School Culture Research Articles

The 2017 Curriculum Change in Ecuador: Representations From the School Culture

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the social representations related to the 2017 curriculum change and the educational policies implemented for curriculum development in Ecuador, evaluating the perspective of teachers, educational administrators and academics. Theoretical Framework: The research is based on theories on social representations, educational change and school culture. These theories provide a framework for understanding how the perceptions of educational actors influence the implementation of curricular reforms. Method: A qualitative approach was employed with a descriptive phenomenological design. In-depth interviews were conducted with teachers, an educational administrator from Zone 4 of the Ministry of Education, and academics to capture their experiences and perceptions. Results and Discussion: The results revealed that cultural resistances within the educational institutions hindered the fulfillment of the pedagogical objectives of the reform. Interrelationships were observed between social representations that affect the implementation of the curriculum. Implications of the research: This research highlights the importance of actively involving educational stakeholders in curriculum change processes to overcome cultural barriers and achieve successful educational reform in Ecuador. Originality/value: The study contributes to the understanding of the influence of social representations on school culture and how they impact the implementation of curriculum policies, offering new perspectives on the promotion of educational change in the country.

Leadership Training for Teachers and Students’ Classroom Performance in China

This study investigates the impact of leadership training on teachers' classroom performance and student achievement in the context of Chinese schools. The research aims to address the gap in understanding the specific effects of leadership training on teaching practices and classroom dynamics in China. Drawing upon Transformational Leadership Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, the study explores how leadership training can inspire and motivate teachers, enhance instructional quality, and foster student success. The research indicates that while educational reforms in China have emphasized the professional development of teachers, including leadership training, there is limited empirical evidence on the effectiveness of such programs. The study finds that transformational leadership practices are increasingly prevalent, with positive effects on school culture and teacher motivation. However, challenges persist, such as the gap between theoretical training and practical application, which can hinder the effective implementation of leadership training programs. The study highlights the importance of comprehensive professional development programs that align with teachers' experiences and involve active learning. It also underscores the need for targeted and practical leadership training that directly addresses classroom challenges and enhances teachers' self-efficacy. By examining the impact of leadership training on teaching practices and student performance in Shaanxi province, China, the research provides valuable insights for educators and policymakers. The findings suggest that effective leadership training can significantly contribute to the enhancement of educational quality and student achievement in China.

The Principal's Strategy in Implementing the Value of Religious Moderation in the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project

The issue of intolerance and radicalism among students must be taken seriously by school principals, who play a crucial role in managing the learning process, including in the P5 program. This research analyses the principal’s strategy in implementing the value of religious moderation in P5 and its implications for student character and school culture. This study is a qualitative research project using a case study method. Data collection methods included interviews, observations, and documentation, and the data were analyzed through reduction, presentation, and conclusion. Data verification was achieved through triangulation of sources and methods. The research results show that the principal's strategy for implementing the value of religious moderation in P5 involves three main approaches: process, program, and culture strategies. The process strategy includes planning, implementation, evaluation, and follow-up. The program strategy encompasses structuring P5 activities based on teamwork and partnerships with external parties. Meanwhile, the cultural strategy utilizes habituation activities to support the values and meaning of moderation within P5. The strategy implemented has had implications for student character, fostering awareness, tolerance, care, love for the country, and teamwork. Additionally, they have promoted a disciplined and collaborative school culture.

School Culture's Openness to Creative Solutions and Teachers' Inquiry‐Based Teaching: A Multinational Study of Asian and European Countries

ABSTRACTPrevious research suggests that teachers' adoption of inquiry‐based teaching is influenced by school culture's openness to creative solutions, with teachers' self‐efficacy in inquiry‐based teaching acting as a mediator. However, considering the potential impact of local educational and socio‐cultural context on teachers' behavior, findings from one country may not readily generalize to another. For example, in regions with limited exposure and resources for inquiry‐based teaching, self‐efficacy may play a more prominent mediating role. Therefore, examining the comparative relationship between school culture's openness to creative solutions and teaching practices in Asian and European countries is worthwhile. This multinational study employed data from 23 Asian and European countries to scrutinize the connection between school culture's openness to creative solutions and inquiry‐based teaching, with teachers' self‐efficacy in inquiry‐based teaching as the mediating factor. The results extended the findings of a previous single‐country investigation and provided evidence supporting an indirect effect of school culture's openness to creative solutions on inquiry‐based teaching as mediated by teacher self‐efficacy across all 23 countries. Furthermore, it revealed stronger effects in Asian countries compared to their European counterparts.

Special Education Teachers’ Perspectives on Race and Restorative Justice

Restorative justice has become a widely used intervention in urban schools to address the ways that students of color and students with disabilities disproportionately face punitive disciplinary action. As such, understanding the perspectives of teachers of these students is of the utmost importance. Using Dis/ability Critical Race Studies as a theoretical framework, this interpretivist interview study centers the perspectives of three special education teachers as restorative justice is implemented at a predominantly Black urban school. This work has implications for more culturally relevant implementation of restorative justice. It also highlights the ways that race and disability impact school culture.

The Role of Human Resource Management Strategy in Creating Superior Quality Educators

This research is motivated by the urgent need for schools to have competent and superior human resources (HR) to support the success of education. HR management is strategically related to individuals' contribution to achieving academic goals. The quality of human resources in schools is essential in determining the quality of education and achieving national standards. This research aims to understand the role of human resource management in creating superior human resources in schools. The method used is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to analyze 30 nationally accredited articles from Google Scholar. SLR was chosen because it can provide a comprehensive picture and synthesize various relevant research results, resulting in more valid and reliable conclusions. The study results show that human resource management is central to creating quality education personnel through administrative management and teacher recruitment and selection, professional development, performance evaluation, welfare, fair compensation, school culture development, and conflict management. All of these aspects support each other in building superior human resources, ultimately improving the quality of education. This study contributes significantly to understanding the importance of HR management in the educational environment. It offers best practices that schools can apply to improve the quality of education personnel.

Educational teams: building professional and organizational learning communities

Quality education that prepares young people to think and make ethically responsible decisions seems to be the only sustainable solution to respond to today’s global challenges. However, this capacity to learn requires a new school grammar, through the creation of conditions, structures and cultures that promote relationships and synergies capable of transforming teachers and school leaders into creative learners and facilitators of learning. In this sense, this study sought to understand the effects of a change in the organizational dynamics of a school, the organization of teaching by educational teams, on the individual, collective and organizational learning of this school organization. To this end, we adopted a fundamentally qualitative research approach, which we operationalized through a case study, based on a quali-quanti approach. We combined a descriptive statistical analysis of two questionnaires with a content analysis of interviews, focus discussion groups, and field notes from classroom observations and educational team meetings. The analysis of all these data points to the fact that effective change in schools and education that promotes deep learning for teachers and, consequently, for students and the organization, requires joint and articulated action not only at the level of structure and leadership, but also at the level of beliefs and school cultures.

Enacting anti-bullying procedures in dynamic school environments: insights from primary school principals in the Republic of Ireland

ABSTRACT This paper explores how primary school principals in the Republic of Ireland engage with the Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools (DES 2013b). Informed by theoretical literature on policy enactment, the paper illustrates the complex, context-dependent process of enactment. Through qualitative interviews with ten primary school principals, the research uncovers the challenges they face in enacting standardised anti-bullying procedures in their unique school environments. The findings highlight the crucial role of principals in cultivating a positive school culture and managing the expectations of various stakeholders, including parents and teachers. Although distributed leadership is encouraged, the paper reveals that principals often carry the primary burden of responsibility, leading to feelings of isolation and significant pressure. Additionally, the research identifies considerable gaps in teacher education and professional learning. The paper advocates for more flexible, context-sensitive policies that provide better support for school leaders and recommends improved professional learning, shared leadership, and parental engagement to enhance the effectiveness of anti-bullying efforts. As the Department of Education in Ireland revises its anti-bullying procedures, this paper offers critical insights that can guide the development of more effective, supportive policies tailored to the complex realities faced by school leaders.

Factors that support teachers as educational professionals doing doctoral studies: an integrative literature review

In recent decades, various initiatives have been established to support the professional development of teachers and their school context. In some cases, they provide teachers the opportunity to combine their profession with doctoral studies. This paper explores factors that support teacher research as part of school practice and academia. It takes the perspective of teachers as a starting point and examines their experiences through the lens of the learning potential of boundaries. A review of empirical studies was conducted from various international educational contexts through an integrative literature review. The selected empirical studies (n = 13) contributed to a better understanding of the complexity of this undertaking, and three themes were generated as main factors: (1) a stimulating school culture; (2) engaging with the academic community; (3) and aligning the research design with the practitioners’ needs.

Study on the Teaching Path of Integrating Hongyan Spirit into High School Philosophy and Culture Course

Hongyan spirit is a characteristic local red culture and an important part of the spiritual pedigree. It has rich ideological and political resources and can inject spiritual motivation into the growth of high school students. Based on the analysis of the connotation and value of Hongyan Spirit and the overview of the content related to Hongyan Spirit in the course of Philosophy and Culture in high school, this paper proposes to develop school-based curriculum, innovate teaching methods, combine online and offline, and experience roles, enhance the cognition of specific paths, enhance students' patriotic feelings, strengthen students' ideals and beliefs, and implement the goal of cultivating virtues and cultivating people. To provide students with mental calcium.

Black Girls Seeing Urban Schools: Visual, Affective, and Discursive (Re)Conceptualizations of Safety

Joining the chorus of Black/Critical Race Feminist scholarship in education, this article explores how both affect and visuality inform understandings of safety for Black girls in schools. Using participatory visual ethnography, I explore how five young Black women at a Philadelphia magnet school conceptualize safety as an affective achievement of visionary school design. I argue that any attempt to address safety for Black girls in urban schools must include attention to the visual school culture and the affective dimensions of the school environment to fully account for the ways these dimensions counter or enable further physical, emotional, or spiritual harm.

MEDIATING EFFECT OF WORK ENVIRONMENT OF SCHOOL HEADS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND SCHOOL CULTURE

This study sought to ascertain the role that the workplace environment played in mediating the link between ethical leadership and school climate. Data were collected from 300 respondents who are elementary public school teachers of the public elementary schools in the province of Davao Oriental using a quantitative, non-experimental design using a correlational approach. For data gathering, the researcher used an online survey and stratified random sampling. Additionally, the researcher used the Pearson r, Med graph employing the Sobel z-test and mean statistical methods. According to the study's findings, there are very high levels of mean scores for ethical leadership, a high level for school culture, and a high level for work environment. Additionally, the findings showed a substantial association between ethical leadership and work environment, a large relationship between work environment and school culture, and a substantial relationship between ethical leadership and both. Additionally, it was discovered that the relationship between ethical leadership and school culture was somewhat mediated by the workplace.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0799/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Teacher competency development model of higher vocational schools in Shandong province, China

Teacher competency is fundamental to successful vocational education reforms and quality enhancement. The rapid economic transformation and industrial upgrading in Shandong Province require highly skilled talents, prompting the implementation of modern vocational education (MVE) reform. However, the current competency of vocational teachers (VTs) often falls short of MVE standards, and there is an urgent need for a development model suitable for regional characteristics as a guide. In this study, we aim to assess the current state of VT competency development in Shandong Province and propose an integrated competency development model tailored to its specific needs. Our research employed a mixed-methods design, incorporating a cross-sectional survey of 280 VTs and 140 administrators and semi-structured interviews with management personnel. We conducted the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on a comprehensive survey questionnaire and identified six key determinants of VT competency development. Based on these findings and expert interviews, we developed an integrated competency development model, comprising the teacher’s personal qualities and educational philosophy, educational technology competence, digital teaching competence, social policy, professional identity, and school culture and support. This model offers practical implications for designing effective teacher training programs and establishing supportive institutional environments, ultimately aiming to enhance the quality of vocational education through improved teacher competency.

Learning Object Repository Systems and Their Use in Greek Education

The article explores how modern information and communication technologies (ICT) enhance educational quality, emphasizing the importance of pedagogically sound applications to address the limitations of traditional educational systems. While ICT offers considerable benefits, such as increased engagement and support for collaborative learning, the integration of these technologies in education presents challenges, including disparities in access and shifts in learning methodologies. The concept of Open Educational Resources (OER) is highlighted as a transformative approach, allowing for the creation and sharing of diverse learning materials, which are crucial for promoting accessibility and equity in education. Additionally, the article discusses organizational development issues that schools face when implementing ICT, such as the need for adaptive school cultures, leadership support, and the alignment of school policies with ICT goals. It also presents examples of digital repositories and open educational resources, like Project Gutenberg, ERIC, and MIT OpenCourseWare, which provide free access to educational materials. In Greece, national projects have introduced digital literacy into the school community, with repositories such as Photodentro LOR and Helios, supporting the country's commitment to digital education aligned with the European Digital Agenda.

Exposure to Violence at Home and Bullying in School: A Test of an Additional Layer of General Strain Theory

ABSTRACT School bullying continues to be a major concern in Trinidad and Tobago. Despite its prevalence and governmental efforts to reduce bullying, relatively few studies have examined the relationship between exposure to violence at home and school bullying in this nation. This study intends to examine the relationship between exposure to violence at home, anger, school culture toward bullying, and school bullying within the context of General Strain Theory. Using data collected from 1,248 students in ten primary schools in Trinidad, this study found that exposure to violence at home had significant influences on bullying in school. Further, anger significantly mediated the relationship between exposure to violence at home and school bullying while the moderating effects of anger and school culture favorable toward bullying were statistically significant.

Exploring Language Teacher Education through Researcher-Practitioner Co-construction of Differentiated Instruction

Differentiated instruction has been advocated for embracing learner diversity, but it has been found that differentiated instruction implementation is difficult and teachers often feel unprepared. This qualitative case study explored the professional development of two English language teachers in two participating schools of a school-university collaboration project on diversity management in Hong Kong. Based on the data collected from co-planning meetings, lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and artefacts, the study showed that research-informed teaching and teaching-informed research were both indispensable to differentiated instruction infrastructure building; school cultures and teacher efficacies both affected teachers’ attitudes towards researcher-practitioner collaboration modes for professional development. Teachers whose efficacy and professional learning community remained at a developing stage tended to rely on an expert-guided collaboration mode. Yet, those whose efficacy and professional learning community had advanced would prefer a more self-redirected learning mode. These findings shed light on bridging the researcher-practitioner divide in teacher education.

Reproductive health of female students in Islamic boarding school culture: A literature review

Reproductive health in Islamic boarding schools is still a special concern, because female students in Islamic boarding schools are teenagers, namely 12-19 years old. This article aims to discuss adolescent reproductive health in relation to the culture in Islamic boarding schools. One model of education in Indonesia is Islamic boarding schools which prioritises religious education and are supported by dormitories as a place to live, where they interact with their peers 24 hours a day. Islamic boarding schools prioritize a simple way of life, independence, discipline and cooperation. ,using the literature review method, This methodology involves a comprehensive database search in Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate. The main search terms used were ‘adolescent reproductive health’ and ‘Islamic boarding school culture'. Eight articles were obtained for analysis of topic relevance, objectives, methods used, sample size, and results in each article. We evaluated the relevance of the selected articles to the topic.. However, health problems in Islamic boarding schools still require attention, such as access to health services, healthy behavior and environmental health which can affect reproductive health. Students gain knowledge about reproductive health from classical books. Reproductive health education in Islamic boarding schools tends to be normative with culture obtained from classical books.

Transformational Leadership as a Strategy to Improve Working Relations in Schools through Islamic Values

The research investigates the role of transformational leadership as an effective strategy for improving working relationships in schools by integrating Islamic values. The study explores how leadership that motivates, inspires, and empowers individuals within the educational environment can create a positive work atmosphere. Islamic values such as honesty, cooperation, mutual trust, and responsibility are central to building harmonious relationships among teachers, students, and the broader school community. The research employs a systematic literature review methodology, gathering data from academic journals, books, and relevant articles. The principal findings suggest that transformational leadership based on Islamic values not only enhances collaboration but also fosters a warm, empathetic, and supportive school environment, contributing to both character development and academic success. In conclusion, transformational leadership, underpinned by Islamic values, plays a critical role in fostering a cooperative and trust-based school culture. This leadership model positively impacts the broader educational system, making it a significant contribution to the field of educational leadership, especially within Islamic education contexts.

Mediation of digital literacy in investigating the effect of school culture on teacher performance: Implication for educational policy

The digital era has transformed education, making digital literacy essential for teachers to integrate technology and enhance student outcomes effectively. This study aims to examine how school culture influences teachers’ performance through their digital literacy, focusing on junior high school teachers in Malang City, East Java, Indonesia. Employing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 214 teachers out of a 457 population using questionnaires. The analysis was conducted through AMOS for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), SPSS for descriptive statistics, and PLS-SEM for hypothesis testing. The findings reveal that school culture significantly affects teachers’ digital literacy (Ho1) and teacher performance (Ho2) with supportive and innovative environments, while rigid cultures limit creativity. Furthermore, digital literacy was found to enhance teachers’ performance (Ho3) and mediate the impact of school culture on teachers’ performance (Ho4), enhancing teachers’ effectiveness in planning, implementing, and evaluating instruction. This study highlights the critical role of school culture in shaping digital literacy and offers new insights for improving teacher practices in diverse educational settings. Moreover, the role of education policies in fostering a collaborative school culture that enhances teachers’ digital literacy and performance, leading to improved educational outcomes, plays a crucial implication.

Risk factors threatening children’s safety in the school environment

School safety encompasses risk reduction efforts to ensure that children act in an environment that is safe and promotes the well-being of the students to achieve their full potential. Therefore, a safe and secure environment is a prerequisite for effective teaching and learning. This scoping review aims to address a range of school safety risk factors and introduce the complexity of school safety. School is believed to be a safe learning and growing environment; however, various conditions can threaten children’s safety in a school setting and lead to injuries caused by accidents, risky or/ aggressive behavior, or environmental exposure. In addition to the physical, psychological, and behavioral characteristics of children that make them particularly vulnerable to accidents, there are several unpredictable risks associated with natural or man-made conditions or disasters that can also put children at extreme risk. A balance between safety, surveillance, and emergency preparedness measures may be beneficial to create a safety culture in schools that will enable student behavioral and intervention support.