School Climate and School Culture

Abstract

The concept of climate is a recurring theme of the three sections of this article. The inadequacy of climate as a metaphor is addressed in the first section. Teachers do, however, use the term “climate” in an explanatory and predictive way. When evaluators and researchers work with teachers they have a particular responsibility both in provision of data and in the use of concepts which frame the data. These and related issues form the second section. The third and major section portrays a model of culture which acknowledges overt and covert meanings as well as the interaction of the different levels of the model, namely beliefs, values, norms and standards, and finally behaviour. The discussion develops a linkage from the culture of the organisation to wider societal influences. School climate is placed as the most superficial level of the interactive model of school culture.

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Relationship between Principals’ Instructional Leadership, School Culture, and School Effectiveness in Pakistan

“…Okul kültürü inanışlar, değerler ve fikirlerden oluşan bir davranışlar sistemidir (Maxwell ve Thomas, 1991). Bu nedenle, okul kültürünün inşasının okul liderinin sorumluluğunda olduğu söylenebilir (Baig, 2010;Turan ve Bektas, 2013).…”

The black box revelation: in search of conceptual clarity regarding climate and culture in school effectiveness research

“…Nevertheless, within a short time the concepts and research methods became specified (Deal & Kennedy, 1982;Schein, 1985;Reichers & Schneider, 1990). At the end of the 1980s, spurred by organisational research, school research discovered the culture concept which became one of the most prominent expressions to point to the character of the school (Maxwell & Thomas, 1991;Prosser, 1999; see also Van Houtte, 2005).…”

“…In the 1970s, school climate seemed the most obvious way to gain insight into these school processes (Reynolds & Teddlie, 2000). Since the end of the 1980s, however, it experienced keen competition from the concept of school culture (Maxwell & Thomas, 1991). Both concepts are currently used interchangeably, although it is a point of discussion whether they are actually the same or not (Hoy, 1990;Denison, 1996;Glisson, 2000).…”

Communicating data to schools

“…It is through the subsequent discussion of the data that meanings emerge and understandings develop of the differential value positions that teachers hold. In the discussions the different beliefs, values, norms and standards and patterns of behaviour (Maxwell, 1991) can be scrutinised. Once discussion begins to develop in these kinds of areas it would appear more likely that the teachers would consider more than the mere superficial behaviour of the people in context and that they would be more likely to come to an understanding of the motivations of their own and others' ~viour.…”