TY - JOUR
T1 - A Multilevel Study of Predictors of Student Perceptions of School Climate
T2 - The Effect of Classroom-Level Factors
AU - Koth, Christine W.
AU - Bradshaw, Catherine P.
AU - Leaf, Philip J.
PY - 2008/2/1
Y1 - 2008/2/1
N2 - 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 classroom-level 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.
AB - 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 classroom-level 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.
KW - behavioral problems
KW - classroom environment
KW - multilevel analysis
KW - school climate
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=40749105255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=40749105255&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/0022-0663.100.1.96
DO - 10.1037/0022-0663.100.1.96
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:40749105255
SN - 0022-0663
VL - 100
SP - 96
EP - 104
JO - Journal of Educational Psychology
JF - Journal of Educational Psychology
IS - 1
ER -