation of sex. High school students (N = 860, 40.4% male students) completed the Delaware School Climate Survey, the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, and the Psychological Sense of School Membership Scale at a single time point. In general, teachers' disciplinary practices have significant direct effects on perceptions of bullying and satisfaction with school. Positive disciplinary (direct effect = .28, SE = .04) and SEL techniques (direct effect = .22, SE = .04) are related to bullying only among males, while punitive techniques are directly linked to school bullying unrelated to sex (b = .03, SE = .05). Similarly, the effect of positive disciplinary (direct effect = .27, SE = .08) and SEL (direct effect = .21, SE = .08) techniques on satisfaction with school was significant only among males. A direct relationship between punitive disciplinary techniques and satisfaction with school was not recognized. The mediation analysis revealed the indirect effects of teachers' disciplinary practices on the dependent variables via school belonging to be stronger among females. Teachers' negative modeling through punitive disciplinary practices leads to more bullying. School belonging may serve as a protective factor related to the negative impact of teachers' disciplinary practices on school bullying as well as satisfaction with school, especially among females. Interventions should be focused on fostering school belonging along with the development of positive sex-specific disciplinary practices.

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.

Cross-cultural connections: School climate and equity in Germany, Italy, Latvia, and the United States.

In recent decades, much international research has been carried out on school climate and its relationship with learning, socioemotional, and health outcomes (Berkowitz et al., 2017; La Salle, Rocha-Neves, et al., 2021; Pizmony-Levy et al., 2019). Limited research has been carried out to investigate the relationship between school climate and educational inequalities, with particular reference to the results obtained by minoritized students. This contribution focuses on this issue, and it is organized as follows. First, The International School Climate Collaborative, which led to the cross-cultural adaptation of the Georgia School Climate Survey, is presented with normative data for the use of the survey with secondary school students in four countries: Germany, Italy, Latvia, and the United States (La Salle, Rocha-Neves, et al., 2021). Second, the theme of the relationship between School Climate and Educational Equity is focused on the basis of the most recent scientific literature. Third, the theme of the relationship between School Climate and Educational Equity is focused on comparing four countries: the United States, Germany, Italy, and Latvia. Fourth, the practical implications are investigated, focusing on three possible interventions that could be useful for improving the school climate while promoting equity and valuing cultural differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

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 Glen Project: A transformational ecology model of school-based universal mental health development

This 10-month mixed methods case study utilized a sample of 27 teachers, the school administrator, and 281 low-income, Latinx children and their parents living in northern California to test the hypothesis that a school-based universally designed mental health program (The Glen Project) can strengthen students’ developmental asset attainment and positively impact the school environment within the first year of program implementation. The study utilized triangulated data to ascertain the effects of two program levels, (a) mental health and (b) school support services. All services were site-based and meant to target a wide variety of students and their families. Findings from the study reported that the Glen Project increased the developmental asset attainment in 7 out of 8 thriving indicators thus empowering the child within his/her environment. Data collected from the school administrator highlighted that the project positively impacted the school climate because parents, students, and teachers felt more connected to the school, and student referrals were down for (a) discipline (35%), (b) academics (66%), and (c) suspensions (51%). School climate survey data revealed that teacher perceptions changed from negative to positive in all three climate categories (a) relationships, (b) organizational attributes, and (c) personal development. The study concludes that an eco-developmental approach to school-based, universal mental health is a promising means to nurture connections in all systems of a child’s ecology.

The adolescent behavioral index: Identifying students at risk for disengagement in high school

BACKGROUND: Proposed frameworks of college and career readiness include aspects of school climate perceptions and behavioral engagement. School climate initiatives emphasize the importance of healthy learning environments; while behavioral indicators tend to be used to identify students at-risk for disengagement, established early warning systems include few, if any, behavioral indicators. A promising and useful screening mechanism that combines behavioral indicators along with school climate perceptions may enhance identification of adolescents at risk for disengagement, academic failure, and dropout, and may ultimately improve college and career readiness. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-reported adolescent perceptions of school climate and extant high school academic and behavioral data to create an index score which could be used as an early warning system for student disengagement. METHODS: To accomplish the stated objective, we employed structural equation modeling to estimate a multiple indicators multiple causes model using a sample of high school students (n = 5039) with and without disabilities. Extant school data included grade point average, attendance, tardies, and office discipline referrals, while school climate was measured using the Georgia Brief School Climate survey. RESULTS: Findings show evidence of a robust Adolescent Behavioral Index when controlled for disability status as those with disabilities are expected to have lower index scores indicating greater risk for school disengagement. CONCLUSION: Implications for research and practice are focused on the Adolescent Behavioral Index as a mechanism for systematic data collection that may underlie early warning systems in high schools specifically when designing college and career readiness interventions for adolescents and when identifying students who may be at risk for disengagement.

Queer punishments: School safety and youth of color in the United States

ABSTRACT Although educational research and policymaking in the United States has generally framed LGBTQ youth and youth of color as mutually exclusive groups, LGBTQ youth of color are increasingly included in discourses surrounding school safety. These discourses tend to position youth as vulnerable, at-risk subjects who are passive victims of interpersonal homophobia. Using the theoretical frameworks queer of color critique and queer necropolitics, and a situational analysis mapping strategy, we analyzed GLSEN’s 2019 National School Climate Survey report, breakout reports on LGBTQ youth of color, and related advocacy efforts. These frameworks helped us consider how school climate research and policymaking relies on carceral logics that center and uphold whiteness. The GLSEN reports function as a form of embedded science that mobilizes individual understandings of violence and queer investments in punishment. We offer queer of color critique as a strategy for researchers and policymakers to get unstuck on school safety.

The Relationship between Teacher Leadership and School Climate: Findings from a Teacher-Leadership Project

A positive school climate and teacher leadership have both been shown to have beneficial effects on student achievement. This study was part of a wider research effort designed to assess the effects of a teacher-leadership development project. We hypothesized that there was a positive relationship between teacher leadership development and school climate. Seventy project participants from two cohorts responded to a teacher-leadership survey and 891 personnel from 42 schools from which participant teachers were drawn responded to a school climate survey. We found that, generally, there was little relationship between school climate and teacher-leadership development. However, a more fine-grained analysis showed that, for Cohort 2, schools that encourage teacher-to-teacher interactions are likely to see personal growth and development in teacher leaders in their staff. Additional findings suggest that if teacher-to-teacher interactions are encouraged, then teachers will increase their development as teacher leaders. However, as the results are correlational and not causal, it may be that, as teachers engage more in professional development activities, they encourage more positive teacher-to-teacher interactions in their school.

The impact of school attachment and parental involvement on the positive mental health of 2SLGBTQ + students during COVID-19

On March 11th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic. On the following day, the Ontario government (Canada’s most populous province) ordered all public schools to close. By Monday, March 16th, 2020, all public schools (and most private schools) in Canada announced plans to physically shutter schools, with a shift to remote and online learning to follow soon after. This unprecedented shift in learning environment for young Canadians came at a time when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was creating a challenging environment for the mental health of all Canadians. While all students may have struggled to cope, 2SLGBTQ + students faced an unusually complex shift, as their school and home environments may have contributed differentially to the social supports and acceptance (related to their 2SLGBTQ + identity or identities) that their cisgender heterosexual peers routinely experience in their social surroundings. In this paper, we explore the relationship between school attachment, parental involvement and positive mental health in 2SLGBTQ + youth using data collected as part of the Second Annual School Climate Survey on Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia in Canadian Schools.

Can a school climate survey accurately and equitably measure school quality? Examining the multilevel structure and invariance of the Georgia School Climate Scale

School climate measures are increasingly utilized as one indicator of school quality within educational accountability systems. However, concerns have been raised about the accuracy of these indicators given that school climate surveys are often not validated using multilevel methods. Further, cross-school comparisons in climate may not be trustworthy because the school-level invariance of climate surveys has not been investigated. There is a need to examine the validity of school-level climate constructs and to determine if surveys measure climate equitably for schools that serve underrepresented populations. The aim of the current study was to examine the multilevel factor structure of a statewide school climate survey to determine whether it measured climate equitably for students of different races/ethnicities and across schools with varying racial/ethnic and socioeconomic compositions. Participants included 259,778 students from 427 middle schools throughout a southeastern U.S. state. Cross-level invariance analyses revealed that the climate constructs were measured differently across levels of analysis, and school-level climate could not be interpreted as merely the aggregate of individual-level climate. Student- and school-level factorial invariance was tested using multilevel modeling procedures. Results revealed item bias with respect to student and school characteristics, and the relationships between school climate and student and school demographics changed after accounting for identified bias. As more educational agencies consider including school climate surveys in their accountability systems, these findings suggest that multilevel validation procedures and school-level invariance analyses are necessary to ensure accurate and equitable measurement.

Construct and Structural Equivalence of the English and Spanish versions of the Authoritative School Climate Survey

This study evaluated the construct and structural equivalence of the English and Spanish versions of the authoritative school climate survey (ASCS). Measurement invariance was evaluated through increasingly restrictive tests on a sample of N = 6976 high school students, with focus on the three core ASCS scales: Students' Willingness to Seek Help, Teacher Respect for Students, and Disciplinary Structure. Results provided support for the configural, metric, and scalar invariance of these scales across versions. Because school climate is often measured through reports of student perceptions that are aggregated to the school level, these results provide an additional resource for schools looking to increase the diversity of their students’ voice through more equitable tools.

School structure, bullying by teachers, moral disengagement, and students' aggression: A mediation model.

AimUnderstanding interrelations between the factors predicting students’ aggressive behavior is a priority for bullying-prevention programs. Our study explores two possible mechanisms linking school disciplinary structure and students’ aggression. We test students’ moral disengagement and bullying by teachers as mediational pathways from school authoritative discipline to students’ aggressive behavior.MethodsWe used a regionally representative sample of 213 schools that participated in a school climate survey in Kaluga Oblast (a federal subject of Russia) in 2019. The analytical sample contained the anonymous responses of 16,809 students from grades 6–9 (12–15 years old); 51% of the respondents were girls. The analytical procedure consisted of structural equation modeling (SEM), which was implemented in Mplus 8.7.ResultsThe mediation model fit the data well, suggesting that the clarity and fairness of school rules negatively predicted peer aggression, while student moral disengagement and bullying by teachers independently and partially mediated this association.ConclusionWe confirm that authoritative school climate, characterized by a clear and fair disciplinary structure, is associated with a decrease in bullying. Novel result is the evidence for mediating mechanisms and the influence of teachers’ aggression on students’ behavior. Prevention programs designed to increase the fairness and consistency of school rules, eliminate bullying and humiliation from teachers, and decrease students’ moral disengagement may reduce violence and victimization at school.

Criticalizing Teacher Perceptions of Urban School Climate: Exploring the Impact of Racism and Race-Evasive Culture in a Predominantly White Teacher Workforce

This study seeks to critically examine perceptions of urban school climate from a predominantly white teacher workforce and discuss the role that white identity, as the Dominant culture, plays in maintaining the status quo of racialized school climate. Participants included 145 teachers from a large southwestern urban setting. Teachers’ perceptions were measured by the Teacher Perceptions of Urban School Climate survey that includes six dimensions that are important aspects of urban school climate: (1) Leadership, Relationality, and Care, (2) Perceptions of Security and Safety, (3) Student Belonging, (4) Constructivist Teacher Practice, (5) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and (6) Educator Retention. Results indicate that elementary school teachers had more positive perceptions of urban school climate and beginning teachers were less positive about aspects of urban school climate. Implications stemming from the results are discussed including the role whiteness and racism play in teacher perceptions of urban school climate and teacher education.

‘This school is too diverse’: fragile feelings among white boys at elite independent schools

ABSTRACT As U.S. elite independent schools become more racially inclusive, white students may perceive a shift in their social position. Using qualitative data from school climate surveys at 10 such schools, 2014-2018, we explore how white adolescent boys experience these shifts emotionally. We find that a subset of particularly vocal white boys express key characteristics of white fragility and colorblind racism both in the negative feelings they report and the frames they use to explain race relations in their social worlds. Other boys, in contrast, show signs of a developing critical consciousness around race and racism in school. The findings underscore adolescence as a critical period for intervention on the developing perspectives and emotions of white boys. We conclude with a discussion of the necessity of a closer examination of how independent schools reckon with structures of whiteness in their culture as they attempt to engage in diversity and equity efforts.

Evaluation of the Metric Properties of the Delaware School Climate Survey – Student: A Study in a Sample of Serbian High School Students

The present study examined the metric properties of the Delaware School Climate Survey – Student (DSCS-S) using a sample of 1524 Serbian high school students. Of the total number of participants, 764 were male and 760 were female with age ranging from 16 to 20 years ( M = 17.67, SD = 0.65). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that a seven-factor model of school climate has an adequate fit with the data. Furthermore, measurement invariance of the DSCS-S across gender was supported. Results revealed significant latent mean differences between male and female students on most dimensions of the school climate. Convergent validity of the DSCS-S was established by correlations of its dimensions with students’ academic achievement and attachment to school. Taken together, the findings of the present study indicate that the DSCS-S has the potential to be applied in measuring school climate in the Serbian educational context.

School Pushout: The Role of Supportive Strategies Versus Punitive Practices for LGBT Youth of Color.

Recently, schools have focused on supportive (e.g., behavioral supports) rather than punitive (e.g., suspension) strategies to reduce school pushout among marginalized youth. We examined the association between suspension and discipline practices for students with intersecting identities (e.g., LGBT youth of color). We used teacher and student data from 1,091 schools that participated in the California School Climate and California Healthy Kids Surveys. Relative to White LGBT youth, LGBT youth of color were at higher risk of being suspended, and youth were differentially affected by punitive policies depending on their race, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity. While supportive strategies were associated with lower risk of suspension, punitive practices were associated with higher risk of suspension, especially for LGBT youth of color.