A multilevel study of predictors of student perceptions of school climate: The effect of classroom-level factors.

Abstract

A positive school climate is an important component of successful and effective schools and thus is often an aim of schoolwide initiatives. Climate has traditionally been conceptualized as a school-level factor and is often assumed to be related to other school-level factors (e.g., school size). The current study examines variation in perceptions of climate based on individual-, classroom-, and school-level factors to determine the influence of predictors at multiple levels. Data come from 2,468 5th graders from 37 public elementary schools. Two aspects of students' perception of school climate, order and discipline, and achievement motivation are examined. Multilevel analyses in hierarchical linear modeling indicate that individual-level factors (race and sex) accounted for the largest proportion of variance in perceptions of school climate. School-level factors (e.g., school size and faculty turnover) and several classroomlevel factors (e.g., characteristics of the teacher, class size, and the concentration of students with behavior problems) were also significant predictors of perceptions of climate. These findings suggest that characteristics of the classroom environment are important to consider when aiming to improve school climate.

School climate and exposure to bullying: a multilevel study

“…The concept of school climate has been defined as the collective beliefs, values, and attitudes that prevail at the school and that are (re)produced through social interactions between students, teachers, and other school staff (Koth et al, 2008). Measures of school climate include students' perceptions of relationships among students, student-teacher relationships, fairness, order and discipline, parent involvement, sharing of resources, and achievement motivation (Kuperminc, Leadbeater, & Blatt, 2001;Kuperminc, Leadbeater, Emmons, & Blatt, 1997).…”

“…We apply multilevel modeling to Swedish large-scale school survey data. We focus on the class level, because it is likely that the climate, including teacher behavior, varies across classes in the same school (Koth, Bradshaw, & Leaf, 2008).…”

Investigating the Connection Between School Democracy and Classroom Climate Using Structural Equation Modelling

“…A többszintű megközelíté-sek azért célravezetők, mert rámutatnak arra, hogy az egyéni szinten vizsgált tényezők (pl. a nem) jelentősebb hatást gyakorolnak az osztálytermi és iskolai klíma megítélésére, mint az osztálytermi és az iskolai szinten mérhető változók (Koth, Bradshaw és Leaf, 2008).…”

Violencia y Clima Escolar en Establecimientos Educacionales en Contextos de Alta Vulnerabilidad Social de Santiago de Chile

“…Por el contrario, que la correlación entre la violencia de profesores hacia estudiantes y la percepción del clima escolar sea semejante en establecimientos con clima regular o bueno podría deberse a que las interacciones del profesor con el alumno adquieren más importancia en el contexto del clima del aula (Cornejo & Redondo, 2001), el cual, si bien se relaciona con el clima escolar, es diferente: un establecimiento puede tener un buen clima general, pero mal clima en un aula o al revés (Koth, Bradshaw & Leaf, 2008;Van der Sijde, 1988, citado en Kuperminc, Leadbeater, Emmons & Blatt, 1997. Por ello, la relación entre la violencia y la calidad de las relaciones entre profesores y alumnos tendría mayor vinculación con el concepto de clima de aula -aspecto que podría expresarse de manera diferente de una sala de clases a otra-que con el clima general del establecimiento, el cual sería compartido por la mayoría de los estudiantes.…”