School Level Environment Questionnaire Research Articles

The predictive effect of cultural orientation and perceived school climate on the formation of teachers’ growth mindsets

This study aimed to examine the predictive effect of cultural orientation and perceived school climate on the formation of teachers’ growth mindsets. A total of 811 middle school teachers (26.88% females; mean age = 29.77) from Shanghai City, mainland China, participated in the study. The growth mindset inventory, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and the school-level environment questionnaire were used to assess teachers’ growth mindset beliefs, cultural orientations, and perceptions of school climates, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were applied to test the hypothesized roles of teachers’ cultural orientations and perceived school climates in predicting the formation of their growth mindsets. Two interesting findings were obtained. First, regarding the effect of cultural orientation, teachers’ growth mindset belief was positively predicted by the Confucian dimension of cultural value in relation to long-term orientation but negatively predicted by the dimensions of power distance and uncertainty avoidance. Second, regarding the predictive effect of school climate, growth mindset was positively predicted by three school climate factors: school resources, decision-making, and instructional innovation. These findings provide empirical evidence for the perspectives of social cognitive theory and cultural and ecological psychology by highlighting the contextual sensitivity of growth mindset formation. These findings also have practical implications because they highlight the need to consider cultural and school climate factors in the promotion of teachers’ growth mindsets.

How do teachers innovate? Role of efficacy for innovation and school climate perception

AbstractStudies on teachers' innovative work behavior (IWB) have identified the importance of self‐efficacy beliefs and school climate. However, there is a lack of understanding of innovation‐specific self‐efficacy beliefs in earlier research. Further, the relative importance of these variables for teachers' IWB is yet to be examined. Objectives of the present study were to (i) conceptualize and develop an instrument to assess innovative self‐efficacy (ISE) of school teachers, and (ii) examine the dynamics of relationships among ISE, perceived school climate, and IWB of teachers. The research was classified into two studies. In both studies, data were collected randomly from secondary and higher secondary teachers of private, government, and government‐aided schools in Kolkata (INDIA) and adjoining areas. Study 1 dealt with the first objective, that is, the construction of the ISE scale. Factor structure and psychometric properties of the scale were tested on 300 teachers. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two dimensions: teaching reflection and teaching design implementation. In Study 2, ISE scale, IWB Scale, and Revised School Level Environment Questionnaire were administered to 400 teachers. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed, and goodness of fit estimates was calculated for the ISE scale, indicating an acceptable fit. Further, hierarchical regression analyses noted that school climate factors (collaboration, school resources, decision‐making, and instructional innovation) moderated the relationship between teaching reflection efficacy and IWB. In the current backdrop of different educational reforms, IWB is a thrust that needs to be promoted among school teachers. The present study implies that school administration can encourage teachers' innovativeness by increasing opportunities for innovation in school. Training and intervention programs aimed at enhancing teachers' ISE levels will also increase IWB in them.

Validity of school-level environment questionnaire (SLEQ): a case of high school teachers in Vietnam

Validity of school-level environment questionnaire (SLEQ): a case of high school teachers in Vietnam

The Relationship between Perception of School Climate and Teacher Motivation

The relationship between organizational climate and employee motivation is one of the fundamental questions in the field of work performance research. Previous research has shown that a more favorable social, emotional and work context contributes to greater employee engagement and higher productivity. The subject of this research was the relationship between the teachers’ perception of school climate and their work motivation. This paper presents the results obtained from a sample of 467 teachers from 25 elementary schools in the wider city area of Tuzla. The School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) and the Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST) were used to collect data. The obtained results suggest that the school climate, as perceived by teachers, has predictor value in relation to their motivation. In terms of predictor value for identified regulation, motivation, and internal motivation, a collaboration between teachers and relationships with students stands out. Nevertheless, the small amount of explained variance is an indicator that teacher motivation is in its entirety mostly determined by the sum of actions of other factors. In this way, however, a small part of the total variance of motivation is explained, which suggests that motivation is mostly determined by the sum of the actions of other factors.

The effects of school climate on high school teacher stress and self-efficacy in Ho Chi Minh City

This study applies a Variance-Based Structural Equation Modelling, to preliminarily assess the School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) in the context of high school education in Vietnam. The paper then identified school climate factors affecting teacher self-efficacy and stress. Also, the study was conducted to test the relationship between stress and teacher self-efficacy. Data were collected from 628 high school teachers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Of school climate factors, the study shows that affiliation, innovation, and professional interest had a positive direct impact on teacher self-efficacy and that student conduct and staff autonomy had a negative direct impact on their perceived stress. This study also confirms that work pressure of school climate had a positive direct impact on teacher stress beliefs. Surprisingly, staff autonomy had a positive direct impact on teacher self-efficacy and a negative direct impact on teacher stress. Practically, these findings suggest that to improve teachers’ sense of efficacy, high school leaders in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam can take action to improve a supportive school climate by focussing on affiliation. This study also reflects the efforts of Vietnam in its education reform which also requires teacher efforts in changing teaching methods through continuous professional development. In addition to the development of a supportive school climate, staff autonomy is also a concern requiring consideration to reduce stress for teachers, which was not reported elsewhere. Theoretically, this study contributes to the inconclusive relation between the three constructs: school climate, teacher stress, and self-efficacy.

Validating the School-Level Environment Questionnaire within the Vietnamese Educational Context

In recent years, researchers have increasingly focused on dimensions of the school environment because of their effects on teachers’ outcomes such as teaching efficacy, job satisfaction, and commitment. However, current literature illustrates that not many studies on different aspects regarding schools’ environmental issues have been conducted in Vietnam. The purpose of this research, thus, was to validate the psychometric properties in the 56-item School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ), which was translated into Vietnamese and administered to 387 Vietnamese junior high school teachers. Factorial analysis indicated that the eight-factor structure of the original SLEQ, which included innovation, resource adequacy, professional interest, affiliation, student support, mission consensus, empowerment, and work pressure, was appropriate for junior high school teachers’ psychometric properties. The internal consistency and reliability of general scale and eight subscales were satisfactory. The results confirmed the suitability of the SLEQ for measuring teachers’ perceptions of their school environment within the Vietnamese educational context. The study suggests to investigate the validity of the SLEQ, apart from other issues, with a different sample among elementary and secondary school teachers.

Perception of School Climate as a Mediating Factor in Relation between Teacher Motivation and the Perceived School Principal Leadership Style

This paper presents the results obtained on a sample of 467 teachers from 25 elementary schools in the wider city area of Tuzla. The subject of the research was the relationship between the principal leadership styles, as perceived by teachers, and the work motivation of teachers, through the perception of the school climate as a potential determinant of this relationship. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Work Tasks Motivation Scale for Teachers (WTMST), and the School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) were used to collect data. The obtained results indicate that the principal leadership style, perceived by teachers, affects teacher motivation directly, and indirectly, through the teachers’ perception of the school climate. This, however, explains a small part of the total variance of motivation, which suggests that motivation is mostly determined by the sum of other factors.

KEPIMPINAN INSTRUKSIONAL PENTADBIR SEKOLAH DAN HUBUNGANNYA DENGAN IKLIM SEKOLAH

The leadership factor of a school is important in creating a conducive school climate to provide an effective learning environment. This study was conducted to identify the relationship between instructional leadership and school climate in Medium Performing Secondary Schools in the State of Kelantan. A total of 355 (L = 137, P = 218) respondents were involved in this study from 18 schools involved. Two (2) types of instruments were used to obtain research data, namely the Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale instrument by Hallinger and Murphy (1985) and the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) instrument by Johnson, Stevens, and Zvoch (2007). Both of these measuring instruments use a seven-point interval scale. The data were then analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 25 which involved Pearson correlation analysis. The findings of the study showed that there was a very strong positive relationship, and this value was significant (r = .90, p <.01) for the relationship between the instructional leadership of school administrators with the level of school climate. The findings of this study can be used by school leaders as a guide in evaluating the aspects of leadership that they have practiced over the years to form a positive school climate that can provide an effective learning environment. In addition, the findings of this study can also be a basic reference to improve various instructional leadership skills such as sharing vision, values, duties, and responsibilities of organizations that have a very strong relationship with school climate to create a conducive and effective school climate in improving school excellence.

The Influence of School Practices on Academic Self-Efficacy Towards Mathematics Achievement

The purpose of this article is to specify whether there is any influence of school practices towards mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics outcomes. The studies about the effect of school practice on student achievement have a long history both domestically and abroad. However, the investigation of how the social context of school and practices affect student performance is not clear, especially in mathematics. To investigate this, I will chose al-touri secondary school where I teach as a case-study for my research. The instrument use for the article will be based on a questionnaire, which contains 2 sections. Section 1 will contain “School Level Environment Questionnaire” (SLEQ). Section 2 will contain “Mathematic Self-efficacy Questionnaire” (MSEQ). The mathematic scores of students will be taken for the first and second semester to compare between them and to see if there is a significant relationship between school practices and mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics outcomes. The findings indicate that there is a significant difference in students’ perception about their school practice and mathematic self-efficacy based on their achievement and according to ANOVA test, there is a relationship between school practices and mathematic self-efficacy. The result from this study can be generalized to the population of all schools in the Arab Sectors in Israel. Moreover, we can use the questionnaires obtained in the study to identify the strengths and weaknesses of schools in their teaching and learning process and to focus on improving their latter, at the same time maintaining the strength of their teaching strategies.

PRINCIPAL'S LEADERSHIP STYLE, AS PERCEIVED BY TEACHERS, IN RELATION TO TEACHER'S EXPERIENCE FACTOR OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

The experience of the environment in which the activity is performed is a significant factor of the outcome of this activity, that is, the efficiency of the work and the degree of achieving the goal. Within the work environment, physical and social conditions can be observed. The first, which includes material and technical means, are mostly static, easily perceivable and measurable. Others, which include social relations, are much more susceptible to change, more difficult to perceive and measure, and their experience with different individuals within the same group can be more distinct. Although all members of the group participate in group dynamics and relationships, not all are equally relevant to these processes. Considering the position that carries the right and responsibility of setting up a vision and mission, setting goals, creating conditions for work, making decisions and providing feedback, the leader is in most cases crucial. This paper analyzes the role of elementary school principals in creating a school climate, as a non - material environment in which educational activity is carried out, and in this sense it is a specific group / work organization. An estimate was used to measure both variables, i.e. teacher's experience. The instruments used are Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire - MLQ (Avolio and Bass) and School Level Environment Questionnaire - SLEQ (Johnson, Stevens and Zvoch). The survey was conducted in elementary schools in the wider city area of Tuzla, on a sample of 467 teachers and 25 principals. In statistical data processing, multiple regression (Ordinary least squares) and direct square discriminatory analysis were applied. The obtained results point to the connection between the perceived leadership style of elementary school principals and the school climate experienced by teachers, especially in the field of innovation in teaching and mutual cooperation.

Leadership Styles of Principals and Teachers of Nigerian Unity Schools: Using School Environment as a Tool For School Achievement

Collaborative, non-traditional leadership practices have attracted little attention in research about sustainable school achievement in Nigerian unity schools. The involvement of teachers in the administration of schools is well justified and arise from the need to boost school environment for the sake of attaining school achievement. The absence of teachers in the administration of unity schools impedes the proper attainment of school achievement. The purpose of this research is to reports on the outcomes of transformational leadership efforts in Nigerian unity schools aimed at enhancing the use of teachers in the administrative set-up. This study was carried out in seven selected unity schools all located in the north-eastern part of Nigeria. The study used Multifactor questionnaire 5x, School level environment questionnaire (SLEQ) and School Improvement questionnaire (SIQ) with 5 Likert-scale that involved the use of 800 questionnaires which were sent in which 790 were returned and 760 found valid for data analysis. Participants were drawn from a wide range of disciplines across the sampled schools. The establishment and operation of these school relied on a transformational leadership methodology by principals that facilitates acts of initiative, innovation, vision and courage through group interaction rather than through designated hierarchical roles. This research used the quantitative approach. The study found out that transformational leadership approach is effective in overcoming problems associated with lack of involvement of teachers in the building of a fruitful environment capable of bringing a good school achievement through cultivating the habit of a transformational leader, the principals of unity schools enabled teachers and other stake holders to engage in peer-led professional learning, collaborative curriculum and pedagogical development, and to facilitate wider institutional change (school achievement). This paper demonstrates that the transformational leadership model for a high school achievement reported here is effective in building capacity for both teachers and students via involvement of teachers in building the environment. The model is flexible enough for a variety of institutional settings, and hence, recommends the use of teachers in secondary school’s administration.

Teachers’ views of their school climate and its relationship with teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction

The purpose of this study, in part, was to confirm the factor structure of the School-Level Environment Questionnaire, which assesses six school climate factors that can be considered important for improving schools. The study also tested a research model of the relationships between the school climate, teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction. The participants included 781 Western Australian high-school teachers in 29 schools. When the data were analysed by means of structural equation modelling, teacher self-efficacy and teacher job satisfaction were both related to school climate dimensions and there was also a relationship between teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction. These results provide practical information for improving school climate and suggest that it is worthwhile for school principals to consider factors within the school climate and how they might be enhanced.

BURNOUT EXPERIENCE AMONG TEACHERS: A CASE STUDY

Burnout is a psychological syndrome, stemming as a response to chronic interpersonal jobs stressors, characterized by three principal dimensions: Exhaustion (the state of depletion of the individual’s emotional and physical resources due to the difficulties in facing customers’ demands); Depersonalization (the negative, off-putting and extremely distant reaction to diverse facets of the job); reduced Personal Accomplishment (referring to reduced self-esteem concerning competence, achievement and productivity at work). (Maslach and Jackson, 1981). The stream of reforms that has recently changed the Italian School, by favoring educational deregulation and increasing levels of autonomy for school boards, has increased Burnout levels among school teachers, who may feel thorn between their internal expectations (personal beliefs, motivations and professional style) and the external pressures emerging not only from students, but also from a more and more demanding school organization, oriented towards efficiency. Various contributions have posited that in the Burnout prevention a pivotal role is played by the Interpersonal Trust at work both among teachers and between teachers and the School Manager (Ceyanes and Slater, 2005; Timms et al. , 2006; Van Maele and Van Houtte, 2014), and by a good School Climate perception (Aron and Milicic, 2000; Dorman, 2003; Grayson and Alvarez, 2008). The present contribution aims at analyzing the relation between each of the three aspects of Burnout and, respectively, the diverse facets of Interpersonal Trust and the components of School Climate. Data have been collected by means of a survey encompassing three well-known instruments, namely the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI; Maslach and Jackson, 1981), the Interpersonal Trust at Work (ITW; Cook and Wall, 1980) and the Revised School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ-Revised; Johnson et al. , 2007). 120 teachers have been interviewed in six schools of Southern Italy, in the period between March and May 2014. Globally, results suggest the importance of Interpersonal Trust and School Climate in the prevention of Burnout. Exhaustion was negatively and significantly correlated with the dimension of Interpersonal Trust concerning the Faith in intentions of Peers, and with three dimensions of School Climate, namely, Student Relations, Instructional Innovation and School Resources. Depersonalization was negatively and significant correlated with three out of the four dimensions of Trust (with the exception of Faith in intentions of Management) and with two dimensions of School Climate, namely, Student Relations and School Resources. Finally, Personal Accomplishment was positively and significantly correlated with Faith in intentions of Peers and with Student Relations. Hence, support programs focusing on these crucial dimensions, might be helpful in increasing teachers’ well-being and reducing the level of burnout.

Transforming Teaching through Arts Integration

Author(s): Snyder, Lori; Klos, Patricial; Grey-Hawkins, Lauren | Abstract: Transforming Teaching through Arts IntegrationAI Implementation Results: Middle School Reform through Effective Arts Integration Professional Development In four years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) increased sixth and seventh grade student achievement on the Maryland State Assessment (MSA) by 20% at Bates Middle School, a low performing school that had been targeted for restructuring by the state. This improvement positively correlates with the implementation of the arts integration Supporting Arts Integrated Learning for Student Success (SAILSS) model funded through the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) grant. This model, offered to teachers across all content areas, incorporates extensive professional development opportunities including: an intensive weeklong workshop for teachers with artists followed by a two-week teaching lab with students; participation in an cohort to achieve an arts integration post-baccalaureate certificate,; and extensive trainings, conferences and workshops at local, regional, and national schools, museums, arts institutes, and higher education facilities. Qualitative and quantitative data collected by AACPS was assessed through a quasi-experimental design from the treatment and comparison schools utilizing the following instrumentation: state and local standardized testing, School-level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ), Arts Integration: Classroom Observations for Middle Schools (AICOM), arts integration logs and parent, student, and teacher surveys. Through this study we found that in addition to increasing student achievement on statewide assessments, implementing this arts integration model positively correlates with a 77% decline in discipline referrals, and overall positive change in school climate based on teacher, staff, student, and parent perception.

Development and use of an instrument for assessing the department-level work environment: The department-level environment questionnaire (DLEQ)

There has been little research into the work environments of teachers at the subject department level. Understanding and investigating the work environment at this level could provide insight into the type of work environment that might lead teachers to remain in the teaching profession. This article reports the development, validation and use of a work environment instrument at the subject department level. The department-level environment questionnaire (DLEQ) was developed using the school-level environment questionnaire as the parent instrument. Both Actual and Preferred Forms of the DLEQ were used. Early-career secondary school science teachers’ perceptions of the actual and preferred science department environment in New Zealand were sought. In addition, interviews with 17 % of the participants were conducted in order to find out why the teachers answered the questionnaire in the way that they did. The findings highlight the needs of this particular group of teachers. Future research opportunities for further instrument development and use of the instrument are suggested.

Principals' leadership style and school climate: teachers' perspectives from Malaysia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between secondary school teachers' perception of principal leadership style (specifically transformational and transactional leadership styles) and school climate.Design/methodology/approachThe Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was used to assess the transformational and transactional leadership styles of principals. Climate data were obtained using the School Level Environment Questionnaire. The theoretical framework of this study is derived from Theory of Leadership Style. The authors surveyed 141 teachers from 17 urban secondary schools in northern Malaysia.FindingsIt was found that transformational leadership has an effect on four aspects of school climate (affiliation, innovation, professional interest, and resource adequacy) whereas transactional leadership only effects participatory decision making.Research limitations/implicationsWhereas school climate impacts student achievement and is an important element of effective schools, it was not the focus of this study. It is recommended to use a larger sample using teachers and administrators from multiple school districts to see if similar findings would occur.Practical implicationsEducational leaders must realize the impact of principal leadership behaviour on teachers and students in their journey to improvement and create a school climate that is conducive for students to achieve at expected levels.Social implicationsThere is currently increased pressure at national, state, and local levels for all students to perform at superior standards. Both teachers and school principals are under increasing demands to improve their school's climate.Originality/valueThis study offers school boards and superintendents some insight into how the principal's leadership style may enhance the school climate.

School Environment and Locus of Control in Relation to Job Satisfaction among School Teachers – A Study from Indian Perspective

The purpose of this study is to explore different patterns of relationship of job satisfaction with school environment and locus of control in different groups of school teachers selected from different school of Kolkata, India. Another objective is to see whether there any demographic variable which play any role on the job satisfaction of the teachers. 160 data were collected from the school teachers of Kolkata, using Revised School-Level Environment Questionnaire, Rotter Locus of control scale and Teacher job satisfaction questionnaire. Results showed that job satisfaction is significantly correlated with different domains of school environment and locus of control. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that job satisfaction can be significantly predicted by locus of control and maximum domains of school environment. This study highlighted a vital impact of school environment and locus of control on job satisfaction.

The influence of school climate towards counselor's self-efficacy

The purpose of this research is to specify whether there is any influence of school climate towards counselor's self-efficacy. The subject of this research consists of 100 counsellors that were chosen randomly in secondary school in Malaysia. The instrument use for the research is based on questionnaire which is containing 3 sections. Section A contains of respondent background. Section B contains of “School Level Environment Questionnaire” (SLEQ). Section C contains of questionnaire regarding “School Counsellor Self-Efficacy Scale” (SCSE) and Section D contains of “Counselling Self-Estimate Inventory” (COSE). Pearson Product Moment Coefficient and Vicariate Linear Regression were used to analyze the data. The finding shows there is a significant relationship between school climate and counsellor's self-efficacy. The Vicariate Linear Regression Analysis also showed that the school climate was a significant predictor towards counsellor's self-efficacy. Pertaining to the research findings, several implications and recommendations were put forward.

Socio-demographic predictors of EFL teacher efficacy

Research on teachers’ beliefs and their impact on teacher cognition has been a relevant topic for educational inquiry for some decades. Teachers’ actions are tied to their beliefs, perceptions, assumptions and motivation levels. Thus, research on teachers’ beliefs is crucial in determining the way teachers understand and organize instruction. One important belief that appears to be an important influence on teacher and student outcomes is teacher efficacy. In accordance with this view and due to the increasing demand for English as a foreign language education, the present study aimed to assess EFL teachers’ efficacy level and explore the socio-demographic predictors of teacher efficacy in an EFL setting, i.e., Turkey. 226 EFL teachers working at the preparatory schools of public and private universities in Istanbul participated in this study. Data were collected by means of quantitative methods; i.e., the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (adapted from Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) and the School-Level Environment Questionnaire (Fisher & Fraser, 1990).Data collected by means of these instruments were submitted to correlation and regression analysis and independent samples t-tests. Results of the study showed that the number of professional activities teachers were involved in, average number of students in teachers’ classes, working position, type of institution, and gender were the socio-demographic factors that predicted variations in EFL teachers’ efficacy in this study.

Teachers' Perceptions of School Climate

Scores from a revised version of the School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) were validated using a sample of teachers from a large school district. An exploratory factor analysis was used with a randomly selected half of the sample. Five school environment factors emerged. A confirmatory factor analysis was run with the remaining half of the sample. Goodness-of-fit indices indicated that the factor structure fit the data reasonably well. Further analyses using structural equation modeling techniques revealed that the Revised SLEQ worked equally well for all samples. Invariance testing showed that the fitted model and the estimated parameter values were statistically equivalent across all samples. Internal consistency estimates provided further evidence of the reliability of factor scores. In addition, an analysis of variance indicated that the instrument discriminated climate differences between schools. Results suggest that the Revised SLEQ provides a good tool for studying teachers' perceptions of school climate.