Some questions to ponder on…

Why are some schools more productive than others?

What affects students’ motivation, aspirations and achievement?

Do peers have more influence over students than teachers and parents?

The School Climate

The Effects of School Climate on Student

Behaviour

Sample Definitions of “School Climate”

Thomas I Ellis (1988) The aggregate of indicators, both subjective and

objective, that convey the overall feeling or impression one gets about the school.

Brookover and his colleagues (1979) Composite of norms, expectations and believes

that characterize the school social system as perceived by members of the social system.

Deal and Kennedy (1983)An informal understanding of the way we do things

around here

The Difference Between “School Climate” and “School Culture”

The two terms are somewhat interchangeable

School climate

refers mostly to the school's effects on students

School culture

refers more to the way teachers and other staff members work together.

The Differences in the Characteristics of Schools with Good or Poor climate

Characteristics of a school with “good climate”

• Have enthusiastic and hardworking students

• A dedicated, cooperative staff

• A pervasive sense of trust, mutual respect and support between teachers and administrators

Characteristics of a school with “poor climate”

• Alienated students

• Teachers who are hostile or indifferent to the students and to one another

• A Principal who is out of touch with teachers’ needs, arbitrary and dictatorial in decisions and resistant to any change in the status quo

• Student attitudes are shaped to some extent by the structures

(facilities) through which they are mediated (Ferreira, 1995). • building conditions can directly affect the attitudes of students or the

attitudes of teachers and parents which in turn affect student attitudes.

• Proshansky (1970) referred to physical settings and attitudes as follows: Physical settings-simple or complex-evoke complex human responses in the form of feelings, attitudes, values, expectancies, and desires

• Stockard and Mayberry (1992) found that the quality of a physical plant or environment is related to non-cognitive outcomes, such as better attitudes toward school. These outcomes may eventually relate to higher academic achievement.

• Christopher (1988) concluded that human nature makes people feel better about themselves when their surroundings are pleasant.

• Students who have better attitudes usually learn more and work harder.

School Climate & Bullying in Schools

• One of the effects of school climate is the existence of bullying amongst students

• Students bully their peers – when they do not understand classroom content– when they are frustrated because of their lack of academic skills– Because they are afraid of being called stupid

• Bullies who are frustrated with learning also tend to be -- unprepared for class-- avoid working in class-- challenge school authority-- interrupt others in discussions-- display flippant attitudes about learning

All these will thwart the bully’s ability to establish a relationship with the teacher.This will cause the teacher to provide less attention to the bully’s academic needs

after having his/her authority challenged and class time wasted.

Components of a Positive School Climate

Orpinas, P & Horne, Arthur M (2006) Bullying Prevention Creating a Positive School Climate and Developing Social Competence. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.What is Positive School Climate? 79-105

Excellence in Teaching• No substitute for a good teacher• The mastery of skills in transmitting knowledge to students• Motivating students to learn• Managing classroom behaviours• Teachers must not only develop good relationship with

students but also have solid foundation in content and teaching method

• A teacher who lacks strong motivational and relationship skills may also be an ineffective teacher

School Values

• A clear and understood school philosophy• Students and staff can identify the school’s core values• Rules and consequences are created based on these values• Activities model these values• Eliminate all interventions that are not congruent with these values

Awareness of Strengths and Problems

• Impossible to solve a problem when one is unaware of its existence

• A fundamental aspect of creating a positive school climate is to recognize areas that need improving and to build upon the strengths

• Small group discussions should be used to resolve problems in schools

Policies and accountabilities

• Policies regarding the prevention of bullying, the handling of bullying problems, and the accountability of the offenders are a fundamental aspect of a positive school climate

• When establishing policy and accountability, all members of the community should be viewed as partners in decision making

• This will make people committed to the policy’s goal, co-operate with one another and to implement the plan of action

• Involve the community in the process of evaluating the implementation of policies. Eg: Year end evaluation of teachers.

Caring and Respect

•Learn their names, ask them about how they feel, what they think, show interest and learn about their lives outside of class and remember and demonstrate that you remember special things they have told you

Know your students

•Speak with students instead of speaking to them. Avoid the “coach attitude” of shouting directions at students. Avoid sarcasm. (Eg: Say “Thanks for helping” instead of “You’re such a good kid”)

Use positive language

•Match your expectations to the development of the student. Comments like “You ought to know that” or “I have told you a million times” usually indicate that a teacher is treating a student exceeding his development levelMaintain

appropriate expectations

•Compliment students for their achievement and or their efforts toward improvement. Eg: You got an a for the final exam. This grade represents many hours of hard work. Compliment conscientiously

Positive Expectations

Self-fulfilling prophecy

hypothesis

•proposes that teachers who do not expect success from their students:

•Spend less time with their students•Hold nonchalant (‘tidak-apa’) attitudes about their

academic abilities•Use more condescending language when

addressing them•Provide less feedback about their work•Teach more simplistic materials to them•Prompt for answers to questions in class less

frequently than those whom they perceive to be bright

A well-known study by Rosenthal (1994) shows how teacher’s expectations influence students’ behavioursThree hypotheses have been forwarded:

Support for Teachers

Teachers play an important role in creating a positive school climate

Workshops or in-service training sessions

served as traditional venues for supporting teachers

Continuous training, coaching and support

more important for sustaining behaviour change than one time event

Support group meetings can greatly enhance teachers’ dedication

to apply new skills in classroomshelp each other in numerous way

Teachers view their colleagues’ classroom experiences as valuable

source of practical knowledge (Smylie, 1989)

Physical Environment

When striving to provide a positive school climate, school

administrators should examine the following:

• Cleanliness• Recognition of school community

members (displaying students’ artwork, science projects etc)

• Aesthetic appearance (graffitti promptly removed, artworks displayed on walls, walls painted with attractive colours)

• Organization (classrooms organized, supplies easily found, clutter kept to a minimum, space beyond classrooms ie: library, outdoor spaces)

• Safety (is the building safe? Do students have a mechanism to report problems? Are teachers prepared to handle an emergency ie: fire? Is the playground free of rocks and elements that could hurt someone?

School Climate and Low Achieving Students

1. Home environment Influences of home environment, race and

socioeconomic status on school climate

1. Home environment

■ James Coleman’s study on Equality of Educational Opportunity concluded that that the effects of the home environment were more significant in students’ achievement than effects of the school program

• Most important• Studies done by Christopher Jencks and the

Plowden Report from Britain confirmed this.

• Secondary importance• Recommendations to integrate the schools

so that lower-class students would share an education with middle-class students will result in a climate more favourable to achievement

2. Self-concept

■ Refers to the way individuals view themselves in particular roles■ Varies depending on each different role being considered■ This view determines to a large extend how people perform in given roles■ To carry out a role, individuals must feel they can be successful■ Raise students’ self-concept and academic expectations and school’s achievement level will be raised

Self-concept has several dimensions

What individuals expect of themselves

How they feel about their ability to carry

out a role

The value they place in the role

2. Self-concept

3. Student Achievement

■ In Jackson’s book, Life in the Classrooms, he mentioned that schools reward incompetence.

■ The reward for success is more hard work

■ In his research, the most important variable was the students’ sense of futility, hopelessness and the sense of frustrations that their teachers do not care about their academic achievement.

■ Wilbur Brookover, in his book “School Social Systems and Student Achievement” reported on an attempt to put the concept of “school climate” into practice using variables to alter school climate. It was reported that schools achievement levels were raised significantly.

4. Teacher expectations

■ Teacher expectations affect student performance

■ Teacher quality affects students’ achievement.

■ High standards set by teachers also generate greater effort on homework

■ Low teacher expectations are linked to poor academic performance of low-achieving student when low achievers are given fewer opportunities to interact and participate in classroom activities

■ Teachers high expectation that all their students can and will learn

■ Frequent review of students’ progress indicate a high expectation teachers have on their students which will promote a good school climate

3 steps to achieve a positive school climate and prevent low achieving students

1. Clear goals and core values

2. Expectations for academic success

3. Order and discipline

Smey-Richman, B. (1991) School Climate and Restructuring for Low-Achieving Students. Philadelphia: Research for Better Schools

1. Clear goals and core values

Creates a shared sense of purpose amongst students, faculty, parents and the community

Clear goals and core values offer guidelines for decision making

Schools without clear goals and core values cannot provide direction to staff

Members of schools without clear goals and core values are not focused on the same targets for improvement

Schools with clear goals and core values translate words into actions

The written goals bond staff, students and parents to create a sense of community

With the shared sense of purpose, members of the school are able to articulate what constitutes good behavior in a precise, uniform manner

2. Expectations for academic success

Miller, Smey-Richman and Woods-Houston mentioned that successful schools operate within a school culture in which the principal promotes the core value of high expectations for student achievement and teachers believe that all students can learn

Staff in effective schools have higher expectations for student accomplishment

In schools where it is policy to group students according to their academic ability, academically low achieving students tend to achieve and behave poorly.

Researchers (Bock and Moore) suggest that if community norms and expectations for achievement are low, parents and students may tend to overestimate children’s degree of success in school and the caliber of education being received.

3. Order and discipline

Lack or order and discipline is a major problem facing public schools

Student misbehaviour was the main stressor in the school environment (Nurul Izzah Abdul Samad, Zailina Hashim, Saidi Moin & Haslinda Abdullah (2010) Assessment of Stress and Its Risk Factors among Primary School Teachers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia. Malaysia: Global Journal of Health Science. Available from: www.ccsenet.org/gjhs)

Dependant on teacher styles:1. Authoritarian

Formal power is vested and used by the teacher

2. DemocraticStudents are involved in the decision-making which affects classroom activities

3. Laissez-faireThere is general freedom in the classroom

Conclusion

• It can be concluded that school climate does affect students’ behavior and performance. Thus, it is vital that schools provide a good climate for students to excel in their studies.

• It can be concurred that students who have better school climates usually learn more and work harder.

• The most important factor that influenced students’ behavior was the creation of a positive classroom environment and school climate where students felt respected and cared for.

Thank you for your attention

* Q & A / Discussion Session *

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