SCHOOL CULTURE AND SCHOOL CLIMATE
OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THAILAND
MISS THANYAPORN PAPOLNGAM
A THESIS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY
2011
SCHOOL CULTURE AND SCHOOL CLIMATE
OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN THAILAND
MISS THANYAPORN PAPOLNGAM
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
GRADUATE SCHOOL KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY
2011
THESIS APPROVAL
KHON KAEN UNIVERSITY
FOR
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION
Thesis Title: School Culture and School Climate of Elementary Schools in Thailand
Author : Miss Thanyaporn Papolngam
Thesis Examination Committee
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Preecha Kampirapakorn Chairperson
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wirot Sanrattana Member
Asst. Prof. Dr. Thaveechai Bunterm Member
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kanokorn Somprad Member
Dr. Prayuth Chusorn Member
Dr. Kaisit Plarin Member
Thesis Advisors:
………………..………………………… Advisor (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wirot Sanrattana)
………………..………………………… Co-Advisor (Prof. Dr. Muriel K. Oaks)
………………..……………………. ……………………………..…………(Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lampang Manmart) (Asst. Prof. Dr. Paisan Suwannoi)
Dean, Graduate School Dean, Faculty of Education
Copyright of Khon Kaen University
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อาจารยทปรกษาวทยานพนธ: รศ.ดร. วโรจน สารรตนะ, Prof. Dr. Muriel K. Oaks
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อยางมนยสำาคญทางสถตทระดบ 0.01 ทกตวแปร และมทศทางบวก โดยคา
สมประสทธสหสมพนธระหวางตวแปร มตสงแวดลอม กบ ตวแปรภาวะผนำา แบบรวมมอ มคาสงสด
Thanyaporn Papolngam. 2011. School Culture and School Climate of Elementary
Schools in Thailand. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis in Educational
Administration, Graduate School, Khon Kaen University.
Thesis Advisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wirot Sanrattana
Prof. Dr. Muriel K. Oaks
ABSTRACT
The objective of this research was to investigate the school culture and the
school climate based on the perceptions of teachers and staffs of elementary schools
in Thailand. The samples were 398 teachers and 398 staffs derived by multi-staged
random sampling. Questionnaires were administered and collected data were
analyzed.
The research results were: 1) According to the respondents’ demographic data,
most of the teachers were females aged from 51 to 60 years old with bachelor’s
degrees, 21 to 30 years working experiences, and were working in medium-sized
schools. Most of the staffs were females aged from 51 to 60 years old with bachelor’s
degrees, 1 to 10 years working experiences, and were working in medium-sized
schools. 2) Every aspect of the school cultures was rated “high”. 3) The comparison
results of the school culture classified by gender, education level, and working status
revealed that there were significant differences at 0.01 level and at 0.05 by working
experiences. 4) Every aspect of the school climate was rated “high” 5) The
comparison results of the school climate classified by gender, working status, and
working experiences revealed that there were significant differences at 0.05. 6) The
correlation coefficient among the six school culture variables and the seven school
climate variables was positive and significantly different at 0.01 level. The highest
correlation coefficient was between Collaborative Leadership and Unity of Purpose,
and between Instructional Dimension and Collaborative Dimension. 7) The
correlation coefficient among the six school culture variables and the seven school
climate variables was positive and significantly different at 0.01 level. The highest
correlation coefficient was between Environment Dimension and Collaborative
Leadership.
The present thesis is dedicated
to my parents and the entire teaching staff
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my deepest and sincere gratitude to my advisor,
Associate Professor Dr. Wirot Sanrattana for his kindness in providing an opportunity
to be his advisee. I would also like to express my appreciation for his guidance,
suggestions, encouragement, support, guidance and criticism throughout the course of
my study.
Moreover I would like to express sincere and deep gratitude to my co-advisor,
Professor Dr. Muriel K. Oaks for her valuable advice, tremendous kindness, useful
comments and good suggestions.
Of course I also extremely grateful to the entire thesis examination committee
for their helpful suggestions: Associate Professor Dr. Preecha Kampirapakorn,
Assistant Professor Dr. Thaveechai Bunterm, Associate Professor Dr. Kanokorn
Somprach, and Dr. Prayuth Chusorn.
I am also grateful to Dr. Kaisit Plarin for his helpful hints and for helping me
to improve my English.
Special thanks to doctorate students of Educational Administration, Cohort 6,
Khon Kaen University for their warm hospitality and encouragement. Especially,
Miss Phenporn Thongkamsuk for her helpful suggestions on statistic analysis.
Last but not least I would like to express my utmost gratefulness and
appreciation to my dear parents, Mr. Samai Papolngam and Mrs. Sungwan
Papolngam, for their strong support and for giving me the chance to study. I also
deeply thank my sister and grandmother who have always lifted my spirit and give me
great joy.
Thanyaporn Papolngam
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ABSTRACT (IN THAI) i
ABSTRACT (IN ENGLISH) ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv
LIST OF CONTENTS v
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES xii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background and rationale of the study 1
1.2 Purpose of the study 7
1.3 Research hypothesis 8
1.4 Scope of the study 9
1.5 Operational term definitions 10
1.6 Significance of the study 12
CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEWS 13
2.1 Organization culture 13
2.2 Levels of culture 16
2.2.1 Tangible artifacts 17
2.2.2 Espoused values 18
2.2.3 Underlying assumptions
19
2.2.4 Cultures as shared norms 21
2.2.5 Culture as shared beliefs and values 22
2.2.6 Culture as tacit assumptions 27
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Page
2.3 School culture 28
2.3.1 The importance of school culture 34
2.3.2 Categories of school culture 37
2.3.3 Models of school culture 38
2.3.4 The effects of culture on teachers and schools 47
2.3.5 Shaping school culture 50
2.3.5.1 Challenges in shaping school culture 51
2.3.6 Enhancing school culture 55
2.3.7 Maintaining school culture 56
2.3.8 Sustainability of culture 57
2.3.9 Research on school culture 58
2.3.10 Measuring school culture 62
2.3.11 Six subscales of the school culture survey-teacher form 66
and school culture survey-staff member form
2.4 School climate 74
2.4.1 Definition of school climate 75
2.4.2 Components of school climate 77
2.4.3 The effect of school climate 83
2.4.4 The importance of school climate 85
2.4.5 Improving school climate 86
2.4.6 Promoting a positive school climate 89
2.4.7 Research on school climate 93
2.4.8 Assessing school climate 100
2.4.9 School climate variables 103
2.5 Comparison between school culture and school climate 105
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Page
2.6 The relationship between school culture and school climate 107
2.7 Conceptual framework 111
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 113
3.1 Population and sample 113
3.2 Informants 114
3.3 Instrumentation 114
3.4 Construction and investigation of instrument 115
3.5 Data collection 116
3.6 Data analysis 116
3.6.1 Descriptive statistics 116
3.6.2 Inferential statistics 117
3.7 Data interpretation 117
3.8 Chapter summary 118
CHAPTER IV THE FINDINGS 119
4.1 Symbols used in data analysis 119
4.1.1 Symbols used refer to variables 119
4.1.1.1 School culture’s variables 119
4.1.1.2 School climate’s variables 119
4.1.2 Symbols used refer to statistics 119
4.2 Presentation of data analysis 120
CHAPTER V SUMMARY, DISSCUSSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATION 155
5.1 Purpose of the study 155
5.2 Research hypothesis 156
5.3 Research methodology 156
5.4 The findings 157
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.)
Page
5.5 Discussions 160
5.6 Recommendations 169
5.6.1 Recommendation for the findings application 169
5.6.1.1 School culture 169
5.6.1.2 School climate 170
5.6.2 Recommendation for future researches 173
REFERENCES 175
APPENDICES 187
VITAE
213
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table 1 Theory Z organization and culture 23
Table 2 Broad categories of school culture 37
Table 3 Defines school climate in terms of four aspects of the school 78
environment
Table 4 Climate, culture comparison 106
Table 5 Organizational culture and organizational climate 107
Table 6 The number of population and sample 114
Table 7 Teacher and staffs’ status of the samples responding 122
the questionnaire
Table 8 The degree of school cultures on the perceptions of teachers and 124
staff in elementary basic education schools
Table 9 The independent sample t-test for gender related to teachers and 128
staff’s perceptions about the school culture in elementary basic
education schools
Table 10 The independent sample t-test for education levels related to 129
teachers and staff’s perception of the school cultures
Table 11 The independent sample t-test for working status related to 130
teacher and staff’s perceptions of school cultures in
elementary basic education school
Table 12 One-Way ANOVA for age related to teachers and staff’s 131
perceptions about the school culture in elementary of the school
cultures in elementary basic education schools
Table 13 One-Way ANOVA for work experience related to teachers and 133
staff’s perceptions about the school cultures in elementary basic
education schools
LIST OF TABLES (Cont.)
Page
Table 14 Post-Hoc (Shceffe) for work experiences related to teachers 134
and staff’s perceptions on collaborative leadership in elementary
basic education schools
Table 15 One-Way ANOVA for school sizes related to teachers and staff’s 135
perceptions about the school cultures in elementary basic
education schools
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and 137
staffs in elementary basic education schools
Table 17 The independent sample t-test classified by gender of teachers 143
and staff’s perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic
education school
Table 18 The independent sample t-test for educational levels of teachers 144
and staff’s perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic
education schools
Table 19 The independent sample t-test for working status of teachers and 145
staff’s perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic
education schools
Table 20 One-Way ANOVA for age related to teachers and staff’s 146
perceptions about the school climate in elementary basic
education schools
Table 21 One-Way ANOVA for working experiences related to teachers 148
and staff’s perceptions about the school climate in elementary
basic education schools
LIST OF TABLES (Cont.)
Page
Table 22 Post-Hoc (Shceffe) for working experiences related to teachers 149
and staff’s perceptions about the school climate in expectation
dimension in elementary basic education schools
Table 23 One-Way ANOVA for school sizes related to teachers and 150
staff’s perceptions about the school climate in elementary basic
education schools
Table 24 Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient related to 152
teachers and staff’s perceptions about the school cultures and
school climate in elementary basic education schools
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Figure 1 Dimensions of organizational culture 15
Figure 2 Components of school culture can support or impede learning 20
Figure 3 Levels of culture 21
Figure 4 Major components of theory Z as applied to school 25
Figure 5 Culture elements model of school culture 39
Figure 6 A typology of school cultures 41
Figure 7 A types of school cultures 42
Figure 8 Schools as communities theoristical framework 110
Figure 9 The conceptual framework of the study 112
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and rationale of the study
During the past decades, considerable attention has been devoted to the
investigation and definition of a school’s climate, culture, atmosphere, personality and
ethos. As school administrators struggle with reform to improve students’ academic
performance, their concerns must encompass more than instructional change. This
brief describes school culture and school climate. Two factors of school’s
environment that can either impede or support learning and achievement of school.
School climate and culture are important in the student learning process.
Schools that successfully engage students in this process share certain characteristics.
Such schools value academic excellence and have high expectations of student
achievement. A cooperative environment is fostered in which students feel
empowered to excel, and safe from the influence of societal distractions, such as
drugs and gangs. Educators must give as much attention to school climate and culture
as is given to traditional concerns like curriculum development and teaching methods
(http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708897.html April 21, 2003). Students are
important actors in schools (Fielding, 2004) and have pertinent insights into what
constitutes effective teaching and learning (Riley and Rustique-Forrester, 2002).
Students shape learning processes through the ways in which they respond to teachers
and to the curriculum. Understanding students as individuals and how they perceive
the processes of schooling (Rudduck and Flutter, 2000) helps teachers to construct
successful learning experiences for them.
Theorists refer to organizational culture and climate as overlapping concepts.
Organizational culture has its roots in sociology and anthropology, whereas
organizational climate is rooted in psychology (Miner, 2002). The terms school
culture and school climate describe the environment that affect the behavior of
teachers and student. School culture is the shared beliefs and attitudes that
characterize the district-wide organization and establish boundaries for its constituent
units. School climate characterizes the organization at the school building and
classroom level. It refers to the “feel” of a school and can vary from school to school
within the same district. While an individual school can develop a climate
independently of the larger organization, changes in school culture at the district level
can positively or adversely affect school climate at the building level. Some
researchers view school climate in terms of the culture of the school. The culture of
the school includes organizational values, ideals, attitudes and beliefs (Chance &
Wood, 1996). It is the “shared attitudes, beliefs and values of the people in the
school” (Winter & Sweency, 1994). Organizational culture is manifested in norms,
shared values and basic assumption, each occurring at different level of abstraction
(Hoy & Miskel, 1996).
Stolp and Smith (1995) explained that school culture has a powerful influence
in schools because it defines the important elements of that school, and the manner in
which school community members operate. School leaders with an understanding of
culture are aware that teachers and related school personnel commit personal energy
to only what they believe and feel is personally important. Interest in school culture
has gained momentum. The results of Schools retaining a culture of excellence and
high performance inspire the constituency, paralleling the concept that a culture of
incompetence perpetuates opposite results with research concluding that the culture of
a business organization influences the success or lack of success within that
organization. These results conclude that the same cultural dimensions accounting for
increased measurable performance in business may result in increased measurable
achievement in school culture (Deal & Peterson, 1999a).
School culture affects the lives of all school personnel, especially including
teachers in their classrooms. Berman and McLaughlin (cited in Sarason, 1996)
assessed the outcomes of efforts of educational change over several years. Among
other things, they noted that a great deal of federally mandated reforms failed due to
“school organizational climate and leadership” and “characteristics of schools and
teachers”. They are indicative of the effect of school culture on the change process.
Their findings reinforce the above-mentioned findings of Hargeaves (1997b) as well.
Of particular interest here are their findings about teacher attributes regarding
proposed reforms. They noted three teacher characteristics that had an effect on the
outcome of the projects: years of teaching, sense of efficacy, and verbal ability. They
discovered that the number of years teaching had a negative effect on the hanger
process-the longer a teacher taught the less likely the change was to improve student
achievement and the less likely the project was going to achieve its goals. They also
discovered that teachers with many years of experience were less likely to change
their practices and more likely to abandon the reform project once federal funding ran
out. They found that teacher efficacy, the belief that a teacher can help even the most
unmotivated student, had a positive effect on all outcomes.
School culture can enhance school effectiveness and productivity. Teachers
and students are more likely to succeed in a culture that fosters hard work,
commitment to valued ends, an attention to problem solving, and a focus on learning
for all students. In schools with negative or despondent cultures, staff have, either
fragmented purposes or none at all, feel no sense of commitment to the mission of the
school, and have little motivation to improve. In many schools with strong
professional cultures, the staff share strong norms of collegiality and improvement,
value student learning over personal preferences, and assume that all children can
learn if they- teacher and staff- find the curriculum and instructional strategies that
work. In these schools, the culture reinforces collaborative problem solving, planning,
and data-driven decision making. Positive, professional cultures foster productivity.
An effective process for improving a school culture includes empowering diverse
stakeholders to rebuild relationships that will stimulate a staff member’s commitment
to support student success in highly challenged school communities. When a school
district or site has been challenged for its lack of performance, a survival culture
permeates every dimension of the organization.
School culture can be defined as apparent characteristics based on shared
perception and pattern of behavior in the same direction and is integrated to overall.
Culture can be differently perceived and performed due to individual different school
(Nonglak Ruoenthong, 1992). Organizations or schools have their own culture
components. These cultures affect to working behaviors of workers in the
organizations and directly affect to efficiency and competency of work performance
(Worapot Suttisai, 1993). School culture is related to academy because it helps school
personnel to understand their tasks and the acceptable ways to work together
(Yuvadee Kangsadal, 2002).
The importance of school culture reflects the shared ideas, assumptions,
values, and beliefs that give an organization its identity and standard for expected
behaviors. An expeditionary learning school culture is developed and sustained
through practices that bring the community together, promote shared understandings,
and encourage all community members to become crew, not passengers. Teaching
practices and school-wide structures ensure that all students are well known by adults
and peers. The faculty articulates and promotes a set of character traits that are
emphasized throughout the school. Teachers foster student character though
challenging academic work, service, and the expectation that students are courteous,
respectful, and compassionate. Public and classroom spaces reflect the values of the
expeditionary learning design principles, showcase the work of students, and facilitate
collaboration. The outcomes of a positive school culture include higher morale,
enhanced commitment to teaching, and continuance in the profession. The resulting
emphasis on relationships can help bring about a work climate in which self-esteem,
commitment, cooperation and task accomplishment are so significant that they raise
people to higher levels.
School climate appears to be a key factor in determining “a school’s success
or failure as a place of learning” (Brookeover and Lezotte, 1979; Edmonds, 1979;
Reynolds and Cuttance, 1992: Pashiardi, 2000) and a significant element in
discussions about improving academic performance and school reform efforts. As
Freiberg (1998) claimed, a healthy school climate contributes to effective teaching
and to the establishment of a school-working environment, which enables all
members of the school community to teach and learn at optimum levels. It is a broad
term that refers to teachers’ perceptions of the general work environment of the
school, the formal organization, informal organization, personalities of participants,
and organizational leadership. The organizational climate of the school is simply the
set of internal characteristics that distinguish one school from another and influence
the behavior of each school’s members. More specially, school climate is a relatively
enduring quality of the school environment that is experienced by participants, affects
their behavior, and is based on their collective perceptions of behavior in schools.
The National Education Act of 1999 recognizes the importance of school
administrators. They have to be leaders of learning reform and to support the school
personnel to be committed to continuous professional development. This will lead to
school efficiency and success. There are many factors that enhance school quality,
especially good climate. Good school environment makes school personnel satisfied
and they can perform their works to their full competency (Itthipon Srirattan, 2007).
Learning and teaching occur best in school climate that are positive. School
climate is an ever-changing factor in the lives of people who work and learn in
schools. It can be a positive influence on the health of the learning environment or
significant barrier to learning. Thus, feedback about school climate can play an
important role in school reform and improvement effects. Measuring the influence of
change-directed activities on the climate in which teaching and learning occur should
be a key factor in improving and sustaining educational excellence.
The importance of school climate and to some extent culture for an effective
school has been the subject of extensive research. In the research on 20 schools,
Bulach and Castleman (1994) found a significant difference of student achievement
between schools with good climate and those with poor climate. The relationship
between school climate and achievement continued to be researched. Hirase (2000)
and Erpelding (1999) found that the schools with a positive climate had higher
academic levels. While there are plenty of researches showing the importance of
school climate to achievement, there are also some researches that support its
importance for other factors. In a school with a positive climate, students receive the
best instructional service. Teachers focus on students’ characteristics, learning styles
and experiences as they try to make learning relevant to the lives of their students.
Furthermore, they work to establish a supportive non-threatening climate in which
students are likely to take advantage of learning opportunities through active student
involvement. Also they select appropriate materials and teach thoroughly and in a
holistic way in order to achieve excellence in education (Borich, 1999). The
atmosphere of a school has a major impact on the organizational behavior, and
because administrators can have a significant, positive influence on the development
of the personality of the school, it is important to describe and analyze school climate.
It could be described as the heart and soul of a school; it affects the quality of a school
and the creation of healthy learning experiences; nurtures students’ and parents’
dreams and aspirations; stimulates teachers’ creativity and enthusiasm and elevates all
of its members (Freiberg and Stein, 1999; Pashiardi, 2000).
The concept of school culture has evolved from studies of organizational
culture and school climate in the disciplines of organizational management and school
administration. Both school culture and school climate require significant attention
when a principal or superintendent is a new to the office or when major changes are
being implemented in the school system. School culture and school climate are useful
terms for the intangibles that can affect learning. Although the definition of climate
and culture are blurred and overlapping, one suggested difference is that culture
consist of shared assumptions, values, or norms, whereas climate is defined by shared
perceptions of behavior (Ashforth, 1985).
Senge and others (1990) mentioned the problems of public schools affected by
the out-of-date systematic structure. The structure is not flexible and not supporting
enough for students of the twenty-first century.
Elementary schools are the places where students begin to acquire formal
learning activities. Educational process must be really well prepared by concerned
personnel. The working systems must be efficient and updated. The school’s goal is
to acquire students’ success and growth in good environment. Therefore, the
principal, staff, parents, community and students have to work together in the
fostering culture and climate.
This research assessed school culture and school climate by means of a
questionnaire-based empirical study conducted in elementary schools of Thailand.
Survey research is defined as the administration of questionnaires to a sample of
respondents selected from some population (Babbie, 1989). Survey research is
especially appropriate for making descriptive studies of large populations and may be
used for explanatory purposes as well. It is appropriate for this study. The survey
questionnaire used in this study was a selection of established measuring instruments.
The survey forms chosen for this study were the School Culture Survey-Teacher Form
(SCS-TF) developed by Gruenert & Valentine (1998) and the School Climate
Inventory (SCI) by researchers at the Center for Research in Educational Policy
(CREP) at the university at Memphis in 1989.
The reasons that the survey questionnaire design was chosen for this study
were: 1) It can survey a large sample size at a reasonable cost. In this study, the
sample size was drawn from elementary school teachers in Thailand. 2) It is relatively
easy to design. In this study, a Likert scale with 35 items was used. 3) It is relatively
objective, anonymous, and can statistically analyzed.
School culture and school climate are very important to enhance academic
success, and affect to working performances of teachers, leaders, students and
school’s community. School culture and school climate are believed to support school
and students’ achievement. Thus, I would like to investigate perceptions of teachers
and staffs on school culture and school climate of elementary basic education schools
in Thailand.
1.2 Purpose of the study
The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of teachers and
staffs on school culture and school climate of elementary basic education schools in
accordance with the following seven guided research questions:
1. To what degree did elementary basic education schools demonstrate the
school culture characteristics in terms of: 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher
Collaboration, 3) Professional Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial
Support, and 6) Learning Partnership?
2. Were there significant differences in school culture in elementary basic
education schools based on teachers and staffs’ perceptions classified by gender,
education levels, working status, age, working experiences, and school sizes?
3. To what degree did elementary basic education schools demonstrate the
school climate characteristics in terms of: 1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership
Dimension, 3) Environment Dimension, 4) Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction
Dimension, 6) Expectation Dimension, and 7) Collaborative Dimension?
4. Were there significant differences in school climate in elementary basic
education schools based on teachers and staffs’ perceptions classified by gender,
education levels, working status, age, working experiences, and school sizes?
5. Were there significant correlation among six variables of school culture in
terms of: 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher Collaborative, 3) Professional
Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial Support, and 6) Learning Partnership?
6. Were there significant correlation among seven variables of school climate
in terms of: 1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership Dimension, 3) Environment
Dimension, 4) Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction Dimension, 6) Expectation
Dimension, and 7) Collaborative Dimension?
7. Were there significant correlation among six variables of school culture and
seven variables of school climate?
1.3 Research hypothesis
Organizational culture and climate have been described as overlapping
concepts by theorists (Miner, 1995). A distinction between climate and culture with
school or organizational climate being viewed from a psychological perspective and
school culture viewed from an anthropological perspective (Hoy et at, 1991).
Differences between school climate and culture are highlighted in organizational
studies. Often the climate is viewed as behavior, while culture is seen as comprising
the values and norms of the school or organization (Hoy, 1990 ; Heck and
Marcoulides, 1996). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described organizational climate
as the total environmental quality within an organization and believe that the recent
attention to the effectiveness of public schools and their cultures has shed more
interest on the importance of climate. The relationship between culture and climate
was supported by Schein (1996) he stated that norms, values, rituals and climate are
all manifestations of culture. In addition, the relationship of culture and climate is
further supported by McDougall and Beattie (1998), as well as by the early studies of
Schneider and Reichers (1983). Even though the conceptual distance between culture
(shared norms) and climate (shared perceptions) is small, it is nonetheless real. Hoy
and Feldman (1999) believed that this difference is meaningful and crucial because
shared perceptions of behavior are more readily measured than shared values. They
described climate as having fewer abstractions than culture (more descriptive and less
symbolic) and concluded that climate presents fewer problems in terms of empirical
measurements. Climate is the preferred construct when measuring the organizational
health of a school (Hoy and Feldman, 1999).
The study in the areas of six elements of school culture (collaborative
leadership, teacher collaboration, professional development, collegial support, unity
of purpose, and learning partnership) and seven elements of school climate (order
dimension, leadership dimension, environment dimension, involvement dimension,
instruction dimension, expectation dimension, and collaboration dimension) are also
supported significant differences between school culture and school climate according
to four guided research hypotheses as follows:
1. There was a significant difference in the perceptions of teachers and staffs
on school climate, and school culture of elementary basic education schools classified
by gender, education level, working status, age, working experiences, and school
sizes.
2. There was significant correlation among six variables of school culture; 1)
Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher Collaborative, 3) Professional Development, 4)
Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial Support, and 6) Learning Partnership.
3. There was significant correlation among seven variables of school climate;
1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership Dimension, 3) Environment Dimension, 4)
Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction Dimension, 6) Expectation Dimension, and 7)
Collaborative Dimension.
4. There was significant correlation among six variables of school culture and
seven variables of school climate.
1.4 Scope of the study
1. The population used in this study were 31,484 elementary basic education
school teachers and staffs in Thailand. The sample size was 398 teachers and 398
staffs derived by multi-stage random sampling.
2. There are two informants in one school, one teacher and one staff.
3. Variables of this study are:
3.1 The component of school culture’s variables
1) Collaborative Leadership
2) Teacher Collaboration
3) Professional Development
4) Unity of Purpose
5) Collegial Support
6) Learning Partnership
3.2 The component of school climate’s variables
1) Order Dimension
2) Leadership Dimension
3) Environment Dimension
4) Involvement Dimension
5) Instruction Dimension
6) Expectation Dimension
7) Collaborative Dimension
1.5 Operational term definitions
1.5.1 School Culture is defined in terms of the perceptions of teacher and staff in
elementary basic education school towards the following subscales: collaborative
leadership, teacher collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose,
collegial support, and learning partnership.
1.5.1.1 Collaborative Leadership is defined in terms of the school leaders
establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with school staff. The leaders
value teachers’ ideas, seek input, engage staff in decision-making, and trust the
professional judgment of the staff. Leaders support and reward risk-taking and
innovative ideas designed to improve students’ achievement. Leaders reinforce the
sharing of ideas and effective practices among the staff.
1.5.1.2 Teacher Collaboration is defined as teachers engaged to creative
dialogue that furthers the educational vision of the school and related to teachers
throughout the school planning, observing and discussing teaching practices,
evaluating programs, and developing an awareness of the practices and programs of
other teachers.
1.5.1.3 Professional Development is defined in terms of the value teachers
have for continuous personal development and school-wide improvement. Teachers
seek ideas from seminars, colleagues, organizations, and other professional sources to
maintain current knowledge, particularly knowledge of instructional practices.
1.5.1.4 Unity of Purpose is defined as teachers working together in ways in
which they are most effective, and toward a common mission for the school. Teachers
understand, support, and perform in accordance with that mission.
1.5.1.5 Collegial Support is defined as teachers working together effectively.
Teachers trust one another, values others’ ideas, and assist others as they work to
accomplish the tasks of the school organization.
1.5.1.6 Learning Partnership is defined as the notion relating to the
involvement of all facets of the school community in the learning process. This
includes the school staff, as well as the parents, students, and the community-at-large.
Schools must be increasingly responsive to the needs of those within the community.
1.5.2 School climate is defined in terms of the perceptions of teacher and staff in
elementary basic education school towards the following subscales: Order,
Leadership, Environment, Involvement, Instruction, Expectations, and Collaboration.
1.5.2.1 Order is that the effective schools maintain a safe and orderly
environment for learning. In a safe environment, students and staff feel free from
danger and harm to themselves or their property. The schools have a systematic set of
school policies and practices with rules that are specifically prescribed and
consistently enforced. The personnel’s expected behaviors are clearly understood and
respected.
1.5.2.2 Leadership is the involvement of the principal in instruction that has
been positively associated to both climate and learning outcomes. The principal is the
person in charge to guide and improve instructional programs and to fosters positive
climate so as to enhance students’ learning.
1.5.2.3 Environment is the surrounding situations and conditions including
physical structures, climate, and culture in which the schools are situated.
1.5.2.4 Involvement is defined as that parents and community are involved in
the schools.
1.5.2.5 Instruction is defined as teachers’ practices to help students learn.
1.5.2.6 Expectations is defined as the extent to which students are expected to
learn and be responsible. Teachers are supposed to do their best according to the
shared expectations.
1.5.2.7 Collaboration is defined as the learning community that the
administrators, faculty, and students cooperate and participate in problem solving.
1.5.3 Teacher means professional personnel with major responsibilities for
teaching.
1.5.4 Staff means professional personnel with major responsibilities for teaching
and general affairs together in school.
1.5.5 Elementary school is a school for children in grades 1-6, and provides the
basics of education known as primary school.
1.5.6 School size is defined according to the determined numbers of students as
follows: small (≤ 120 students), medium (121-600 students), large(600 - 1,500
students).
1.6 Significance of the study
This study traced a deep and thorough review literature on school culture,
school climate and proposed suggestions to improve school culture and school climate
of elementary schools in Thailand. More specifically, it provides:
1.6.1 A deep and thorough review literature on school culture and school
climate of elementary basic education school in Thailand.
1.6.2 An understanding of the characteristics of a strong/weak,
positive/negative school culture and school climate of elementary basic education
school in Thailand and educators can become more thoughtful about developing one.
1.6.3 Strong and positive school culture and school climate are important
drives to put forward to efficient and effective education management.
CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEWS
Educational research confirms the importance of school climate and culture to
the academic attainment of students. Culture is the shared assumptions and ideologies
of an organization, its philosophical base (Schein, 1992). Climate is the particular
school’s ambience, the feeling one receives upon entering the building. Climate is
viewed separately from culture but is a subdivision of culture (Hoy, Tarter &
Kottkamp, 1991).
Parents, teachers, principals, and students always sense something special and
undefined about the schools they attend. Most schools have their own tone. Climate,
or “ethos” that seems to permeate all activities in school. The unique quality of each
school is never spoken of, and it is not mentioned whether or not they seek out
colleagues for help. The school culture is a complex web of norms, values, beliefs and
assumptions, and traditions and rituals that have been built up overtime as teachers,
students, parents, and administrators work together, deal with crises, and develop
unstated expectations for interacting and working together (Schien, 1983; Deal and
Peterson, 1990). This moving stream of feeling, folkways, and activities flows
constantly within schools (Deal and Peterson, 1990). The concept of school culture
and school climate has evolved from studies of organizational culture and school
climate in the disciplines of organizational management and school administration.
In this study “School Culture and School Climate of Elementary Schools in
Thailand” was explored on theoretical perspectives as follows:
2.1 Organizational culture
In recent years, organizational culture has been popularized by best selling
book such as In Search of Excellence. A Passion for Excellence, and Corporate
Culture. (Peters and Waterman, 2006).
The culture of an organization is all the beliefs, feelings, behaviors, and
symbols that are characteristics of an organization. More specifically, organizational
culture is defined as shared philosophies, ideologies, beliefs, feelings, assumptions,
expectations, attitudes, norms, and values. While there is considerable variation in the
definition of organization of culture, it appears that most contain the following
characteristics:
- Observed Behavioral Regularities. When organizational members interact,
they use common language, terms, and rituals and ceremonies related to deference
and demeanor.
- Norms, standards of behavior evolve in work groups, such as “a fair day’s
work for a fair day’s pay”. The impact on work group behavior, sanctioned by group
norms, results in standards and yardsticks.
- Dominant Values. One organization espouses and expects its members to
share major values. Typical examples in schools are high performance levels of
faculty and students, low absence and dropout rates, and high efficiency.
- Philosophy, policies guide an organization’s beliefs about how employee and
clients are to be treated. For example, most school districts have statements of
philosophy or mission statement.
- Rule, guidelines exist for getting along in the organization, or the “ropes”
that a newcomer must learn in order to become an accepted member.
- Feeling, this is an overall atmosphere that is conveyed in an organization by
the physical layout and the way in which members interact with clients or other
outsiders.
The culture of an organization is interrelated with most other concepts in
educational administration, including organization structures, motivation, leadership,
decision making, communications, and change. Figure 1 depicts organizational
culture within the context of social system theory and more specifically open systems
theory, being characterized by inputs, a transformation process, outputs, external
environments, and feedback (Deal, Kennedy, 1984).
Information People
External Environment
Transformation
Behavioral Philosophy Regularities
Norms Rules
Values Feelings
Process
Feedback Loops
Figure 1 Dimensions of organizational culture Sources : Deal, Kennedy (1984)
Organization impacts energy from the environment in the form of information,
people, and materials. The imported energy undergoes a transformation designed to
channel behavior toward organizational goals and fulfill members’ needs.
Administrative process and organizational structures have a significant impact on
organizational culture and vice versa. In turn, these administrative processes and
organizational structures export a product into the external environment. In a school,
the output maybe students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes or attendance, dropout
rates, and more precise performance criteria such as scholastic awards.
Figure 1 shows the interrelationship of organizational culture with most other
concepts in educational administration. Thus, culture represents the organization’s
cumulative learning, as reflected in organizational structures, people, administrative
processes, and the external environment. This tends to perpetuate beliefs and behavior
and specifies the goals, values, and mission of the organization and the criteria by
which to measure the organization’s success.
Subcultures: Large and complex organizations do not typically manifest
single homogeneous beliefs, values, and behavior patterns, In other words, there may
MotivationLeadershipDecision -MakingCommunicationChange
Culture
Job DescriptionSelection SystemEvaluation- SystemControl SystemReward System
Input
Products Services Trained-
people
Information people materials
be more than one culture in an organization. Firstly, there are differences between the
formal culture, which consists of the ideal philosophy of the organization and how
organizational members should behave, and the informal culture, which consists of
the actual manifestations of the ideal philosophy in the day-to-day behavior of
organizational members. Secondly, there are likely to be different cultures in various
functional groups in the organization, such as the divisions of instruction, business,
personnel, and research and development in a large school district: There are
differences among student, teacher, and administrator groups; and there are
differences among elementary, middle school, and high school levels. In other words,
whenever the task requirements result in a unique combination of people, structures,
and function, the requirements to fulfill the group’s goal will result in a unique
culture.
Dominant culture: Besides the subcultures that exist in an organization, the
larger organization may also have a culture that distinguishes from other large
systems. For example, one large school district is highly in favor of innovation. This
philosophy translates itself into a variety of practices including team teaching.
Flexible scheduling, teacher-advisor programs, report card conference, use of the
bureau’s speaker, collaboration with business firms, and internships. It results in
values that emphasize good interpersonal relations between students and teachers,
teachers and administrators, teachers and parents, and school and community.
Thus, central office administrators prescribe policies and make decisions for
all the school districts to comply the philosophy of innovation. Most key
administrators portrayed the same image. They demonstrated excellent interpersonal
and verbal skills and strived to be accessible to students, teachers, parents, and the
community. They spent a portion of their time cultivating relations with the business
community through membership in the Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions Club, Chamber of
Commerce, and so on. This example shows that even large and relatively
heterogeneous school districts known to have dominant cultures can improve their
educational goals.
2.2 Levels of culture
Culture plays a dominant role in organizational life. To define it is one thing;
to perceive how it influences performance is quite another. Culture is as complex as
human behavior itself. Part of it is visible and understandable; other elements are
hidden and obscure. Schein (1992) argues that the best way to think about
organizational culture is to conceive it as existing on three levels:
2.2.1 Tangible artifacts
The artifacts level, the most visible of the three, is perhaps the level most
closely associated with what we think of as school climate, how people perceive the
school. A school’s artifacts include its structure and processes, architecture, rituals,
and icons that are most conspicuous to the casual observer. The teachers’ model of
dress, roll call in class, the bell for first period, and the scent of a long hallway
represent elements of the artifacts level of culture.
The initial feel of the school emanates from this tangible level of experience.
Thus, people who visit the school for the first time are most likely to recognize this
level of culture. They may experience it as a mood or feeling, a certain style, or a
physical presence.
If we want to trace the complex pattern of a school, we should begin at the
artifacts level, but identification of culture at this level only scratches the surface of
understanding, offering but a glimpse of the complete picture. As Schein (1992)
emphasizes, what an observer cannot tell from the artifacts is what they mean, that is,
why the principal, staff, and students behave as they do and why the school operates
as it does. The second level of culture provides deeper insight into the ideas that guide
the school’s sense of its mission.
In addition to artifacts, most tangible layers of culture also consist of practices.
In these practices or behavioral patterns, the underlying assumptions, values and
norms come to the surface. These practices are not the result of any formal agreement
or arrangement among teachers, but they develop from socially accepted or reinforced
behaviors of the teachers (Deal, 1985). Practices essentially refer to the customs, “the
way we do things around here”, or to the rituals in school. The term ritual originates
from the discipline of cultural anthropology, where it refers to the social customs
around a certain event that is meaningful to the members of a particular group. In
schools, one may think of the ceremony that takes place when a teacher get retires.
These events often take place according to a fixed protocol, consisting of several
activities that emphasize their solemnity to the participants. Ritual, therefore, takes
place around events that are infused with meaning in the eyes of school members.
2.2.2 Espoused values
The truth about educators is that, as people of letters, they value the expression
of the things they value. School mission statements abound with affirmations of high
expectations for student achievement, responsiveness to students’ diverse learning
styles, and mobilization of resources for the goal of improving student learning.
Educators expect that a list of such values, having been discussed, agreed on,
and publicized, will guide the school’s operation. The National Leadership Network
Study Group on Restructuring Schools expressed this expectation as follows:
“Through shared values and beliefs, members of the organization develop a sense of
direction that guides their day-to-day behavior” (Joan Burnham and Shirley Hord,
1993). If the school has designated respect as an important value, for example, people
are expected to treat others with consideration and respect.
Values and beliefs are important parts of an organization’s culture. This is true
both are corporately espoused and held by individuals. Practitioners bring with them a
particular set of principles that form their philosophy of education. For example, a
teacher’s belief in the values of experiential learning becomes an expression of culture
as reflected in his or her actions. Sashkin and Sashkin (1997) distinguish among the
following terms:
1) Values tell us what is right and wrong.
2) Beliefs are summaries of cause and effect; that is, they remind us what is
3) likely to happen when we act in certain ways.
4) Norms simply state expected standards of overt behavior.
5) Values are not necessarily supportive of a school’s mission.
As the Sashkins (1997) explain, “Shared values and beliefs can support
increased organizational effectiveness but they can also impair effectiveness. When
everyone holds to the same flawed beliefs, their combined efforts may lead to
disaster”. Also, values and beliefs are not, as Schein points out, a reliable guide to an
organization’s culture. For one thing, they are not always explicitly stated. Nor are
they always consistent with observed behavior. One other problem with relying on
the values promulgated by an institution is that its members may or may not agree
with those values where it really matters. In practice, for example, a school’s mission
statement may declare that all children can and are expected to succeed, but one or
more teachers, when pressed for their own views, may confide that some students
simply can’t meet the conditions for succeeding in school. In such a case, teachers’
tacit values, much more than any official statement displayed in the school’s hallway
or discussed in faculty meetings, govern their actual behavior.
This hidden realm of what staff members actually believe- consciously or
unconsciously-is what school leaders who want to set their school’s culture in a
positive direction must penetrate. And this brings us to Schein’s third level, which
recognizes the hidden aspects of culture, those cultural patterns that truly influence
the organization’s performance.
2.2.3 Underlying assumptions
An organization’s culture manifests itself in tangible artifacts and espoused
values and beliefs. But the essence of the culture lies hidden in what Schein (1999)
calls “shared tacit assumptions”. Although this level of culture is difficult to
recognize, it is more powerful than the first two levels because these underlying
assumptions, though largely invisible, shape the behavior of the organization’s
members. “As a responsible leader”, Schein (1999) warns, “you must be aware of
these assumptions and manage them, or they will manage you”.
Shared tacit assumptions are powerful because, as Schein notes, they influence
all aspects of an organization’s functioning: “Mission, strategy, means used,
measurement systems, correction systems, language, group norms of inclusion and
exclusion, status and reward systems, and concepts of time, space, work, and human
nature are all reflected in the culture” (Schein, 1999).
The culture at this third level does not exist alongside or independently of
these elements; rather, Schein insists, it pervades and shapes them. Using the analogy
of a human body, we could say that culture is not just an arm or a leg but rather the
Assumptions and beliefs
mind and personality that govern all the members. Too often, culture is assumed to be
simply one component of an organization that can be controlled and fine-tuned at will
by an astute leader.
A further source of the power of these tacit assumptions is that they operate
undetected below the radar screen, ready to trip up unsuspecting leaders who too
quickly think they have correctly analyzed their organization’s culture but have only
identified its superficial elements. Schein (1999) warns, “If you are serious about
managing culture in your organization, the biggest danger you face is that you do not
fully appreciate the depth and power of culture”. Now we are ready to explore some
implications of Schein’s robust conception of culture. The first ought to be obvious:
Deciphering your school’s culture is no simple task.
The following chart shows how these components of school culture can
support or impede learning.
Supports Learning Impedes Learning
The building and its arrangements are a reflection of the children, their needs, and their educational accomplishments.
There is little that reflects an emphasis on the children and their education.
Administrators, teachers, students, and parents participate in decision making
Decisions are made without participation of teachers and parents.
All students can learn. Parents want their children to succeed. Parents are partners in education.
Some students are incapable of learning or too lazy to learn. Parents don’t care. Parents know nothing about education.
Figure 2 Components of school culture can support or impede learning
One way to untangle some of the problems of definition is to view culture at
different levels. As illustrated in figure 2, culture is manifested in norms, shared
Values
Artifacts and symbols
values, and basic assumptions, each occurring at different levels of depth and
abstraction.
2.2.4 Cultures as shared norms
Norms are usually unwritten and informal expectations that occur just below
the surface of experience. Norms directly influence behavior. They are much more
visible than either values or tacit assumptions; consequently, they provide a clear
means for helping people understand the cultural aspects of organizational life.
Moreover, if we are concerned with changing organizational behavior, then it is
important to know and understand the norms of that culture. As Allen and Kraft
(1982) note “Norms are universal phenomena. They are necessary, tenacious, but also
extremely malleable. Because they can change so quickly and easily, they present a
tremendous opportunity to people interested in change. Any group, no matter its size,
once it understands itself as a cultural entity, can plan its own norms, creating positive
ones that will help it reach its goals and modifying or discarding the negative ones”.
Tacit Assumptions – Abstract Premises- Nature of human nature - Nature of human relationships- Nature of truth and reality- Relationship to the environment
Values – Conceptions of What is Desirable- Openness- Trust- Cooperation- Intimacy- Teamwork- Control
Norms- Support your colleagues- Don’t criticize the principal- Handle your own discipline problems- Be available to give students extra help- Get to know your colleagues
Deep Abstract
Superficial Concrete
Figure 3 Levels of Culture
Norms are also communicated to participants by stories and ceremonies that
provide visible and potent examples of what the organization stands for. Sometimes
stories about people are created to reinforce the basic norms of the organization. The
principal who stands by the teacher despite overwhelming pressure from parents and
superiors becomes a symbol of the cohesiveness and loyalty in a school’s culture.
Teacher quickly learn the norms. “Do not tell tales out of school”, “support your
colleagues”, and “support your principal”. Norms determine the way people dress and
talk; the way participants respond to authority, conflict, and pressure; and the way
people balance self-interests with organizational interests.
2.2.5 Culture as shared beliefs and values
At the middle level of abstraction, culture is defined as shared belief and
values. Values are beliefs of what is desirable. They are reflections of the underlying
assumptions of culture, and lie at the next level of analysis. Values often define what
members should do to be successful in the organization. When we ask people to
explain why they behave the way they do, we may begin to discover the central values
of the organization. Shared values define the basic character of the organization and
give the organization a sense of identity. If members know what their organization
stands for, if they know what standard they should uphold, they are more likely to
make decisions that will support those standards. They are also more likely to feet
part of the organization and that organizational life has important meaning.
William Ouchi’s book (1981) on the success of Japanese corporations was one
of the first contemporary analyses of corporate culture. Ouchi (1981) argued that the
success of effective corporations in both Japan and America was a function of a
distinctive corporate culture, one that was internally consistent and characterized by
the shared values of intimacy, trust, cooperation, teamwork, and egalitarianism.
Success of these organizations was not as much a matter of technology as it was of
managing people. He labeled the American organizations with these values Theory Z
culture.
Table 1 Theory Z organization and culture
Organizational Characteristics Core Values
1. Long-term employment Organizational commitment2. Slower promotion rates Career orientation3. Participative decision making Cooperation and teamwork4. Individual responsibility for group decision Trust and group loyalty5. Holistic orientation Egalitarianism
Theory Z organizations have a number of properties that promote this
distinctive culture. Long term employment opportunities create is employees a sense
of security and commitment to the organization, participants become invested in the
organization. The process of slower rates of promotion creates more opportunities to
broaden experience and diverse career paths as employees perform different functions
and occupy different roles. This effectively produces company-specific skills and
promotes career development. Participative and consensual decision making demands
cooperation and teamwork, values that are openly communicated and reinforced.
Individual responsibility for collective decision making demands an atmosphere of
trust and mutual support. Finally, concern for the total person is natural part of the
working relationship, which tends to be informal and emphasizes the whole person
and not just the individual’s work role. This holistic perspective promotes a strong
egalitarian atmosphere, a community of equals who work cooperatively on common
goals rather than relying on the formal hierarchy. Thus Theory Z organizations are
structured and operate to promote the basic values of intimacy, trust, cooperation, and
egalitarianism. These core values of the culture are the dominant values that most of
the organizational members accept and share; they influence virtually every aspect of
organizational life.
The features of Theory Z applied to schools include trust, subtlety, and
intimacy; shared control and decision making; training in planning, organizational
processes, budgeting systems, and interpersonal skills; motivation through self-
interest; rewards over the long run and the importance or high-quality education.
Theory Z applied to schools depicts these concepts.
Trust, Subtlety, and Intimacy: According to Ouchi, no institution can exist
without trust, subtlety, and intimacy. Trust in a school can only exist among people
who understand that their objectives are compatible in the long run. The concept is
based on the assumption that if you don’t understand what someone else does, if you
don’t understand their language, their technology, and their problems, then you can’t
possibly trust them. Trust can be developed only through intimae, professional
experience with someone else, including close interpersonal relations between
students and students, teachers and students, teachers and teachers, administrators and
teachers, and administrators and students.
Shared Control and Decision Making : School administrators must spend
adequate time discussing with students, teachers, parents, and the community the
objectives of the schools and how the schools are run. School leaders must understand
the incentive system available to personnel in their career and helps them to
rationalize these incentives so that they can trust them. Then, administrators can invite
subordinates to share control, which provides stakeholders with input into decisions
that will affect the way they perform their responsibilities.
Figure 4 Major components of theory Z as applied to school
Source : Ouchi (1993)
Training, the concept of quality circles, also called learning teams or
cooperative learning groups, is advocated. Quality circles consist of small groups of
employees who meet regularly to discuss the way they do their jobs and to
recommend changes. The purpose is to yield a group-based suggestion system for
solving problems and improving the quality of the system (John J. Bonstingl, 2001).
This requires a period of training to increase participation, consensus in decision, and
shared control. The training is directed toward getting to know organization: its
objectives, problems, and overall resources. Specifically, teachers and other non
administrative personnel are trained in planning, organizational processes (motivation,
leadership, decision making, communication, and change), the system’s budgetary
Trust Subtlety Intimacy
Theory Z in
Schools
Motivation Through
Self Interest
Equitable Reward System
Shared Control and
Decision Making
Skills Training
Quality Educatio
n
process, group dynamics, and many of the school administrator’s day-to-day activities
to which teachers are rarely exposed. The training is designed to create a culture that
lends itself to openness, trust, and employee involvement.
Motivation Through Self-Interest: Ouchi believes that there is only one form
of interest, self-interest. If you can not create a setting in which people are permitted
to naturally do what seems desirable to them-to satisfy their self-interest-then you are
always fighting, constraining, holding back, and can never have high commitment nor
high productivity. In the theory Z organization, because people have participated in
shaping the goals and objective of the system, you can say to people, “Do what comes
naturally; do what you prefer to do ,because we have agreed that those things you
choose to do are simultaneously good for the institution” (William Ouchi, 1982).
Rewards : An organizational memory is essential. Some key persons must
remember who has gone the extra mile, who is committed, and who has put in extra
time; this person must ensure that those efforts are recognized and rewarded.
According to Ouchi, if there is that kind of organizational memory, then people will
have confidence that as long as they do what is right, there will be equity in the end.
They therefore lose whatever incentives they might have to be selfish narrow-minded,
or short-sighted. What does Ouchi say about the lockstep salary schedules prevalent
in most school district? Ouchi responds by saying that it is necessary that schools
disassemble the currently bureaucratical approach to evaluation, promotion, and pay.
Importance of High-Quality Education: One of the greatest assets any country
has in developing its social health and its economic health, is its school systems. High
quality education leads to an educated workforce, thereby increasing economic capital
in the improved country. An enlightened citizenry is important to the welfare of a
nation.
Other studies (Deal and Kennedy, 1982; Peters and Waterman, 1982) of
successful corporations also suggest the pivotal importance of strong organizational
cultures in fostering effectiveness. Deal and Kennedy (1982) suggest that successful
organizations share some common cultural characteristics. They argues that such
organizations have:
1) A widely shared organizational philosophy.
2) Concern for individuals that is more important than formal rules and
policies.
3) Rituals and ceremonies that build a common identity.
4) A well-understood sense of the informal rules and exceptions.
5) A belief that what employees do is important to others.
In strong cultures, beliefs and values are hold intensely, shared widely, and
guide organizational behavior. It might be tempting to jump to the conclusion that a
specific set of values defines excellence in organizations, but that would be
unjustified. What promote excellence yesterday does not necessarily promote it today
or tomorrow (Aupperle, Acar and Booth, 1986; Hitt and Ireland, 1987). In fact, a
strong culture can be a liability in times of rapid change because the organization’s
culture may be so ingrained that it prevents adaptation to new constraints. From the
observes of Hanson (2003) that in many ways the link between culture and
effectiveness is the same as that between structure and effectiveness. Both culture and
structure can undermine outcome by either stagnating or disrupting the system
through rigidities, conflicts, and hidden agendas.
2.2.6 Culture as tacit assumptions
A deepest level of culture, it is the collective manifestation of tacit
assumptions. When members of an organization share a view of the world around
them and their place in that world, culture exists. That is, a pattern of basic
assumptions has been invented, discovered, or developed by the organization as it
learned to cope with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration. This
pattern has worked well enough to be considered valid and it is taught to new member
as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. Because
the assumptions have worked repeatedly, they have become so basic that they are
taken for granted, tend to be no comfortable and no debatable, and thus are highly
resistant to change. From this perspective, the key to understanding organizational
culture is to decipher the tacit assumptions members share and to discover how these
assumptions fit together into a cultural pattern or paradigm.
Tacit assumptions are abstract premises about the nature of human
relationships, human nature, truth, reality, and environment (Dyer, 1985). For
example, is human nature basically good, evil, or neutral? How is truth ultimately
determined-is it revealed or discovered? What are the assumed relationships among
members of the group primarily hierarchical, cooperative, or individualistic? When
organizations develop consistent and articulate patterns of basic assumptions, they
have strong cultures.
Consider two strong, but contrasting school cultures. The first school has a
strong, distinctive culture based on the following assumptions as suggested by Schien
(1985):
1) Truth ultimately comes from teachers themselves.
2) Teachers are responsible, motivated, and capable of governing themselves
and making decision in the best interests of their students.
3) Truth is determined through debate, which often produces conflict and
testing of ideas in an open forum.
4) Teachers are a family; they accept, respect, and take care of each other.
These core assumptions give rise to such shared values as individualism,
autonomy, openness, professionalism, and authority of knowledge. In contrast, a
second school is guided by the following assumptions:
1) Truth ultimately comes from experienced teachers and administrators.
2) Most teachers are committed and loyal to the school.
3) Relationships in the school are basically hierarchical.
4) Yet, teachers respect and honor each other’s autonomy in the classroom.
5) Teachers are family who take care of each other.
In this school the core assumptions produce such values as respect for
authority respect for territory, and conflict avoidance.
2.3 School culture
Every organization has a culture, the history and underlying set of unwritten
expectations that shape everything about the school. A school culture influences the
ways people think, feel, and act, being able to understand and shape the culture is key
to a school's success in promoting staff and student learning.
Although organizational culture has become a fashionable construct for
analysis in education, much of the recent discussion about school culture remains
analytical, philosophical, and rhetorical rather than empirical (Cusick, 1987). It is not
difficult, for example, to use the research results on corporate cultures (Ouchi, 1981;
Deal and Kennedy, 1982; Peters and Waterman, 1982) and the effective schools
research (Brookover et al.,1978; Ruttet et al.,1979; Clark, Lotto, and Astuto, 1984) to
develop an ideal description of an effective school culture.
Anthropological and sociological studies of school cultures are needed. The
in-depth descriptions of qualitative studies are necessary to map the basic assumptions
and common values of the cultures of schools. Educational researches must consider
the school as a whole and analyze how its practices, beliefs, and other cultural
elements relate to the social structure as well as give meaning to its social life. To
understand culture one must be immersed in the complex clustering of symbols
people use to give meaning to their world.
Firestone and Wilson (1985) provide a useful framework for beginning to
study the organizational cultures of schools. They suggest that the analysis of school
culture can be addressed by studying its content, the expressions of culture, and
primary communication patterns.
The symbols through which culture is expressed often help identify important
cultural themes. Three symbol systems communicate the contents of a school’s
culture: stories, icons, and rituals.
1) Stories are narratives that are based on true events, but they often combine
truth and fiction.
2) Myths are stories that communicate an unquestioned belief that cannot be
demonstrated by the facts.
3) Legends are stories that are retold and elaborated with fictional details.
A school’s organizational culture is “a system of ordinary, taken-for-granted
meanings and symbols with both implicit and explicit content [i.e., norms, values,
beliefs, assumptions] that are, deliberately and non-deliberately, learned and shared
among members” (Erickson, 1987). There are three dimensions to a school’s culture:
its form, content, and strength. With respect to form, a school’s culture may vary from
one that largely supports isolated, individual work and problem solving to one that is
based on collaboration in its various forms, from collaboration among subgroups in
the organization (balkanized) to whole staff collaboration (Hargreaves & Macmillan,
1991). Evidence suggests a strong link between highly collaborative school cultures
and schools’ effectiveness (Fieman-Nemser & Floden, 1986; Little, 1982). Authentic
collaboration among teachers, regarding improvement of teaching and learning, for
example, provides opportunities for the dissemination of hard-won technical
knowledge from one teacher to another. It also provides occasions for joint problem
solving around individual teacher dilemmas as well as tasks shared by teachers such
as curriculum development tasks.
The specific nature of a school staff’s shared norms, values, beliefs, and
assumptions defines the content of a school’s culture. Staff in especially productive
schools typically hold norms of continuous improvement and professional growth as
well as norms of mutual respect. These staff value the welfare and learning of their
students first and foremost. As well, they value the participation of all the school’s
stakeholders in decision making and believe that all of their students can learn and
that they are responsible for ensuring that such learning occurs (Mortimore,
Sammons, Stoll, Lewis & Ecob, 1988; Rosenholtz, 1989).
The extent to which norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions are shared among
staff defines the strength of a school’s culture. Strong cultures are especially useful in
the day-to-day conduct of the school’s business because the hectic and fast-paced
nature of the enterprise provides little opportunity for collegial deliberation
(Hargreaves & Macmillan, 1991). Excessive consensus among staff can be self-
sealing, however, cutting off the inclination to award ideas of change for the attention
they may deserve (Firestone & Louis, 1999). Indeed, learning what is needed for
organization improvement demands openness to new ideas from diverse sources,
along with norms of risk taking and experimentation and beliefs about the importance
of learning from small failures (Sitkin, 1992; Watkins & Marsick,1993).
Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp (1991) further described school culture as “a
system of shared orientations (norms, core values and tacit assumptions) by members,
which holds the unit together and gives it a distinct identity”. In this pattern of shared
orientations, no distinction is made between the different subsets of status within the
school. The non-certified staff must also embrace these shared notions if a school
hopes to establish a sustainable set of cultural values.
Evidence concerning how less productive school cultures can be changed is
modest, but recommends several strategies: using such bureaucratic strategies as the
hiring of new staff to support cultural norms; persistently communicating the values
considered to be important to the culture; providing symbolic support, for example,
through ceremonies, for the values and beliefs considered important to the school; and
providing staff development activities that empower staff to act in ways valued by the
school (Deal & Peterson, 1990; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1990).
School culture is not a static entity. It is constantly being constructed and
shaped through interactions with others and through reflections on life and the world
in general (Finnan, 2000). School culture develops as staff members interact with
each other, the students, and the community. It becomes the guide for behavior that is
shared among members of the school at large. Culture is shaped by the interactions of
the personnel, and the actions of the personnel become directed by culture.
Hollins (1996) argues that “schools are shaped by cultural practices and values
and reflect the norms of the society for which they have been developed”. Just as
hydrogen is a major element of water, so are societal values a major ingredient of
school culture. The general ideologies of society at large and the communities
surrounding individual schools become reflected in the culture of schooling.
In her study of inner city schools, Anyon (1995) identified three factors that
vitiated reform efforts in the schools involved in her study: sociocultural differences
among participants, an abusive school environment, and educators’ expectations of
failed reform. These three factors combined to create a school culture that negated
any attempt at reform. Efforts at reform continually failed in those schools because
the underlying stream of values and norms was indicative of the poverty, negativity,
and abuse of the surrounding community. Anyon’s study (1995) suggests that in order
to reform the schools, the community’s expectations and values would have to be
reformed which will be reflected in the culture of the schools.
Much of the current research on school culture presents implications only as
they pertain to positive versus negative effects on student academics and teacher
outcomes. Other research focuses on cultural issues as a barrier to school outcomes
and change initiatives in particular. In addition, ‘school culture’ is often explored as a
whole of the school variable that includes students, rather than simply a workplace
level variable that, potentially, has implications for teacher and student outcomes at
the sub-group level.
R.G. Owens and C.R. Steinhoff (1988) identified four distinctive school
cultures,
1) Family culture. Described as a school that is a family or a team. The
most important element is concern for each other, and staff
commitment to the students and their culture is common.
2) Machine culture. The school runs like a well-oiled machine. The focus
is on precision rather than on nurturing learners.
3) Cabaret culture. A circus-type culture. The relationships and status in
the organization come from theatrical practices. These schools are "all
show and no go."
4) Concentration Camp culture. The school culture is viewed as
unpredictable. Tension and stress abound. People view it as a prison.
They have no choice but to function or try to escape.
As many researchers have noted, every school has a culture: a positive,
healthy one that promotes learning for both the students and the adults in the building
or a negative one that is steeped in conflict and is resistant to change. Schools are
dynamic environments. “We need to treat educational organizations as complex social
organisms held together by a symbolic webbing” (Deal, 1990). This symbolic
webbing must be understood and embraced by all personnel. To get a true measure of
a school’s culture is a difficult pursuit (Roach & Kratochwill, 2004). Schools
encounter constant turnover of staff, and inevitable turnover of the students. The
peculiarities of schools, in contrast to private enterprises, have led many researchers
to define school culture in specific ways which may contrast with the cultural
specifications of other types of organizations.
Hopkins, Ainscow and West (1994) offered the following meanings of culture,
as it relates to schools:
1) the observed patterns of behavior
2) the norms that evolve in working groups of teachers
3) the dominant values espoused by the school
4) the philosophy that guides the approach to teaching
5) the unwritten policies and procedures that new teachers have to learn
Higgins-D’Alessandro & Sadh (1997) found that students who held positive
expectations of the behavioral norms of students at school (e.g., at this school there is
very little cheating) expressed a greater satisfaction with school life and were more
inclined than others to participate in extra-curricular activities. Sense of school
membership may also be enhanced among schools possessing a strong emphasis on
academic pursuits (or academic press).
Barth (2002) wrote: “A school’s culture is a complex pattern of norms,
attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, values, ceremonies, traditions, and myths that are deeply
ingrained in the very core of the organization. It is the historically transmitted pattern
of meaning that wields astonishing power in shaping what people think and how they
act”.
Deal and Peterson (1990) defined it (in The Shaping School Culture
Fieldbook, 2002) as kind of the underlining set of norms, values, beliefs, rituals, and
traditions that make up the unwritten rules of how to think, feel and act in an
organization. Every organization has a conscious, predictable part of their rules and
procedures and so forth, but the school’s culture is often below the stream of
consciousness and is really what.
Similarly many writers have provided formal definitions of school or
organizational culture. Listed below are some of the most frequently cited definitions.
Culture is: An informal understanding of the “way we do things around here.” Culture
is a strategic body of learned behaviors that give both meaning and reality to its
participants (Cunningham and Gresso,1993). The stable, underlying social meanings
that shape beliefs and behavior over time (Deal, 1990).
David and Weller explained : “ To a large extent culture contributes to the
school's effectiveness or ineffectiveness and is a product of the school's leadership.
Culture sets the standards and guides the daily actions of administrators, teachers and
students alike"(Weller, 2002).
Culture is the stable, underlying social meanings that shape beliefs and
behavior over time (Deal,1990). Culture can be viewed in terms of both product and
process. Product embodies the accumulated wisdom of previous members of the
organization. Process is continually renewed and recreated as new members are taught
the old ways and eventually become teachers themselves (Bolman and Deal, 1991).
The collective programming of the mind distinguishes the members of one
group from those of another group (Hofstede, 1997) i.e.
1) Culture is a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group has
learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal
integration, and that has worked well enough to be considered valid
and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to
perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems. (Schein,1992).
2) Culture is a complex pattern of norms, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors,
values, ceremonies, traditions, and myths that are deeply ingrained in
the very core of the organization. Culture is the historically transmitted
pattern of meaning that wields astonishing power in shaping what
people think and how they act (Barth, 2002).
School culture is defined as shared beliefs, feelings, assumptions,
expectations, attitudes and values for development as staff members interact with each
other, the teachers, the students, and the community. These become common
behaviors among members of the school. Culture is shaped by the interactions of the
personnel, and the actions of the personnel are directed by culture.
2.3.1 The importance of school culture
Sociologists recognized the importance of school culture as early as 1930s, but
it was not until the late 1970s that educational researchers began to draw direct links
between the quality of a school’s climate and its educational outcomes. Harvard
University researcher Ron Edmonds, often regarded as the father of the “effective
schools” movement, included “safe, orderly climate conducive to learning” on his
influential list of school level factors associated with higher student achievement.
“The school’s atmosphere is orderly without being rigid,” he observed, “quiet without
being oppressive, and generally conducive to the instructional business at hand.” Yet
despite its importance, organizational culture is possibly the least discussed element in
practical conversations about how to improve student achievement. Perhaps that is
because factors such as strong leadership, close monitoring of student progress, a
common and coherent curriculum, and teacher collaboration all seem like pieces of
the puzzle that educators can directly affect. On the other hand, even the synonyms
we use to describe a school’s culture — terms such as “atmosphere” and “climate”—
make it sound more like an environmental condition than an educational one. And
much like the weather, school culture seems to exist beyond direct human control.
(http://www.readingrockets.org/article/26095 by Jerald ,2006)
Why does culture exert such a powerful influence on a school’s effectiveness?
Because the culture tells people in the school what is truly important and how they are
to act. As Bruce A. Lane (1992) said, “The power of the school culture model lies in
its recognition that movement of schools toward greater effectiveness must begin with
attention to the subtle, habitual regularities of behavior that comprise the culture of
the school.”
A truly positive school climate is not characterized simply by the absence of
gangs, violence, or discipline problems, but also by the presence of a set of norms and
values that focus everyone’s attention on what is most important and motivate them to
work hard toward a common purpose. Terrance Deal and Kent Peterson (1999)
contended that “the culture of an enterprise plays the dominant role in exemplary
performance.” They define school culture as an “underground flow of feelings and
folkways [wending] its way within schools” in the form of vision and values, beliefs
and assumptions, rituals and ceremonies, history and stories, and physical symbols.
According to Deal and Peterson research (1999) suggests that a strong,
positive culture serves several beneficial functions, including the following:
1) Fostering effort and productivity.
2) Improving collegial and collaborative activities that in turn promote better
communication and problem solving.
3) Supporting successful change and improvement efforts.
4) Building commitment and helping students and teachers identify with the
school.
5) Amplifying the energy and motivation of staff members and students.
6) Focusing attention and daily behavior on what is important and valued.
Hobby of Britain’s Hay Group suggests, viewed more positively, culture can
also be the ultimate form of ‘capacity’—a reservoir of energy and wisdom to sustain
motivation and co-operation, shape relationships and aspirations, and guide effective
choices at every level of the school (Jerald, 2006).
Fullan (2005) noted that of the 134 secondary schools in England that were
part of the 2004 Hay Group study, the “successful schools had a much more
demanding culture-hunger for improvement, promoting excellence, holding hope for
every child-while the less successful schools had less of a press on improvement and
were more forgiving when results were not forthcoming”.
Building a strong culture is not an overnight task. According to Bryk and
Schneider (2002), “Relational trust is not something that can be achieved simply
through some workshop, retreat, or form of sensitivity training, although all of these
can be helpful. Rather, relational trust is forged in daily social exchanges. Trust grows
over time through exchanges where the expectations held for others are validated in
action.” Creating and maintaining a strong culture—for students and teachers alike—
also depends on their understanding of “the definition of the situation” defined earlier.
“For relational trust to develop and be sustained,” said Byrk and Schneider (2002),
both staff and students “must be able to make sense of their work together in terms of
what they understand as the primary purpose of the school: Why are we really here?”.
Patterson, Purkey, and Parker (1986) summarized the general knowledge base
regarding school cultures:
1) School culture does affect the behavior and achievements of
elementary and secondary school students (though the effect of
classroom and student variables remains greater).
2) School culture does not fall from the sky; it is created and thus can be
manipulated by people within the school.
3) School cultures are unique; whatever their commonalities, no two
schools will be exactly alike - nor should they be.
4) To the extent that it provides a focus and clear purpose for the school,
culture becomes the cohesion that bonds the school together as it goes
about its mission.
5) Though we concentrate on its beneficial nature, culture can be
counterproductive and an obstacle to educational success; culture can
also be oppressive and discriminatory for various subgroups within the
school.
Lasting fundamental change (e.g. changes in teaching practices or the decision
making structure) requires understanding and, often, altering of the school's culture;
cultural change is a slow process.
2.3.2 Categories of school culture
Rosenholtz (1989) described two distinct observable cultures, “high consensus
” or “collaborative” schools and “low consensus” or “ isolated ”schools. Hargreaves
(1993) described four categories, “fragmented individualism”, “balkanised”,
“collaborative” and “contrived collegiality” (Cole & Knowles, 2000).
The categories of these researchers summarized in Table 2, broadly describe
cultures in schools and will be used as a basis for looking more deeply into the
literature available in this area. Summarizing the categories by these two researchers
acts as a point of reference while exploring the complexity of the term.
Table 2 Broad categories of school cultureRosenholtz (1989) Hargreaves (1993)
High Consensus / Collaborative School. These schools work towards commonly defined, shared goals.
Collaborative In these schools there is a broad agreement on educational values. Shared goals. Teachers work together with sincerity. Supported by school administration.Contrived CollegialityThe pattern of interaction is recently adopted. Teachers work together but without the will and commitment to do so.
Low Consensus / Isolated Schools These schools work towards individual goals,There is no common purpose.
BalkanisedTeachers sometimes form groups defined by attitudes, professional goals, subject orientations or personal interests.Fragmented IndividualismIn these schools teachers are private, isolated and conservative. There is a lack of enthusiasm for change.
2.3.3 Models of school culture
Development of a preliminary model of school culture from the list of cultural
elements required consideration of the relationships between the elements.
Erikson (1987) addressed the issue of the development of school culture. It
was presented as an interpretive framework containing three different conceptions
about the possession and sharing of cultural knowledge. Firstly, cultural knowledge
exists in small bits spread throughout the school, secondly there are larger chunks of
common knowledge which underpin collective behavior and thirdly, the sharing of the
knowledge is related to power and status. The knowledge bits conception proposes
that the school community collectively possesses a large pool of bits of information,
the individual pieces being contributed by specific members and groups. No single
member or group has learned the total body of knowledge. Another conception
portrays cultures as a conceptual structure with the presence of central organizing
constructs and core symbols that are widely shared throughout the school and provide
cohesion and consistency of behavior. The third concept recognizes that there is a
systematic variation in cultural knowledge between the groups and that the
organization of the differences has resulted from social interaction including conflict.
This political struggle conception views culture as being in a state of change, new
culture is continuously being created. A further consideration is of the effect that the
social environment surrounding individuals and groups has on their specific cultural
knowledge, not on the total body of knowledge itself. Collectively, these conceptions
of Erikson portray school culture as a dynamic combination of shared and individual
knowledge with new frameworks and knowledge being continuously learned and
applied.
Maxwell and Thomas (1991) suggested that culture is expressed through the
behavior of groups and individuals. There is a concurrent process by which ideas,
beliefs and values are developed to give meaning to the behavior. The “interactive
model of culture” (Maxwell & Thomas, 1991) has four reciprocative elements. The
central element is the belief system which embodies the tacit assumptions and
understandings of the group. This influences the group value system, an expression of
common judgments about the relative importance of issues and matters of concern.
The group value system influences the development of norms that express behavioral
expectations and associated standards which set the limits for consequent behavior.
The last element of the model is the resulting behavior. Maxwell and Thomas (1991)
suggested that each of the latter three elements will interact with and influence the
preceding element. The overall system interacts with the temporal and socio-political
environment in which the organization exists and will be responsive to external
influences.
These conceptions influenced the development of the model presented in
Figure 5.
Individual Beliefs Individual Attitudes
Professional Values
Transformational Teachersleadership as Learners
School-wide School Culture CollegialityPlanning
Shared Mutual Visions Empowerment
Collaboration
Individual Values Individual Norms
Figure 5 Cultural elements model of school culture
The core construct of school culture is situated at the center of the model. It is
a unified entity characterized by the collective values and norms of the school staff.
The cultural elements are the components of school culture. Each element describes a
particular aspect of school culture and represents a distinct set of beliefs, values and
norms. The elements are descriptors of the prevailing culture which is characterized
by the relative strength of the eight elements. Certain elements are also vehicles for
cultural development. These describe mechanisms of social interaction through which
teachers can express and exchange their individual beliefs and values leading to the
formation of a common value system and norms. For example, through collaboration,
teachers share information on their individual teaching programs and instructional
strategies which can lead to the development of common approaches to student
learning throughout the school. The model portrays cultural development as a process
in which disparate teacher beliefs, attitudes and values and norms coalesce and form
the school’s culture. Thus the model allows consideration of the state of the prevailing
culture and also of the processes which develop school culture.
Another application of the model is in representing the dynamic nature of
school culture. There is an interaction between the core culture and individual
dispositions of teachers. The elements can be considered as radial continuums
between collectivity and individualism. It is assumed that fluctuations in the culture
could be explained as movement along these continuums. The stability of the culture
requires maintenance of a balance in these fluctuations in which weakening of certain
elements would be compensated for by the strengthening of others. It is envisaged that
a stable school culture was in a state of dynamic equilibrium.
A further application of the model is in explaining cultural growth and decline.
In these instances it is envisaged that the equilibrium between the elements would not
be maintained and a new culture formed. For cultural growth to occur, it is proposed
that an increase in the overall contribution of the eight elements to school culture is
required. Increases in individual elements are not countered by a decrease in others
and there is net improvement. The reverse situation occurs when a diminishing
contribution from some elements is not countered by an increased contribution from
others resulting in net degradation and cultural declination.
Hargreaves (1995) proposed a model of school culture based upon expressive
and instrumental domains. In the expressive domain, social cohesion is generated
through maintenance of positive relationships. The instrumental domain concerns
social control and task orientation. The model identifies four types of school culture,
traditional with low cohesion and high control, welfarist with high cohesion and low
control, hot-house with high cohesion and control, and anomic with low cohesion and
low control. He also proposed a fifth type of culture, effective, which includes optimal
cohesion, optimal control and the presence of high expectations and support in
facilitating achievement of the expectations.
HIGH OPTIMUM LOW
HIGH
OPTIMUM
LOW
Figure 6 A Typology of school cultures Source : Hargreaves (1995)
Hothouse Welfarist
Ideal
Traditional Anomic
Instrumental domain- social control-
Expr
essi
ve d
omai
n- s
ocia
l coh
esio
n
● Traditional – low social cohesion, high social control–custodial, formal,
unapproachable;
● Welfarist – low social control, high social cohesion–relaxed, caring,
cosy;
● Hothouse – high social control, high social cohesion–claustrophobic,
pressured, controlled;
● Anomic – low social cohesion, low social control–insecure, alienated,
isolated, “at risk”.
The fifth culture, in the centre, is an effective school with optimal social
cohesion and optimal social control—fairly high expectations and support for
achieving standards. Hargreaves emphasises these as “ideal cultures” because real
schools “move around”. Indeed, departments within schools may fall within different
parts of this model. (Hagreaves ,1995)
Stoll and Fink’s model develops these ideas, they focus on the school’s current
effectiveness, but also argue that the rapidly accelerating pace of change makes
standing still impossible and therefore schools are either getting better or getting
worse. These two concepts enable school cultures to be examined on two dimensions,
effectiveness-ineffectiveness, and improving-declining (figure 7). As in David
Hargreaves’ model, within most schools, one can find sub-cultures exemplifying
several, if not all, of the types.
Improving Declining
Effective
Ineffective
Figure 7 A Types of school cultures Source : Stoll , Fink (1996)
Moving Cruising
Struggling Sinking
Strolling
● Moving — boosting pupils’ progress and development
— working together to respond to changing contexts
— knowing where they’re going and having the will and skill
to get there
— possessing norms for improving schools
● Cruising — appearing to be effective
— usually in more affluent areas
— pupils achieve in spite of teaching quality
— not preparing pupils for the changing world
— possessing powerful norms that inhibit change
● Strolling — neither particularly effective nor ineffective
— moving at inadequate rate to cope with pace of change
— meandering into future to pupils’ detriment
— ill-defined and sometimes conflicting aims inhibit
improvement
● Struggling — ineffective and they know it
— expending considerable energy to improve
— unproductive ‘thrashing about’
— will ultimately succeed because have the will, if not the skill
— often identified as ‘failing’, which is de-motivational
● Sinking — ineffective: norms of isolation, blame, self reliance, and loss
of faith powerfully inhibiting improvement
— staff unable to change
— often in deprived areas where they blame parenting or
unprepared children
— need dramatic action and significant support.
Cavanagh (1997) amalgamated these three approaches. The culture of a
learning community is manifested by the sharing of values and norms amongst
teachers resulting in commonality of purpose and actions intended to improve the
learning of students. The culture of the individual school is characterized by the
perceived extent of participation in the interactive social processes which develop,
maintain and transform the culture.
A school culture with well developed cultural elements is expected to produce
a professional working environment with certain features. The teachers do not work in
isolation from their colleagues and are bonded together by common needs and
expectations. Their efficacious values are given effect by membership in a community
which emphasizes the learning of students. Collegiality provides the teachers with
support from colleagues which increases their confidence in their capacity to educate
students and to be active participants in implementing innovations. There is an
atmosphere of trust and empowerment which is non-judgmental and accommodative
of mistakes. Problems and success are shared, the professional growth of the teachers
is built upon the experiences of others and the resulting increased pool of knowledge.
Collaboration provides school wide consistency in instructional approaches
and the socialization of students. As students move from class to class and progress
from year to year, previous learning experiences are reinforced and extended through
a sequential and coordinated curriculum. A school-wide instructional program
developed and refined through collaboration between teachers is also well understood
by these teachers thus enhancing the effectiveness of its delivery.
The model of the School Culture Survey (SCS) used in this study was
developed by Gruenert and Valentine (1998) at the Middle Level Leadership Center.
The elements of this model are the following six factors:
1. Collaborative Leadership; leaders can influence the creation and
maintenance of an organization’s culture. To sustain an effective organizational
culture, participative leadership that shares power with followers is important (Davis,
2003; Hackman & Johnson, 2000; Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 2000; Yukl,
2002). A participative process builds trust, legitimacy, and ownership. Ownership, in
turn, yields satisfaction by participants who feel they are treated with respect when
they are allowed to express their views and utilize their expert skills. A healthy
organizational culture is sustainable through participative leadership.
The leadership of a school is not held solely by the leaders. It exists
throughout the organization, with different members who may hold very distinct
official roles (Ogawa & Bossert, 1995; Preskill & Torres, 1999, Rafoth & Foriska,
2006; Reeves, 2006). If leaders are to be effective, they must distribute the role of
leadership among several staff members. This idea is supported by Marzano, Waters
and McNulty (2005), who described this development of a leadership team as a key
characteristic of effective schools.
2. Teacher collaboration; the following are educational research accounts of
the importance of collaboration among staff members for schools:
1) The importance of collaboration in changing teacher practice has
led to its widespread acceptance as an essential component of any
effort at improved teaching (Brownwell, Adams, Sindelar,
Waldron, & Vanhover, 2006).
2) Enlightened administrators recognize that achieving a high-level of
student learning can happen only though the active engagement of
teacher leaders (Danielson, 2006).
3) Educators must stop working in isolation and hoarding their ideas,
materials and strategies and begin to work together to meet the
needs of students (Dufour, 2004).
4) Underpinning healthy cultures in districts is possible by an
understanding that education can be improved through active
networks of people in different job settings working together in an
interconnected setting (Marshall, Pritchard, & Gunderson, 2004).
5) Time for teacher collaboration is essential for effective education
(Reeves, 2006).
6) Evidence for the benefits of collaboration, rightly conducted, are
overwhelming (Schmoker, 1999).
7) One characteristic of successful schools is that teachers work
together (Strahan , 2003).
8) Working collaboratively in small groups and larger school-wide
groups to identify student learning needs and addressing those
needs has been one of the most important subscales in student
achievement (Wade, 2004).
3. Professional Development; the importance of professional development, has
been a central tenet of public schools (Brownwell et al, 2006; DuFour & Eaker, 1998;
Pedder et al, 2005; Snowden & Gorton, 2002; Sparks & Hirsh, 1997; Wood, 2003).
The shift towards collaborative environments, however, has changed the notion of an
educated school workforce. Professional development no longer simply entails the
traditional modes and methods of attending workshops, and reading and using novel
best practice research; rather, the concept has become intertwined with the very nature
of the work done in schools.
As teachers work together in collaborative environments, they increase their
knowledge of effective practice. It is these collegial conversations that can take the
place, at least in part, of more traditional, research-based, instructional improvements.
Inherent in this call for collaboration is that the act of planning and working together,
in itself, is a powerful professional development tool (Brownwell et al, 2006).
4. Unity of Purpose is an order for any group of people to work together in
ways in which they are most effective. There must be a shared goal to which they all
aspire. In education, these goals are labeled by several distinct terms, such as mission,
vision, or purpose. These terms will be used interchangeably throughout the course of
this section. The unifying aspects of such a shared goal, or purpose, are supported by
several researchers (DuFour & Eaker, 1998; Gabriel, 2005; Goldman & O’ Shea,
1990; Haberman, 2004; Lambert, 2003; Preskill & Torres, 1989).
5. Collegial Support is the notion of collegial support concerns the degree to
which teachers work together, and the relationships that they form. The quality of
discourse, dialogue and reflection among the teaching staff are key components of
collegial support. Teachers who work together in a collaborative environment are
afforded the unique opportunity to build lasting relationships. “Collaborators evolve
into learning partners, equally invested in each other and in improving achievement”
(Gabriel, 2005). It is these relationships that bring a staff closer together, that
encourage them to support each other toward the goal of ensuring the success of all
students. “The cultures should emphasize that the school is a community of learners,
and that all can learn from each other” (Robbins & Alvy, 1995).
6. Learning Partnership concerns the involvement of all facets of the school
community into the learning process. This includes the school staff, as well as the
parents, students, and the community-at-large. Schools must be increasingly
responsive to the needs of those within the community.
2.3.4 The effects of culture on teachers and schools
The culture of the school reflects the local culture in many ways (Rossman,
Corbett, & Firestone, 1988; Welch, 1989). When schools seek to improve, a focus on
the values, beliefs, and norms of both the school and the environment outside the
school is necessary (Sarason, 1982; Deal and Peterson, 1990). Patterson, Purkey, and
Parker (1986) summarize the general knowledge base regarding school culture:
School culture does affect the behavior and achievement of elementary and
secondary school students (though the effect of classroom and student variables
remains greater).
School culture has been described as being similar to the air we breathe. No
one notices it unless it becomes foul (Freiberg, 1998). The culture of a school can be a
positive influence on learning or it can seriously inhibit the functioning of the school.
In any working environment, employees and clientele prefer to be in a situation that is
appealing and invitational. Hanson and Childs (1998) describe a school with a
positive school climate as “a place where students and teachers like to be”. It is a
place that has a climate of support and encouragement (Hanson & Childs, 1998),
where physical comfort levels are optimal (such as heating, cooling, and lighting –
Freiberg, 1998), and, as Peterson and Deal (1998) describe:
1) Where staff have a shared sense of purpose, where they pour their
hearts into teaching:
2) Where the underlying norms are of collegiality, improvement, and hard
work;
3) Where rituals and traditions celebrate student accomplishment, teacher
innovation, and parental commitment;
4) Where the informal network of storytellers, heroes, and heroines
provides a social web of information, support, and history;
5) Where success, joy, and humor abound.
Peterson and Deal (1998) further point out that a school with a positive school
culture is a place with a “shared sense of what is important, a shared ethos of caring
and concern, and a shared commitment to helping students learn”. Schools that are
conducted in a culture exhibiting these positive qualities have teachers and staff
members who are willing to take risks and enact reforms.
On the other hand, schools with a toxic or negative culture are places where
teachers are unwilling to change and where the tone is oppositional and acerbic. These
are the types of places where nobody prefers to be. They are “places where negativity
dominates conversations, interactions, and planning; where the only stories recounted
are of failure” (Peterson & Deal, 1998). The shared ethos about reform among
teachers in these schools is “this too shall pass” and “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. To
these teachers, the way it has always been done is the right way. Whether positive or
toxic, the introduction of change will serve to bring the dominant features of the
school’s culture to the surface.
According to Sarason (1996), it is difficult to determine the nature of a
school’s culture because our own personal experiences and values “put blinders on
what we look at, choose to change, and evaluate, Because our values and assumptions
are usually implicit and ‘second nature,’ we proceed as if the way things are is the
way things should or could be”. We view the rituals, policies, activities, traditions,
curriculum, and pedagogy in the school through the filter of our own values and
experiences. We must understand and analyze our own cultural influences before we
can examine a school’s. Sarason (1996) further points out that prior to observing a
school, a person must: confront the fact that he or she was born into this society with
its distinctive culture; that before entering any kind of school the observer had already
developed conceptions of and attitudes toward being in school; that he or she had
spent a dozen years in public schools during which pictures and conceptions of what
schools are were crystallizing, if not being locked into conceptual and attitudinal
concrete; and in the course of undergraduate and graduate education that same
observer was hearing and reading about schools in the mass media and was being
taught what schools are by college professors.
This is true not only for people observing schools, but also of teachers and
other school personnel. Teachers and other school workers are not culturally void
when they enter a school. Their personal experiences, values, norms, and prior
education all influence their views of curriculum, pedagogy, and change even before
they step foot into a classroom. Any change that is proposed that runs counter to the
teacher’s already developed culture and philosophy will be resisted. Teachers who
contentedly stay in a school for a number of years do so because it is a place where
the underlying stream of values and norms (the school culture) coincides with their
own. On the other hand, a conflict of cultures may provide the impetus for teachers to
leave (Hinde, 2002).
The culture of the local school is one of several “potentially powerful
determinants of student learning” for which strong evidence exists, said Kenneth
Leithwood, Karen Seashore Louis, Stephen Anderson, and Kyla Wahlstrom (2004),
who advise school leaders to take their cues from this evidence. Culture affects every
part of the school’s operation. Its influence ranges “from what faculty talk about in
the lunchroom to the type of instruction that is valued, to the way professional
development is viewed, to the importance of learning for all students”, said Terrence
E. Deal and Kent D. Peterson (2009). To underscore the power of a strong
collaborative culture, Deal and Peterson point to these effects:
1) Culture foster school effectiveness and productivity.
2) Culture improves collegial and collaborative activities that foster better
communication and problem-solving practices.
3) Culture fosters successful change and improvement efforts.
4) Culture builds commitment and identification of staff, students, and
administrators.
5) Culture amplifies the energy, motivation, and vitality of a school’s staff,
students, and community.
6) Culture increases the focus of daily behavior and attention on what is
important and valued.
For all those reasons, culture is well worth every school leader’s attention. The
importance of the task is obvious to all, yet not everyone agree on how to do it, and
for good reason.
2.3.5 Shaping school culture
A school’s culture is shaped by its history, context and the people in it.
1. The school’s age can impact cultural change. Schein (1996) identifies
three significant developmental periods in a business organization’s life. Parallels can
be drawn with schools. In the early years of a new school, dominant values emanate
from its “founders” and the school makes its culture explicit. It clarifies its values,
finds and articulates a unique identity and shares these with newcomers, whether
teachers, pupils or parents. Culture is the “glue” that holds everyone together, and can
be seen as a positive development force. In midlife, the school is well established but
needs to continue growing and renewing. Changes may have occurred to its external
and internal contexts, altering strengths and weaknesses. The most important aspects
of the culture are now embedded and taken for granted, and culture is increasingly
implicit. Subcultures have also sprung up. Change becomes more difficult because of
less consciousness of the culture; it is harder to articulate and understand. Maturity
and/or stagnation and decline is more problematical from the cultural change
perspective. This stage is reached if the school has ceased growing and responding to
its environment. Dysfunctional elements have surfaced, and the challenging of old
assumptions is resisted.
2. School culture is influenced by a school’s external context. Locally, a
school’s community, including the pupils’ parents, may have their own conceptions of
what a “real school” is: “a real school is what I attended when I was a child.” The
Local Educational Authority (LEA) can also help create an improvement mindset, as
well as having its own improvement orientation and language (e.g. “The Learning
Borough”). Political and economic forces or changes in national or local educational
policies are also influences. For example, focusing the external assessment system
only on core subjects at the primary level, influences what is valued in schools.
Teaching unions are another aspect of the external context that can impact on the
school culture and, thus, its orientation to improvement.
3. School cultures vary between primary and secondary schools. In primary
schools care and control influence their culture, such that when pupils leave primary
schools there is a feeling that they have left a family. In contrast, secondary school
culture is influenced not only by larger size and department structures, but by the very
fundamental nature of teachers’ academic orientation; the difference between being,
for example, an art teacher and a science teacher—and the fragmented individualism
that pupils experience in moving from one subject and teacher to another.
4. School culture is influenced by the school’s pupils and their social class
background. Thrupp (1997) argues that the social mix of the school plays a major role
in how it functions, largely because of the cumulative effect of how the pupils relate
to each other as a group. Essentially, pupils who attend the school favor it in a
particular way, through their own pupil culture. This takes on added significance
when they reach adolescence and their identities and values are shifting.
5. Changes in society pose challenges to a school’s culture, whether they be
related to learning, the pupil population, organizational management, rapid
technological developments or the changing role of women. Such societal changes
often demand rapid responses from a school. Yet while culture changes as participants
change, it can also be a stabilizing force, particularly for those who have been part of
the culture for a longer period. It can therefore appear problematic for those in search
of quick fix changes because it often seems as if it is an unmovable force. While
culture presents, therefore, the paradox of both being static and dynamic, in reality it
is constantly evolving and being reconstructed.
2.3.5.1 Challenges in shaping school culture
In spite of these complexities and difficulties, an administrator may be able, to
a limited extent, to shape the organizational culture of the school or school district.
Principals should remember, however, that combining “professional management
with inspirational leadership and a collectivist culture” may lead to role conflicts and
confusion. Following suggestions are offered from analysis of the social science and
educational literature on organization cultures.
1) Clarity about values and ideals
An administrator needs to be clear about which values and ideals the
school should be promoting. An administrator who has no notion of what an ideal
school would look like will not be able to create policies for moving in positive
direction. Research by Hallinger (2003) indicates that “Principals can influence
student learning by developing a clear mission that provides an instructional focus for
teachers throughout the school”. Unfortunately, many administrators become bogged
down in the everyday duties of managing a school and have not thought through what
it is that their school should aspire toward. A basic question that needs to be answered
is “What should be the primary mission and goals of this school?”. Obviously, the
administrator should not be the only one who attempts to answer this question;
teachers, students, and parents, among others, also need to be involved in order to
gain deeper insights and commitment. The principal appears to play the major role,
however, beyond that of parent, in developing a school climate of high expectations.
If an administrator is not clear about what the school should stand for and should be
aspiring toward, the administrator will be in a poor position to shape the
organizational culture in a different direction. As Firestone and Wilson (1985) have
emphasized, “The principal’s task and challenge is to develop a clear vision of the
purpose of the school that give primacy to instruction and to carry it through
consistently during those countless interactions with”.
2) Shaping the culture through choice of staff
Once an administrator has developed a clear vision of the “purpose” of
the school, particular attention must be paid to the kinds of individuals recommended
as future members of the faculty and to the people appointed to important leadership
positions within the school. For example, every time an administrator has an
opportunity to replace a member of the faculty, the potential exists for shaping the
culture. Since to principal’s greatest influence may well be in the power “to recruit,
select, promote, and demote staff members,” it may take years of this process for a
principal to reshape the school’s culture. Hiring and retaining teachers who especially
value experimentation, for example, will certainly make innovation or change easier
to facilitate for principals. It is true that, in the instance of a single vacancy, there is
little chance of hiring someone whose values and ideals are exactly what the
administrator wants the organizational culture to reflect. The cumulative effect of
selective hiring over a number of a school in important ways. In the final analysis, the
people associated with an organization are the major contributors to its culture. Their
values and ideals are the building blocks of the group norms that greatly influence
individual and group behavior. By emphasizing certain values and ideals in the hiring
process, an administrator can shape the culture of an organization over a period of
time.
3) Shaping the culture through formal leadership appointments
An administrator will also have an opportunity to shape the culture of
the organization when making appointments of people to leadership positions within
the organization. Periodically, an administrator will need to appoint a chairperson of a
committee or select someone for an important position, for example, department head.
In these situations an administrator should take care to select or appoint people who
will best represent the organizational value and ideals that the administrator is trying
to promote. By selecting such individuals, the administrator will not only obtain
people who share a commitment to certain organizational priority but, perhaps more
importantly, will be communicating symbolically to others in the school those values
and ideals the administrator thinks are important for people to process. The
administrative act of selection or appointment can potentially carry great symbolic
influence, especially if the administrator emphasizes publicly the reasons for these
selections. According to Hallinger (2003), however, these appointments also the
opportunity for the administrator to personally communicate key values and place
greater reliance on instructional leaders to aid in fostering a positive school climate.
4) Working with the informal leaders
In addition to selecting with care of those individuals who will occupy
important leadership positions in the school, an administrator who wishes to shape the
organizational culture will need to identify and develop an appropriate relationship
with the informal leaders of the school. This is particularly true for new principal
because the formal and informal leaders who are already in place form a large portion
of the school’s power structure. Developing a commitment from the school leaders
will be crucial to the achievement of the principal’s goal. An informal leader
generally operates in every group. The informal leader may be the same person as the
formal leader, however, whether or not that is true depends on the formal leader’s
personal influence with other members of the group rather than on any formal
appointment by the principal. An informal leader can best be identified by examining
a group’s interaction patterns; the individual with whom there is the greatest
interaction and communication within the group and whose opinion and judgment are
most respected by the other member is the informal leader.
Obviously, in most situations, it would be best for an administrator if
the informal leader and the formal leader were the same person. That may not be the
case, however, especially if an administrator has not exercised good judgment in
selecting the formal leader within the organization, or if there has been very limited
opportunity to appoint new formal leaders, or it the informal leader’s values are not
consistent with those that the administrator would like to see adopted by the
organization.
5) Handling conflict between formal and informal leaders
When the informal leader of a group is a different person from the
formal leader, a potential for conflict may exist. For example, the administrator and a
department chairperson may be trying to promote a certain work ethic on the part of
member of a particular department. If the informal leader of that department is
opposed to the new work ethic, however, then the other members of the department
may develop a group norm that will influence the members to resist the proposed
work ethic. This type of conflict can be detrimental to developing a cohesive
organizational culture.
Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to resolving this type of
conflict between formal and informal leaders. The administrator could attempt to
influence the informal leader by using persuasion to convey the desirability of what
the organization is trying to accomplish. In addition, the administrator could attempt
to develop a rival informal leader within the group who could possibly lead the group
in a direction that would be more compatible with the overall purposes of the
organization. While the social science literature provides few clues as to how the
administrator might accomplish this, it would appear that the key to a solution lies in
identifying and nurturing some individual in the group whose personal qualities are
liked and respected by colleagues, but whose values and ideals are more congruent
with the administrator’s. By encouraging the administrator-approved informal leader
to exert leadership within the group and then rewarding such efforts, an administrator
may be able to change the group norms of a subculture to make them more consistent
with the overall purpose of the organizational culture.
2.3.6 Enhancing school culture
Once an administrator has attained a good understanding of the organizational
culture of the school, the administrator will then, and only then, be in a position to try
to enhance that culture if changes are needed. While most, if not all, administrators
would probably like to develop an organizational culture that is characteristic of
effective schools, trying to change an organizational culture, especially a school
culture, will not be easy. Krajewski (1993) offers the following principles for
modeling creative teaching and leadership behaviors that enhance school culture: (1)
Envision a future direction of collaboration. (2) Clearly establish the connection
between mission and practice by being an enthusiastic facilitator, meeting the needs
of teachers and students, understanding the motivations of each employee, and
promoting growth in all school personnel. (3) View problems as opportunities and
focus on solutions. (4) Be creative in stimulating good teaching practice. (5) Think of
others. (6) Foster staff development. (7) Create situations that decrease teacher
isolation and promote professional sharing. (8) Stay focused on the most important
outcome, student performance. An effective process for improving a school culture
includes empowering diverse stakeholders to rebuild relationships that will instill a
staff’s commitment to support student success in the highly challenged school
communities. When a school district or site has been challenged for its lack of
performance, a survival culture permeates every dimension of the organization.
Primary beliefs of the school staff focus on job security and basic survival. To create a
new culture of change, school principals and teacher leaders must focus on an overall
organizational transformation that includes the following successful practice:
1) Defining the role of the school principle, teacher, and school community
through open communication and academic growth activities that can best
serve the needs of the particular school community.
2) Scheduling effective communication mechanisms, such as staff lunchroom
visits, department forums, staff meeting pop-ins, and all-district personnel
rallies.
3) Sharing successes through employee union newsletters, internal
correspondence, and community relations that breed further successes for
diverse student populations.
4) Visualizing school wide and classroom goals that support the goals of the
school site and district to generate key results and offering staff
development training that supports these results.
2.3.7 Maintaining school culture
Often teachers, students, and parents expect the principal to maintain an
existing culture of the school, especially if it has been perceived as successful in
solving the second’s internal and external problem. The role of maintaining culture
involves three audiences: internal veterans, internal newcomers, and external
constituents. As principal, you would hope to influence veteran teachers and staff
members to “keep the faith”, that is, to abide by the norms of the school’s culture.
Principals often do this by using ceremonies, stories, and rituals that reinforce the
values, beliefs, and basic assumptions of the culture.
Newcomers to the school present a special challenge for leaders in
maintaining culture. Newcomers may bring with them new ideas and different
backgrounds. Often new teachers are recent graduates of university programs and
hold to more idealistic philosophies. Because of these different values, beliefs, and
assumptions, they can be either a positive or negative threat to the existing culture.
As principal or assistant principal, your role is to help recruit and hire new teachers
and staff members who already possess some of the school’s values and beliefs, and
assumptions of the school’s culture. A major complaint of new teachers is their
difficulty in uncovering the secrets of how things are done in the school (Crow,
Matthews, & McCleary, 1996).
Even in the midst of helping new teachers learn to survive, principal can
socialize newcomers by what principals attend to, how deal with crises, what kinds of
behavior they reward, and how they respond to failure. Peters and Waterman (1982)
argued that the leader’s response to failure is as important as his or her response to
success in building an innovative culture. If new teachers see attempts at innovation
punished if they are unsuccessful, these new teachers are less likely to try them
(Crow, Matthews, & McCleary, 1996).
The third audience to which leaders must attend in maintaining the culture is
external constituents-those individuals outside the organization who are connected to
it. Your role is to communicate the norms, values, beliefs, and assumptions of the
school’s culture to these individuals and groups. You will want to ensure their
understanding of the school’s culture and to enlist their support in the school’s
mission and vision. At the same time, you will have to be sensitive to the concerns of
the external constituents. School cultures cannot remain vibrant if they only
emphasize the values and beliefs of faculty and staff members and ignore the
concerns of the community. Because of this, principals must be actively involved in
their communities, being sensitive to the ways communities are changing and to the
views that external constituents have about the school’s values and how well schools
are doing in their academic and activity programs.
2.3.8 Sustainability of culture
Culture is an ongoing phenomenon. As new members enter an organization,
the sustainability of the espoused cultural values is at risk. Fullan (2005) established
eight elements of sustainability:
1) public service with a moral purpose
2) commitment to changing context at all levels
3) lateral capacity building through networks
4) intelligent accountability and vertical relationships
5) deep learning
6) dual commitments to short-term and long-term results
7) cyclical energizing
8) the long lever of leadership
These elements are especially important for schools, as they seek to build a
sustainable culture in the face of incredible turnover among their staff and student.
In educational setting, the key to sustaining a positive learning culture
involves identifying and protecting shared values, reflective dialogue, and
celebrations which support the culture of learning (DuFour & Eaker,1998). This
cultural shift is the most crucial, and most difficult step that must be undertaken if a
school seeks to transform on a permanent basis. Once the culture of a building
becomes ingrained within all facets of a school community, it becomes a sustainable
resource, In schools, which are often rife with high turnover of both staff and
students, this sustainable resource helps to ensure that the focus of the school remains
intact as new members enter the organization, and other member depart.
The tenure of the leader is another important concept to investigate within an
analysis of the sustainability of the culture of an organization. No leader can be in a
position of power forever, so they must prepare others to assume their reign if they
hope that the culture of the organization will survive after they are gone. The main
mark of an effective principal is not just his or her impact on the bottom line of
student achievement, but also on how many leaders he or she leaves behind who can
go even further (Fullan, 2005). In concert with the definition of culture offered by
Schein (2004), this notion of the tenuous reign of any leader help to explain the need
for an understanding of the perspectives, responsibilities and needs of all personnel in
a building.
2.3.9 Research on school culture
Although the frameworks for examining school culture in terms of the shared
values, beliefs, and ideologies are available, the determination of culture at this level
of analysis is not easy. The core values of a group or school are more easily
determined than the tacit assumptions, but the analysis remains difficult and time
consuming. Anthropological studies of schools using ethnographic techniques and
linguistic analysis are imperative if we are to assess the culture of schools in Thailand.
There are another study culture and used many method for research. Such as a
comparative school culture different the content as follows:
Mingkwan Kittiwannagorn (2010) studied transformational leadership and
instructional leadership of school principals, school culture and teaching behaviors of
teachers influencing characteristics of students’ learning in Bangkok Metropolitan
Administration School. The results of the research revealed the state of
transformational leadership and instructional leadership of school principals, school
culture and teaching behaviors of teachers were at a high level, except the
characteristics of students’ learning was at an average level. The results on school
culture depended on instructional leadership, not on transformational leadership of the
school principal. Chantra Pakepingchan’s (2004) study of relationships between
school culture and academic performance in primary schools under Kanchanaburee
educational service area revealed that: 1) The overall school culture and each aspect
of culture were at high level. 2) The teachers in different school sizes did not have
different school cultures as a whole and by each aspect. 3) The teachers in different
education service areas did not have different school cultures as a whole. When
classified by each aspect of the school culture, it was found that teachers in different
education service areas had significant different practice level in empowerment at
0.01 level. 4) The overall school culture was significantly correlated at high level with
the academic performance as a whole and the internal supervision aspect were
significantly correlated at 0.01 level, and the overall school culture was significantly
correlated at 0.01 in the moderate level as curriculum aspect, instructional aspect,
measurement and evaluation aspect, and quality assurance. Wilai Maikeoaw (1995)
studied on the effect of school culture and leadership forces of administrator on
performance of workers in the primary school. It was found that the overall
relationship between school culture and performance of workers in primary school
was significantly correlated high at 0.01 level in positive direction. Similarly, the
research of Oytip Sutthitep (2000) on school culture affecting academic performance
in primary school under Bangkok Metropolitan Administration revealed that school
culture that affected academic performance were quality and honesty aspects.
Welch (1989) argued that implementation difficulties in change strategies
were due to factors such as norm, beliefs, and attitudes, that arise within the firmly
entrenched traditions of school culture. Welch (1989) maintained that the likelihood
of shifting attitudes and increasing behavior change is to some degree dependent upon
the beliefs and feelings of individual teachers operating within target schools. While
research has been conducted regarding teacher receptivity to change (Waugh &
Punch, 1987 cited in Welch, 1989), any evaluation of the relationship to student
development was not pursued. Not surprisingly, teachers assessed the advantages and
disadvantages (of collaborative consultation) primarily in terms of how it would affect
them personally (Welch, 1989). By implication, student outcomes were a secondary
consideration where cultural change initiatives were proposed, regardless of
declarations to the contrary. Clearly, such inconsistencies will be pivotal to the
success of change efforts where objectives pertain to student growth and achievement.
Hamilton and Richardson (1995) examined the relationship between school
culture and staff development outcomes in two schools, in response to the failure of
such development programs to effect meaningful cultural change. The authors
maintained that much of the literature on staff development reflects a strong focus on
methods of teaching and classroom management, without consideration of the context
in which these activities occur. “Development programs” take the form of traditional
model of learning transfer, “wherein experts inform teachers about methods mandated
for classroom implementation”. Still, existing behavioral norms for individual
autonomy meant that staffs were at liberty to implement or ignore any new classroom
strategies. The cultural norm of individualism in teaching actually worked against
collegiality to prevent both the exploration of teachers’ beliefs, and open discussion of
teaching practices. Findings revealed that the interaction of school culture and
expectations for participation in staff development strongly affected progress toward
program goals. It was concluded that allowances needed to be made for teachers’
beliefs and concerns within the context of organizational culture, in order to optimize
school improvement processes.
Mok and Flynn (1998) examined the effects of Catholic school culture on the
academic achievement of 4,949 Year 12 students from 44 Catholic schools in New
South Wales. Student achievement was significantly different between schools, and
was explained by a number of antecedent variables, including school socioeconomic
status, coeducational status, school size, student gender, and student background
factors such as parent’s education level. Further variance was accounted for by
student motivation, expectations, and students’ religious attitudes, although the
contribution from each was small. Of particular note was the additional 20% of
variance in student achievement accounted for by quality of school life, which was
measured as a single higher order factor consisting of seven culture subscales. Of the
seven subscales, students’ sense of achievement and relationship with teachers
contributed most to explanation, over satisfaction with school, alienation from school,
relevance of school, sense of identity, and self-esteem and status. An additional and
independent contribution was made from a favorable educational culture, accounting
for 6% of school-level variance and 4% of student-level variance. Overall, the
composite of all school culture and background variables explained 57% of school-
level, and 29% student-level variance. Further, when school-level sources of variance
were controlled, school culture had as strong an influence on achievement as parents’
education level. Students who reported more favorable school cultures and positive
home background experience, scored significantly better than their peers in terms of
academic achievement.
Accord with Engels et.al (2008) studied the principals in schools with a
positive school culture. The research focuses on the profile of principals who seem to
be able to shape the school culture to best encourage teaching and learning. Data from
a representative sample of primary schools (N = 46) were collected through
questionnaires for principals and for teachers (N = 700) and semi-structured
interviews with the principals. The results of study with very positive school cultures
we find principals with high achievement orientation, who focus on creating a
flexible, stimulating, participative and supportive environment, who do not only
identify with roles of mentor or innovator but manage to devote most of their time to
their preferred role. Most but not all are satisfied with their jobs. Contextual factors
can make the difference. The role of the school board, an official body that carries the
final responsibility for the policy-making of a school, is important in this respect. In
our sample principals who are satisfied with the autonomy and support they receive
from their school board are also those who experience a high level of job satisfaction
and report a low level of burnout. Those who report low job satisfaction and have
high scores for emotional exhaustion and cynicism and/or low scores for personal
accomplishment, feel that the school board provides more obstruction than support.
Ohlson and Matthew (2009), on a study of school culture, leadership, teacher
quality and student outcomes via a performance framework in elementary schools
participating in a school reform initiative on 50 elementary schools in the state of
Florida. The findings revealed that as teacher collaboration increased, the model
predicted that student suspensions decreased by 6.709%. In addition, the model
predicted that when the percentage of out-of-field teachers within a school increased,
student suspensions decreased by 0.16%. Finally, as the percentage of non-certified
teachers within a school increased, the student suspension percentage increased by
0.22%. The exemplar interviews revealed comprehensive discussions regarding
components of a collaborative school culture and educational leadership practices
related to data-driven decision-making, developing stakeholder partnerships, teacher
guided professional development, and fostering relationships and open
communication. The findings offered valuable insight into the characteristics of
quality teaching and school culture that demonstrate greatest impact on student
attendance and suspensions and might influence educational policy, teacher training,
educational leadership, and school reform initiatives.
2.3.10 Measuring school culture
Measuring a school’s culture is an initial step toward meaningful school
improvement. Once measured, the formal and informal leaders of the school can
engage all faculty members in an analysis of the data and discussions that begin the
chain of conversations necessary to become a professional community capable of
identifying problematic issues, addressing them, and thus growing as a school.
Personnel at the Middle Level Leadership Center (MLLC) have developed two
different types of assessment tools for collecting data useful in faculty analysis and
reflection about school culture.
Assessment of school culture is generally accepted to be a straightforward
quantitative process, assessment of school culture is far more complex. Two basic
schools of thought exist regarding appropriate means of assessing school cultures. On
one hand, Schein (1999) categorically refuted that culture can be assessed through
written questionnaires or surveys, asserting that the assessor would neither know what
to ask nor be able to judge the reliability or validity of the responses. Rousseau
(1990), on the other hand, allowed that such quantitative tools as Q-sorts and
questionnaires can legitimately be utilized, in conjunction with structured interviews,
to assess organizational culture. Such quantitative survey instruments for assessing
organizational culture are readily available, e.g., Kilmann and Saxton’s Culture Gap
Survey (1991). However, these instruments tend to be superficial and are incapable of
probing the depth and uniqueness of an organization’s culture. As Rousseau (1990)
commented, the uniqueness of each organization’s culture prevents outsiders from
forming valid a priori questions. Schein (1984) further noted that using surveys to
assess culture violates ethical research procedures in that it puts words into the
mouths of respondents rather than captures their own words. Also, such instruments
summarize and aggregate responses, possibly misrepresenting the respondents’ true
views. Several researchers have used the survey and come to similar conclusions.
Phillips (1996) conducted more than 3,100 school culture assessments from 1981 to
2006 and found compelling anecdotal evidence to suggest that the connection
between school culture and student achievement is a reality and that culture influences
everything that happens in a school. Phillips also found connections between school
culture and staff member satisfaction, parent engagement, and community support.
For The School Culture Inventory Questionnaires, based on the finding from
the preliminary studies, it was decided to revise the School Culture Inventory
according to the following criteria. First, the inventory had to reflect more general
dimensions of culture. A number of scales of the School Culture Inventory Form I
were found to be hardly relevant to schools. For that reason, a more concise number
of dimensions was aimed for. It was decided to use the four culture orientations of the
competing values framework as a basis for these. Furthermore, the formulated items
were to be less situation dependent. The preliminary study revealed that the ratings of
some items differed from those of other items the same dimension because those
particular items reflected certain practices within the school. Thus the items had to be
more divorced from specific action and more directly referring to underlying values.
Earlier work of Rokeach (1973) on values and Enz (1986) on organizational values
was used to formulate the items. A similar approach was used by Van Muijen (1984)
and Quinn & Spreitzer (1991) in their operationalization of items from the competing
values model. One of the difficulties with the operationalization of values is that
respondents tend to rate what they prefer themselves (Rokeach,1968). Thus it was
decided to ask respondents to rate their personal as well as school values. By
combining these two aspects, it was assumed that respondents would provide more
reliable ratings of school values.
The first tool for measuring school culture developed by the staff at the
Middle Level Leadership Center and used in all Center school improvement projects
is the School Culture Typology, a self-reflective tool and related activity designed to
identify a school-wide perspective of the “type” of culture that exists in a school. The
typology tool was first developed in 1997 based upon the work of Fullan and
Hargreaves (1996) as a hands-on, practical method of defining for discussion
purposes a school’s stage or type of culture. The activity was revised in 2000,
reflecting the work of Deal and Peterson (1999) and again revised slightly in 2006. To
complete the activity, teachers assign point values to statements that are “most
descriptive” of their school from a series of statements representing twelve elements
of school culture. Those elements are (1) student achievement, (2) collegial
awareness, (3) shared values, (4) decision making, (5) risk-taking, (6) trust, (7)
openness, (8) parent relations, (9) leadership, (10) communication, (11) socialization,
and (12) organization history. Once the members of a leadership or school
improvement team, or the whole faculty, have completed individual worksheets, the
facilitators of the activity lead the group in a consensus discussion or take the
individual worksheets and compile them to form a mathematical summary of the
teachers’ responses. This process creates a composite picture of the school’s
“predominant” type of culture. The six types of culture, derived from the writings of
Fullan and Hargreaves (1996) and Deal and Peterson (1999) are (1) Toxic, (2)
Fragmented, (3) Balkanized, (4) Contrived Collegiality, (5) Comfortable
Collaboration, and (6) Collaborative. As a school strives to develop a truly
collaborative culture, the school’s leadership and/or improvement teams can monitor
the cultural change with this typology tool and the School Culture Survey. For more
information about the School Typology Activity, contact Jerry Valentine, professor at
the University of Missouri and Director of the Middle Level Leadership Center or
Steve Gruenert, assistant professor of school leadership at Indiana State University.
This study applied The School Culture Survey which was designed ascertain
the cultural perceptions of certified staff, but no parallel instrument existed to derive
the same perceptions from the non-certified population. The School Culture Survey
relates insight about the shared/beliefs, the pattern of behavior, and the relationships
in the school. There are six factors, thirty-five items in a survey and that will be taken
about twenty minutes to be completed by administrator of school or teachers about
their school’s culture. This valid, reliable instrument provides data of critical cultural
variables based upon the collective perception of the faculty. The factors are:
1) Collaborative Leadership measures the degree to which school leaders
establish and maintain collaborative relationships with school staff. The leaders value
teachers idea, seek input, engage staff in decision-making, and trust the professional
judgment of the staff. Leaders support and reward risk-taking and innovative idea
designed to improve education for the students. Leaders reinforce the sharing of ideas
and effective practices among all staff.
2) Teacher Collaboration measures the degree to which teachers engage in
constructive dialogue that furthers the educational vision of the school. Teachers
across the school plan together, observe and discuss teaching practices, evaluate
programs, and develop an awareness of the practice and programs of other teachers.
3) Professional Development measures the degree to which teachers value
continuous personal development and school-wide improvement. Teachers seek ideas
from seminars, colleagues, organizations, and other professional sources to maintain
current knowledge, particularly current knowledge about instructional practices.
4) Collegial Support measures the degree to which teachers work together
effectively. Teachers trust each others, values each other’s ideas, and assist each other
as they work to accomplish the tasks of the school organization.
5) Unity of Purpose measures the degree to which teachers work toward a
common mission for the school. Teachers understand, support, and perform in
accordance with that mission.
6) Learning Partnership measures the degree to which teachers, parents, and
students work together for the common good of the student. Parents and teachers
share common expectations and communicate frequently about student performance.
Parents trust teachers and students generally accept responsibility for their schooling.
Gruenert (1998) described the lack of an instrument intended to gauge the
cultural perceptions of schools who espoused a vision and mission directed toward
collaboration among staff and teacher. He developed such an instrument, which was
labeled the School Culture Survey-Teacher Form (SCS-TF) and the School Culture
Survey-Staff Member Form (SCS-SMF). The SCS-TF and the SCS-SMF are
measured school culture in terms of the following six subscales above.
2.3.11 Six subscales of the school culture survey-teacher form and school
culture survey-staff member form
The details of six subscales of the School Culture-Teacher Form (SCS-TF)
and School Culture Survey-Staff Member Form (SCS-SMF) for this study are as
follows:
1) Collaborative leadership
Leaders can influence the creation and maintenance of an organization’s
culture. To sustain an effective organizational culture, participative leadership that
shares power with followers is important (Davis, 2003; Hackman & Johnson, 2000;
Leithwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 2000; Yukl, 2002). A participative process builds
trust, legitimacy, and ownership, Ownership, in turn, yields satisfaction by
participants who feel they are treated respect when they are allowed to express views
and utilize expert skills. A healthy organizational culture is sustainable through
participative leadership.
Shared decision making, effective leaders lead by distributing leadership
among participants to positively influence the culture of their organization
(Bensimon, Neumann & Birnbaum, 1989). Davis (2003) described collaborative
leaders as those who build broad-based participation, and sustain participation by
building hope. Such leaders use frames, lenses, or metaphors to survey and monitor
organizational culture, and as a means of reflection about issues impacting
organizational culture, including leadership, structure, function, governance, and
problem solving (Bolman & Deal, 1997; Neumann & Birnbaum, 1989; Donaldson,
1998; Lethwood, Jantzi, & Steinbach, 2000; Morgan, 1997; Tierney, 1988).
Successful leaders embrace shared decision-making. According to Ogawa and
Bossert (1995), leadership is not the sole domain of a gifted few, rather it “flows
through the network of roles that comprise organizations”. Thus, it is important to
involve all stakeholders in key decisions that affect them directly (Bruffee, 1999;
Patton, 1997). The belief of Yukl (2002), this is best accomplished through a
consistent pattern of shared, participative leadership. “Participative leadership
involves the use of various decision procedures that allow other people some
influence over the leader’s decisions”.
Potential benefits of utilizing participative leadership include better decision-
making, increased buy-in and satisfaction, and decision-making skill development
(Hackman & Johnson, 2000; Yukl, 2002). According to Kouzes and Posner (2002),
“when a leader makes people feel strong and capable, they’ll give it their all and
exceed their own expectations”. This is especially important in schools, where
personnel (both certified and non-certified) are often bereft if financial incentives and
often feel alone in their building. In an environment of collaboration and support, all
staff members are more likely to improve their practice, which in turn assures an
improved learning experience for all of their students.
The leadership of a school is not held solely within the leaders. It exists
throughout the organization, within different members who may hold very distinct
official role (Ogawa & Bossert, 1995; Preskill & Torres, 1999, Rafoth & Foriska,
2006; Reeves, 2006). If a leader is to be effective, they must distribute the roles off
leadership among several staff members. This idea is supported by Marzano, Waters
and McNulty (2005), who described this development of a leadership team as a key
characteristic of effective schools.
According to Danielson (2006), teacher leaders fail to allow teachers to break
free from the barriers of their rooms, to become leaders within the school. This is due
two major inhibiting subscales: administrators threatened by teacher leadership, and
teacher reluctance to take part in leadership endeavors. Effective administrators,
however, understand that the use of teacher leaders is the only method to enhance the
experience for all facets within the school, to attempt to enact a change toward a more
productive school environment. Marzano (2003) supported this notion, “although it is
certainly true that strong leadership from the principal can be a powerful force, the
notion that an individual can effect change by sheer will and personality is simply not
supported by the research”. Eaker, Dufour, and Dufour (2002) described teachers as
transformational leaders, and view administrators as leaders of leaders. Beachum and
Dentith (2004) described teachers as “successful agents and conduits in promoting
cultural change”. Goldman and O’Shea (1990) promoted teachers as dynamic forces
fully capable of effecting change.
Professional learning communities within any public school, the workforce is
well educated and professional. In this environment, a shared leadership style can be
promulgated as the best method for success. In the vain, Dufour and Eaker (1998)
described a model of participative leadership within the realm of education known as
the Professional Learning Community (PLC). The following six characteristics
undergird this approach:
1) shared mission, vision, and values
2) collective inquiry
3) collaborative teams
4) action orientation and experimentation
5) continuous improvement
6) results orientation
A participative and collaborative work environment for school is supported by
other researchers (Adamy & Heinecke, 2005; Beachum & Dentith, 2004; Bolman &
Deal, 1997; Hoppey, Yendol-Silva, & Pullen, 2004; Mays-Woods, 2004; Wade, 2004;
Winn & Blanton, 2005).
Schools that operate as Professional Learning Communities (PLC) are quite
different from the more traditional approach to public schooling. Decision making is
shared, via a systematic approach to collaboration among all key staff, and the focus
of the school is on student learning. The success or failure of a PLC school is based
on measurable results. The PLC approach to dealing with students who experience
difficulties in academic concerns is also different. According to Dufour (2004), in a
PLC the response to student difficulties is timely, based on intervention, and directive.
The directive component to this approach signifies a place where a PLC is truly
different from other schools. When students have academic concerns, they are
required to devote extra time to their studies until they prove that they successfully
changed their behaviors.
2) Teacher collaboration
Collaboration is increasingly gaining favor as an organization strategy to be
employed in effective schools. The following are educational research accounts of the
importance of collaboration among staff members for schools:
1) The importance of collaboration in exchanging teacher practice has
led to its widespread acceptance as an essential component of any effort at improved
teaching (Brownwell, Adams, Sindelar, Waldron, & Vanhover, 2006).
2) Enlightened administrators recognize that achieving their aims of
high level student learning can happen only through the active engagement of teacher
leaders (Danielson, 2006).
3) Educators must stop working in isolating and hoarding their ideas,
materials and strategies and begin to work together to meet the needs of students
(Dufour, 2004).
4) Underpinning healthy cultures in district is an understanding that
education can be improved through active networks of people in different job settings
working together in an interconnected setting (Marshall, Pritchard, & Gunderson,
2004).
5) Time for teacher collaboration is essential for effective education
(Reeves, 2006).
6) Evidence for the benefits of collaboration, rightly conducted, are
overwhelming (Schmoker, 1999).
7) One characteristic of successful school is that teachers work
together (Strahan, 2003).
8) Working collaboratively in small groups and larger school-wide
groups to identify student learning needs and address those needs has been one of the
most important subscales in student achievement (Wade, 2004).
Bruffee (1999) discussed the importance of constructing knowledge through
interdependence, collaboration, and reacculturation. This model of collaborative
knowledge construction is especially relevant for schools, which traditionally have
operated within a hierarchical structure, in which the teacher is the unquestioned
authority in the classroom, the principal is the unquestioned leader of the school, and
so forth. This approach was assailed by several authors. According to Ogawa and
Bossert (1995), “leadership is embedded not in particular roles but in the relationships
that exist among the incumbents of roles”. In other words, it is not the formal
structure of schools that decides their fate, but rather the relationships that are
developed within the key stakeholders.
In order for schools to truly provide a learning environment for their students,
collaborative practice needs to be at the core of their approach. In this way,
knowledge will become a social construct, with a relevant context that applies to all
facets within the school setting. Collaborative discourse is the most appropriate way
to achieve this end, where all components of the school are allowed to become key
decision makers, and trust is developed among all members of the school community.
Bruffee (1999) offered the concept of nonstandard discourse, in order to explain the
difficult task of breaking free from traditional roles, to truly understand and trust those
with whom little may be shared. He described this discourse in terms of peer
relationships (teacher to teacher) and non-peer relationships (student-teacher).
If schools are to engender a collaborative approach, they need to understand
the difficulties inherent in this approach. All teachers may not readily submit to the
lessons of collaborative practices. Brownwell et at (2006) described this reality in
their discussion of the different benefits of collaborative among teachers. They
describe teachers in a continuum of high to low adopters. In their research, high
adopters were those teachers who had the most knowledge of curriculum, student-
friendly belief systems, student-focused instructional approaches, and a propensity for
reflective practice. Medium and low adopters, by contrast, were lacking in these
essential skills to a certain degree. This absence of these skills practically means that
not all teachers will derive the same benefits from collaborative. If follows, therefore,
that not all students will benefit in the same way from a collaborative environment
within their school. Senge (1990) presented an analogous perspective to this idea of
high to medium adopters. The researcher separated the groups into those who comply
with shared goals to those who commit to shared goals. The difference is that “people
who are enrolled or committed truly want the vision”. Dufour and Eaker (1998)
described educators must also be properly trained in order for collaborative practice to
be effective.
Reeve (2006) supported that collaboration could not be forced upon a school,
rather it must be an agreed upon principle. This seemingly inherent tenet, that the
decision to undergo a collaborative approach must be decided upon in a collaborative
fashion. He cautioned against an autocratic implementation of collaboration, with the
reality that the leader can only enact change through a cooperative decision making
strategy, and that improved organizational performance happens through the
cooperation of networks of individuals, rather than individuals acting alone.
3) Professional development
On-going training for staff is a crucial component of successful schools. The
importance of professional development has long been a central tenet of public school
(Brownwell et at, 2006; Dufour & Eaker, 1998; Pedder et al, 2005; Snowden &
Gorton, 2002; Sparks & Hirsh, 1997; Wood, 2003). The shift towards collaborative
environments, however, has changed the notion of an educated school workforce.
Professional development no longer simply entails the traditional modes and methods
of attending workshops, and reading and using novel best practice research, rather the
concept has become intertwined with the very nature of the work done in schools.
Professional development intertwined with instruction. Professional
development is no longer viewed as in independent activity which takes place in an
independent sphere, separated from the day to day work of school staff. It is seen,
rather, as a more diverse concept, incorporating many different types of activities.
Goodnough (2005) explained those involved in planning for and facilitating
professional development programs need to offer teachers a ranger of choices that
incorporate many different strategies, ranging from traditional workshops to more
collaborative, team-based initiatives such as study groups or teacher-inquiry groups.
The key tenets of any professional development program must be succinct,
and they must directly intertwine with instruction (Dufour & Eaker, 1998; Guskey,
2000; Hargreaves, 2001; Lambert, 2003; Pedder et al, 2005). Dufour and Eaker
(1998) presented a model of professional development in which it is so intertwined
with instructional concerns that it is difficult to ascertain where the two are divided,
there is no separation between the two.
Collaboration as professional development; the very nature of collaboration
and collaborative discourse lend themselves to teacher learning, and thus, student
improvement. Several researchers support this notion of the inherent professional
development aspect of collaborative (Danielson, 2006; DuFour & Eaker, 1998;
Lambert, 2003).
As teachers work together in collaborative environments, they increase their
knowledge of effective practices. It is these collegial conversations that can take the
place, at least in part, of more traditional, research based, instructional improvements.
“Inherent in this call for collaboration is that the act of planning and working together,
by itself, is a powerful professional development tool” (Brownwell et al, 2006).
4) Collegial support
The nature of collegiality among the staff at a school is a related, yet distinct,
concept to collaboration. The notion of collegial support concerns the degree to which
teachers work together, the relationships that they form. The quality of discourse,
dialogue and reflection among the teaching staff are key components of collegial
support. Teacher who work together in a collaborative environment are afforded the
unique opportunity to build tasting relationships. “Collaborators evolve into learning
partners, equally invested in each other and in improving achievement” (Gabriel,
2005), It is these relationships that bring a staff closer together, that encourage them
to support each other toward the goal of ensuring the success of all students. “The
culture should emphasize that the school is a community of learners and that all can
learn from each other” (Robbins & Alvy, 1995). In traditional schools, staff members
are often seen as independent contractors, who work diligently within their own
sphere but who seldom engage their peers in order to improve their practice. If an
effective level of collegial support is in place, all staff members will learn from each
other, which will, in turn, benefit all segments of the staff.
Dialogue and reflection are key components of this nature of collegiality. The
dialogue among staff must directly relate to student learning, and must be geared
toward the success of all subgroups within the school (DuFour & Eaker, 1998; Pedder
et at, 2005; Strahan, 2003). The benefits of this dialogue include: contributes to
building a sense of community and connection, and increases the likelihood that
learning at the small group level will continue throughout the organization and helps
bring hidden agendas to the surface (Preskill & Torres, 1999). Dialogues also
provides energy to the organization, which can help sustain the culture (Strahan,
2003). Reflective discourse also fuels effective schools. This discourse should push
boundaries and invite conflict, in order to be most effective (Bruffee, 1999; Lambert,
2003).
5) Unity of purpose
In order for any group of people to work together in ways in which they are
most effective, there must be a shared goal to which they all aspire. In education,
these goals are labeled by several distinct terms, such as mission, vision, or purpose.
These terms will be used interchangeably throughout the course of this section. The
unifying aspect of such a shared goal, or purpose, are supported by several researchers
(Dufour & Eaker, 1998; Gabriel, 2005; Goldman & O’Shea, 1990; Haberman, 2004;
Lambert, 2003; Preskill & Torres, 1989). The process of formulation shared purposes
will bring an organization together and drive the members towards a more coherent
working relationship. There are several benefits to this process of clarifying values,
beliefs, assumptions and knowledge. They include the formation of common
understandings of terms, the ability of individual members to accept change, and the
increased ease of mediating conflicts once they arrive (Preskill & Torres, 1999). The
principal should lead this effort, and ensure that all members are involved in the
creation of this common mission (Danielson, 2006; Fullan, 2005; Goldman & O’Shea,
1990; Marzano, Water, & McNulty, 2005). This will engender support from all staff
members within the school.
In order for a purpose to be a unifying force, it must contain applicable
concepts that the organizational members can truly own. Senge (1990) supported this
postulate, “a vision not consistent with values that people live by day to day will not
only fail to inspire genuine enthusiasm, it will often foster outright cynicism”. Gabriel
(2005) offered “a mission statement should focus on goals, on what you intend to
accomplish, rather than on theories”. Educators are consistently bombarded with best
practices research and theories who offer theoretical perspectives on how to improve
their teaching. These are often disregarded by staff members who are seeking real
practical knowledge, rather than theoretical constructs. Effective school purpose, by
contrast, are build upon practical knowledge and application, and are agreed upon by
all who have a direct stake in the learning environment of the students.
6) Learning partnership
The notion of learning partnership concerns the involvement of all facets of
the school community into the learning process. This includes the school staff, as well
as the parents, students, and the community-at-large. Schools must be increasingly
responsive to the needs of those within the community.
Several authors submit that organizational change and learning is best
accomplished through the collaboration of all stakeholders. Davis (2003) explained a
collaborative model for decision making, and its corresponding advantage for the
organization as a whole. The values in this model is in its recognition of complexity in
the organization as a system and the need to involve everyone in the change process
who is affected by or who will be expected to implement the new directions. The
analysis of Grogan (2003) about the social context of the superintendency,
promulgated the notion that the superintendent must be receptive to the increasingly
varied needs of their school community, and the most effective means of doing that
are learned by connecting with the communities, by hearing the voices of dissent, and
by working through others. Oldroyd and Hall (1997) also mention this collaborative
nature of school learning, “the needs of a range of individuals and groups have to be
taken into account”.
2.4 School climate
When students as well as parents, educators and community members walk
into a school, they quickly begin to form judgments about the experience of living and
working in that school. Will this school help to motivate my child to do well
academically and learn to be a “life-long learner”? How safe is the school? Is the
physical environment (e.g. temperature, cleanliness, size) supportive of learning?
How respected and “connected” do students feel? Are teachers and students engaged
in interesting and meaningful work? Is there a culture of intellectual rigor? To what
extent are people in the school promoting the social, civic, emotional and ethical as
well as cognitive skills and dispositions that provide the foundation for learning and
effective participation in a democracy? The ways in which groups of students, parents
and school personnel answer these questions reflect group norms and values that have
a profound impact in creating or undermining; a climate for learning.
2.4.1 Definition of school climate
The concept of school climate outgrown from the research on organizational
climate and school effectiveness, school climate takes on many definitions and
conceptualizations. Early on, the concept was viewed as something intangible but
consequential to an organization, analogous to an individual’s personality (Halpin &
Croft, 1963). Related with Hoy and Forsyth (1986) describe four personality
metaphors that help researchers and practitioners to conceptualize the climate of a
school. The following section will present a brief summary of these four common
ways to categorize and measure school climate: open to close, healthy to unhealthy,
exploitive to participative, and humanistic to custodial. In additional, other methods
of assessing the climate of a school, including using student feedback to improve the
overall educational program will be addressed.
School climate refers to the quality and character of school life. It is based on
pattern of school life experiences and reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal
relationships, teaching, learning and leadership practices, and organizational
structures. Various definitions of school climate exist. For example;
Using Tagiuri’s taxonomy (1968), one can categorize the environmental
quality of an organization if four dimensions: ecology, milieu, social system, and
culture. Applied to schools, the ecological dimension would refer to the physical and
material aspects, such as the school building and school library. The milieu would be
the average characteristics of the individuals in school, such as teacher’s morale, staff
stability, and students’ background. The social system would be the formal and
informal structures or rules that govern individuals and groups’ interactions in school.
They include principal-teacher communication, participation of staff in decision
making, students’ involvement in decision-making, collegiality, and teacher-student
relationships. Finally, the cultural dimension is concerned with values and belief
systems, such as student peer norms, expectation for success, and discipline in school.
According to Hoy and Forsyth (1986), school climate is defined as a relatively
enduring quality of the school environment that is experienced by teachers, influences
their behavior and is based on their collective perceptions.
Haynes, Emmons ,and Comer (1994) defined school climate as “the quality
and consistency of interpersonal interactions within the school community that
influence children’s cognitive, social and psychological development”. At school,
children cultivate interpersonal skills, discover and refine values, and struggle with
vulnerabilities. As such, schools must provide a safe environment for optimal
outcomes in terms of academics, character development, and emotional intelligence.
A review of the literature on school climate reveals many interesting connections
between the social microcosm of the school and its students’ personal and intellectual
growth. School climate has also been linked to improved student behavior and
academic achievement (Lehr & Chritenson, 2002), student learning (Hoy & Sabo,
1998), student failure (Comer, 1993), student behavior and delinquency (Pink, 1982),
absenteeism (Reid, 1983), student suspension (Wu et. Al., 1982), too, and low school
motivation (Goodenow & Grady, 1994). A preponderance of research suggest that a
positive, supportive school climate has been deemed appropriate in improving
educational quality and creating safer schools.
McEvoy (2000) stated that school climate refers to the attitudes, beliefs,
values and norms that underlie the instructional practices and the operation of a
school. Kelley, Thornton and Daugherty (2005) saw school climate as a set of shared
values, interpretations and similar definitions of purpose and Hoy and Miskal (1987;
cited in Rovai, Wighting & Liu, 2005) defined school climate as “the set of internal
characteristics that distinguishes one school from another and influences the behavior
of people”. The latter definition which establishes school climate as one of the key
characteristics that distinguish different schools from one another clearly identifies
school climate as a critical variable to consider in the current study.
Similarly Schreuder and Landey (2001) defined school climate as “the unique
atmosphere of a particular school and the ways in which this atmosphere is
experienced by the various stakeholders in the school”. This atmosphere is unique in
every school because it is the result of
- The interaction between the principal, teachers, learners, parent
community and officials of the education department who liaise with the
school
- The attitudes which these people have towards the school
- The values which apply in the school
- The leadership and management approaches followed in the school
- The extent to which positive contributions and achievements are
acknowledge.
Zepeda (2004) stated that school climate is the social atmosphere in which
people interact with others and the school environment. Its includes the perceptions
that people have of various aspects of the internal environment such as safety, high
expectations, relationships with teachers, students, parents and administrators.
In this study, the definition of school climate is characteristics of school, such
as the physical structure of a school building, atmosphere, and the interactions
between students, teachers, principal, staffs, and parents that influences and affects
their behavior concerning their teaching and the achievement of the school’s goals.
2.4.2 Components of school climate
Although these is no consistent agreement in the literature on the components
of school climate, the elements that comprise a school’s climate are extensive and
complex. As a result, researchers have identified the following factors that influence
school climate:
1) Number and quality of interactions between adults and students
(Kuperminc, Leadbeater & Blatt, 2001).
2) Students’ and teachers’ perception of their school environment, or the
school’s personality (Johnson, Johnson & Zimmerman, 1996).
3) Environmental factors (such as the physical buildings and classrooms, and
materials used for instruction).
4) Academic performance (Johnson & Johnson, 1993).
5) Feelings of safeness and school size (Freiberg, 1998).
6) Feeling of trust and respect for students and teachers (Manning &
Saddlemire, 1996).
Several aspects of a school’s physical and social environment comprise its
climate. One organization identified the following eight areas:
1) Appearance and physical plant
2) Faculty relations
3) Student interactions
4) Leadership/decision making
5) Disciplined environment
6) Learning environment
7) Attitude and culture
8) School-community relations’
Table 3 Defines school climate in terms of four aspects of the school environment
School environment Supports Learning Impedes Learning
1. A physical environment that is welcoming and conducive to learning
- School building contain a limited number of students.- Students are, and feel, safe and comfortable everywhere on school property.- Classrooms are orderly.- Classrooms and grounds are clean and well-maintained.- Noise level is low.Area for instruction and activities and appropriate for those uses.- Classrooms are visible and inviting.- Staff members have sufficient textbooks and supplies.
- School building contains a large number of students.- Students are harassed by other students in halls, restrooms, lunchrooms, or playgrounds.- Classrooms are disorganized.- Classrooms and grounds are dirty, poorly lit, and poorly maintained.- Noise level is high.- Classrooms are in rooms not intended for that use. Space is overcrowded.- Classrooms are hidden and protected from scrutiny.- Textbooks and supplies are insufficient. Deliveries are delayed.
2. A social environment that promotes communication and
- Interaction is encouraged. Teachers and students actively communicate.
- Interaction is limited. Students and teachers do not speak to each other.
interaction Teachers are collegial. Student groupings are diverse. Parents and teachers are partners in the educational process.- Decisions are made on-site, with the participation of teachers.- Staff are open to students’ suggestions ; students have opportunities to participate in decision-making.- Staff and students are trained to prevent and resolve conflicts.
Teachers are isolated from one another. Students self- segregate. Parents are not treated as equal partners.- All decisions are made by central administration or the principal without teacher involvement.Students have no role in determining classroom or building activities and decision.Bullying and conflicts are ignored.
Table 3 Defines school climate in terms of four aspects of the school environment (Cont.)
School environment Supports Learning Impedes Learning
3. An Affective environment that promotes a sense of belonging and self-esteem
- There is a sense of community. The school is respected and valued by teachers, staff, students, and families.- Parents perceive the school as warm, inviting and helpful.
- Teachers, staff and students do not feel they have any impact on what happens in the school.- Teachers, staff, students, and families do not feel they are part of the school community.- Parents do not feel welcome at the school. Parents feel “blamed” for their child’s difficulties.
4. An Academic environment that promotes learning and self-fulfillment
- There is an emphasis on academics, but all types of intelligence and competence are respected and supported. Teaching methods respect the different ways children learn.- Expectations are high for all students. All are encouraged to succeed.- Progress is monitored regularly.
- Academic performance is downplayed or not rewarded. Teaching methods do not allow for a variety of learning styles.- Expectations are low. Some students are expected to fail.- There is minimal or no periodic assessment.- There is little communication about
- Results of assessments are promptly communicated to students and parents.- Results of assessments are used to evaluate and redesign teaching procedures and content.- Achievements and performance are rewarded and praised.- Teachers are confident and knowledgeable.
results of assessments. Students do not know how to improve their performance. Parents discover that their child is struggling academically at report card time.- Results are not used to improve teaching and learning. Teachers and students repeat the same cycle of failure.Rewards and praise are minimal.- Teachers are unsure or under-prepared.
According to Anderson (1982), the factors were the ecology (physical and
material aspects), milieu (the composition of the population of the school), social
system (relationships between person) and culture (beliefs, values system). These
factors have been defined at the school and classroom level by other researchers
(Creemers & Reezigh, 1999; MacBeath, 1999) to include:
1) The physical environment of the classroom and school (school building,
school yard, playgrounds, halls). Appropriate, attractive and well-cared external
physical conditions support and facilitate learning. An attractive, welcoming,
comfortable and safe environment, with access to adequate appropriate resources,
enables learning to take place. We can learn in different conditions (and in some parts
of the world students have to) but it is much easier to do so when conditions help,
rather than hinder learning.
2) The social environment of school and classroom. Specifically, the social
environment promotes communication and participation and it related to the
relationships and interactions among students, students and teachers, and between
school and parents. Include rules and arrangements concerning behavior towards each
other.
3) The learning environment promotes learning and self fulfillment and refers
to the quality of instruction at the classroom level and determined by five
components:
(1) Curriculum (goals, structure and clarity of content, evaluation,
feedback)
(2) Grouping procedures (individual work, cooperative learning)
(3) Teacher behavior (classroom management, prior knowledge, clarity
of presentation, immediate exercises, feedback, questioning,
homework)
(4) As previously cited (Howard et al., 1987), school climate must
address the “safety”
(5) School Division Climate 31 needs of both the teachers and
students if the school is to be successful. Sackney (1988) looked at
two subdivisions of climate, “academic climate” and “social
climate;” both having a set of norms, processes, and structures.
Academic climate refers to the “quality of instruction and student
performance,” and social climate refers to that which “indirectly
impact student learning”. Berliner and Biddle (1995) contend that
to resolve existing problems in public education, certain social
issues must be examined. These issues include income or wealth
inequity, diversity, demographics, violence and drugs and school
size. Brookover et al. (1978) concluded that student achievement is
clearly affected by a school’s social environment and that “the
differences in climate between schools are important aspects of the
school’s social environment”. Sugai and Horner (2001) reported
that “learning and teaching occur best in school climates that are
positive, orderly, courteous, and safe”.
As previously cited (Howard et al., 1987), school climate must address the
“safety School Division Climate 31 needs” of both the teachers and students if the
school is to be successful. Sackney (1988) looked at two subdivisions of climate,
“academic climate” and “social climate;” both having a set of norms, processes, and
structures. Academic climate refers to the “quality of instruction and student
performance,” and social climate refers to that which “indirectly impact student
learning”. Berliner and Biddle (1995) contend that to resolve existing problems in
public education, certain social issues must be examined. These issues include income
or wealth inequity, diversity, demographics, violence and drugs and school size.
Brookover et al. (1978) concluded that student achievement is clearly affected by a
school’s social environment and that “the differences in climate between schools are
important aspects of the school’s social environment”. Sugai and Horner (2001)
reported that “learning and teaching occur best in school climates that are positive,
orderly, courteous, and safe”.
Ninan (2006) founded three essential P’s of a healthy school climate are Place,
People and Processes. When these three elements are complementary and are in
consonance with each other, a congenial climate is created. Every school should aim
at creating such a climate. Its positive impact on children will manifest in their better
learning and responsible behavior, which finally makes them, accomplished human
beings.
The components for this study to include seven components: order, leadership,
environment, involvement, instruction, expectation, and collaboration.
2.4.3 The effect of school climate
Numerous studies related that students in schools with a better school climate
have higher achievement and better socio-emotional health. Probably the most
comprehensive work in this area is being done by the Search Institute, a nonprofit
organization that encourages schools and communities to develop and empower
young people. The Search Institute found that a caring school climate is associated
with:
1) Higher grades, engagement, attendance, expectations and aspirations, a
sense of scholastic competence, fewer school suspensions, and on-time
progression through grades (19 studies)
2) Higher self-esteem and self-concept (5 studies)
3) Less anxiety, depression
4) Less substance abuse (4 studies)
Another study, by John Schweitzer of Michigan State University, revealed that
when students in Detroit schools felt a sense of community with one another and a
sense of belonging to their schools, they achieved higher scores on MEAP tests.
A national study of more than 12,000 seventh to twelfth grades found that
connectedness to family and school significantly protects youth from seven of eight
behaviors risky to their health.
School climate is reflected in the social interactions in and out of the
classroom, and from the faculty lounge to the lunchroom (Ashby & Krug, 1998).
Because values, attitudes, beliefs, and communications are subjective matters,
researchers primarily rely on participants’ perceptions to measure school climate and
sometimes aggregate the participants’ response to the level of interest, such as
classroom or school (Griffith, 2000).
The most studied educational outcome of school climate is children’s learning
and academic achievement. A review of 40 major studies between 1964 and 1980,
Anderson (1982) found over half of these studies reported effects of school climate on
student achievement. High students’ achievement is associated with high teacher
commitment or engagement, positive peer norms, an emphasis on group or team
cooperation, high level of expectation held by teachers and administrators,
consistency in administering rewards and punishments, consensus over curriculum
and discipline, and clearly defined goals and objectives. Some of these relationships
between school climate and student achievement remain significant after students’
background characteristics are controlled (Anderson, 1982).
The attributes of a supportive climate promoted in successful schools include:
1) Continual sharing of ideas- Teachers share ideas daily regarding vital issues
of instruction, curriculum, testing, school organization, and the value of specific
knowledge.
2) Collaboration-Teachers become involved in team teaching and other
collaborative efforts in program development, writing, and research.
3) Egalitarianism- Teachers dispense with formalities and anyone who takes
an interest in a department meeting can vote. The notion that the quality of ideas is
more important than the source.
4) Practical application-Teachers ask themselves, How does what we are
doing help students, teachers, and schools? What did we do this week to help?
School’s climate has a direct impact on its students’ abilities to achieve.
School with a positive atmosphere encourage and welcome the participation of
faculty, students and parents, which in turn make the school successful. The
professional school counselor is in a unique position to make a difference by
ascertaining and evaluating the climate of his or her school. As the student advocate,
the professional school counselor can facilitate the process of bringing together key
members of the school community to evaluate and improve his or her school’s
climate. It has shown that productivity increases when all shareholders are not only
satisfied with their school but also feel vested through pride and ownership.
2.4.4 The importance of school climate
The importance of organizational climate to school effectiveness is to a great
degree. Climate is indicative of how well the organization is realizing its full
potential. High performance organizations tend to make optimal use of everyone’s
capabilities. An accurate assessment of the climate can identify the unnecessary
obstacles to employees their best (http://www.ldrgroup.com\climateoverview.html
August 8, 2002).
The importance of school climate has been documented in many studies.
There is research that supports the notion that school reform is more effective when a
good climate is present (Bulach & Malone, 1994). And that a healthy organizational
climate is crucial for a good school (Hoy & Tarter, 1992).
Similarly, Educational research confirms the importance of school climate and
culture to the academic attainment of students. Culture is the shared assumptions and
ideologies of an organization, its philosophical base (Schein, 1992). Climate is the
particular school’s ambience, the feeling one receives upon entering the building.
Climate is viewed separately from culture but is a subdivision of culture (Hoy, Tarter
& Kottkamp, 1991). Climate is nebulous. It cannot be seen or touched, only felt.
Principals and teachers are the architects of climate in a school; students just walk into
it.
School climate can play a significant role in providing a healthy and positive
school atmosphere. Freiberg (1998) notes, “the interaction of various school and
classroom climate factors can create a fabric of support that enables all members of
the school community to teach and learn at optimum levels”. It has been found that a
positive school climate can yield positive educational and psychological outcomes for
students and school personnel; similarly, a negative climate can prevent optimal
learning and development (Freiberg, 1998; Johnson & Johnson,1993,1997;
Kuperminc et al.,1997; Kuperminc, Leadbeater & Blatt, 2001; Manning &
Saddlemire, 1996). Manning and Saddlemire (1996) conclude aspects of school
climate, including “trust, respect, mutual obligation, and concern for other’s welfare
can have powerful effects on educators’ and learners’ interpersonal relationships as
well as learners’ academic achievement and overall school progress”.
Freiberg and Stein (1999) summarize the importance of climate as follows:
School climate is the heart and soul of a school. It is about that essence of a school
that leads a child, a teacher, an administrator, a staff member to love the school and to
look forward to being there each day. School climate is about that quality of a school
that helps each individual feel personal worth, dignity and importance, while
simultaneously helping to create a sense of belonging to something beyond ourselves.
The climate of a school can foster resilience or become a risk factor in the lives of
people who work and learn in a place called school.
2.4.5 Improving school climate
Numerous articles define culture as “the way we do things around here.”
Culture is about the relationships, general attitudes, and perceptions within schools.
Research has directly linked a school’s ability to restructure or to improve
achievement to the culture and climate of the school. A school's climate should be
optimistic and nurturing, one where everyone believes that all students are capable of
learning, and where it is safe, fun and intellectually challenging. The attributes of a
supportive climate promoted in successful schools include (Macneil & Maclin, 2005):
1) Continual sharing of ideas- Teachers share ideas daily regarding vital
issues of instruction, curriculum, testing, school organization, and the
value of specific knowledge.
2) Collaboration-Teachers become involved in team teaching and other
collaborative efforts in program development, writing, and research.
3) Egalitarianism- Teachers dispense with formalities and anyone who takes
an interest in a department meeting can vote. The notion that the quality of
ideas is more important than the source.
4) Practical application-Teachers ask themselves, How does what we are
doing help students, teachers, and schools? What did we do this week to
help?
5) Principals who desire to improve a school's culture, must foster an
atmosphere that helps teachers, students, and parents know where they fit
in and how they can work as a community to support teaching and
learning. Creating a school culture requires instructional leaders to develop
a shared vision that is clearly communicated to faculty and staff.
Additionally, principals must create a climate that encourages shared
authority and responsibility if they are to build a positive school culture.
Educators and parents have multiple options to enhance school climate and
students’ overall educational experience. The following is a list of possible
interventions to improve school climate:
1) Increased parent and community involvement.
2) Implementation of character education or the promotion of fundamental
moral values in children.
3) Use of violence-prevention and conflict-resolution-curricula.
4) Peer mediation.
5) Prevention of acts of bullying (Perterson & Skiba, 2001).
6) Teachers and principals treat students fairly, equally and with respect.
7) Provide a safe environment for staff and students (Harris & Lowerly,
2002).
8) Personalization through adopt-a-kid programs, honoring most-improved
student, and block scheduling (Shore, 1995).
Hensen and Childs (1998) asserted that an improved school climate is a
paragon that should be pursued in all schools. A good school climate indicates that
people are working together towards a common goal and that everyone takes
responsibility for. Freiberg (1998) added that a healthy school climate contributes to
effective teaching and learning and that feedback from climate could play an
important role in school reform and school improvement efforts.
Beau Garrido, Presley Cobb and Kiahhn Jackson (2004) descript “this set of
recommendations is designed to make students feel more comfortable in school and to
increase sociability, extracurricular participation and academic achievement” follow
as nine points:
1) Demonstrate Commitment: This shows that an educator’s purpose is
not to bore a captive audience, but to inspire the mind.
2) Promote Open Mindedness: To work towards the eradication of
ignorance; to show that a diverse world exists, and that it can educate in
a more complex and interesting way than the classroom.
3) Provide Opportunities for Active Learning: Active learning provides an
opportunity to physically create from what has been retained – it proves
that education has practical uses.
4) Displaying High Expectations: Also a parental tool, it incites
productivity, and prepares students for the mentality of the real world.
5) Effective Communication: Being sure that information is always
accurate, even through over-communication, is beneficial to
accomplishing tasks.
6) Proper Climate Controls: Studies show that climate deficiencies, like
dim lighting, temperature extremes, and seating arrangements far from
the teacher, are preferences of underachieving students.
7) Decreasing School Size: The most effective improvement, but also the
most expensive. Decreased class size is a common substitute, but not as
effective. Small school size creates familiar faces and attitudes,
improves sociability, extracurricular participation, and academic
achievements.
8) Teacher Supervision: Supervision, of especially low-traffic areas,
discourages misbehavior and criminal activity.
9) Cleanliness, Décor, and Landscaping: The school’s environment is a
predictor of the student’s feelings about the school. Schools with
graffiti covered playgrounds promote bad behavior, but a clean, well-
organized, facility contributes to more well behaved students.
School climate strategies need a quick start and should be visible to all the
faculty and staff and be able to be completed in a few.
2.4.6 Promoting a positive school climate
School climate can affect many areas and people within schools. For example,
a positive school climate has been associated with fewer behavioral and emotional
problems for students (Kupermince et al., 1997). Additionally, specific research on
school climate in high-risk urban environments indicates that a positive, supportive,
and culturally conscious school climate can significantly shape the degree of
academic success experienced by urban students (Haynes & Comer, 1993).
Furthermore, researchers have found that positive school climate perceptions are
protective factors for boys and may supply high-risk students with a supportive
learning environment yielding healthy development, as well as preventing antisocial
behavior (Haynes, 1998; Kuperminc et al., 1997). School climate research suggests
that positive interpersonal relationships and optimal learning opportunities for
students in all demographic environments can increase achievement levels and reduce
maladaptive behavior (McEvoy & Welker, 2000). Regarding the roles of teachers and
administrators, Taylor and Tashakkori (1995) found that a positive school climate is
associated with increased job satisfaction for school personnel. Finally, students
perspectives are important during the transition from one school level to another.
Attending a new school can be frightening for students and this apprehension can
adversely affect students’ perceptions of their school’s climate and learning outcomes.
Therefore, research has shown that providing a positive and supportive school climate
for students is important for a smooth and easy transition to a new school (Freiberg,
1998).
Creating a positive school climate involves many things and although the
indicators of school climate might vary from researcher to researcher, there is an
underlying belief that certain variables are more relevant that others to student
achievement. One of the most important aspects of school climate is the whole
concept of creating positive and safe learning environments where students’ minds are
engaged allowed to reach their full potential (Scherer, 1998).
The school climate influences how teachers and students experience
schooling. A recent report by the National Conference of State Legislatures on
improving student achievement identifies a supportive school climate at one of the
primary characteristics of high achieving schools. Although a variety of aspects make
up a supportive school climate, Pintrich and Schunk (1996) identify the following
three aspects as particularly important for cultivating a learning-focused orientation in
teachers and students: (1) a sense of community and belonging, (2) warmth and
civility in personal relations, and (3) feelings of safety and security.
The more students and teachers feel a sense of belonging to the school
community, the more likely they will remain engaged in and actively pursue the
learning goals of that community. In addition, an environment that offers positive,
collegial relationships can help combat a sense of isolation and cultivate instead a
sense of common purpose aimed at promoting student learning. When civility and
warmth permeate the entire school community, it seems more likely all members of
the learning community will have a positive, affirming experience and be inclined to
develop a learning-focused identity.
The last dimension of a positive climate Pintrich and Schunk (1996) identified
is a feeling of safety and security. It can refer to both a sense of feeling free to express
one’s ideas and opinions as well as a sense of physical and emotional safety. On
research of Pintrick and Schunk (1996) that demonstrates the link between student
achievement and safe environments; they explain, that is particularly pronounced for
minority students. And they note that unless safety needs are being met, individuals
within the school community will find it difficult to concern themselves with
learning-related goals.
Positive school climate needs to be actively created and sustained by members
of the student, parent and school personnel group in school, and supported by the
community at large.
A positive school climate exists when all students feel comfortable, wanted,
valued, accepted, and secure in an environment where they can interact with caring
people they trust. A positive school climate affects everyone associated with the
school –students, staff, parents, and the community. It is the belief system or culture
that underlies the day-to-day operation of a school. Improved school climate is a goal
to pursue. Educators need to constantly work toward improving their school climate,
culture, and conditions so that student learning is improved.
Positive school climate does not happen by accident; instead, it requires
commitment of staff; intentional policies, programs and practices; and ongoing
maintenance. Based on research findings and identified dimensions of school climate,
several school functions emerge as essential to building positive climate, including:
1) Helping at-risk students use school and community-based supports to build
upon their unique strengths.
2) Adopting school-wide practices that build character and prevent
inappropriate student behavior.
3) Using diverse and increasingly intensive approaches to support students
who struggle academically.
4) Tracking and analyzing school data (test scores, rule infractions, risk
behaviors, climate survey, etc.) to identify needs and trends.
5) Promoting meaningful youth leadership and actively seeking and
supporting parent involvement.
6) Adopting programs and policies to prevent specific risk behaviors (e.g.,
substance use) and address student mental health and other concerns; and,
7) Formally connecting each student to at least one caring adult—either a
school staff member or community member (i.e., mentor).
In a school with a positive climate, students receive the best instructional
services. Teachers focus on students’ characteristics, learning styles and experiences
as they try to make learning relevant to the lives of their students. Furthermore. They
work to establish a supportive non-threatening climate in which students are likely to
take advantage of learning opportunities through active student involvement. Also,
they select appropriate materials and teach thoroughly and in a holistic way in order to
achieve excellence in education (Borich, 1999). Finally, the quality of career
development of students is high. Students are provided with the latest information on
what is best for their future so that they can make the best possible decisions.
School with high student achievement have a positive school climate. A
positive school climate exists when all students feel comfortable, wanted, valued,
accepted and secure in an environment where they can interact with caring people
whom they trust and they receive the best instructional services. Subsequently, a
positive school climate is the atmosphere where teaching and learning are emphasized
and rewarded and where a spirit of collegiality and collaboration among the staff and
between the staff and the principal in reaching the goals of the school exists and
affects everyone associated with the school: students, teachers, parents and the
community (Pashiardi , 2000).
Schreuder and Landy (2001) explained a positive school climate is important
because :
- It is essential for the effective functioning of the school,
- It motivates the principal, the teachers, the learners and the parents to
become involved in the activities of the school,
- It increases productivity,
- It benefits effective communication,
- It develops pride in the school
According to Kruger (2002) advantages of a positive school climate for the
staff are :
- Motivation
- A positive self-image
- A spirit of cooperation and collegiality
- Involvement and dedication
- Commitment to the school’s mission
- Job satisfaction and,
- Good interpersonal relationship
McLaughlin (2004) suggests that organizations such as schools should provide
opportunities for youth to engage as active learners in ways that lead to confidence in
the value of participatory problem-solving. Positive school climates foster
environments in which members of the school community respect, value and promote
students’ abilities to shape their own learning and participate in solving school and
community problems. In these schools, students feel a sense of freedom to express
their ideas and respect the ideas of others, both in the classroom and through school-
wide activities that bring students together to address issues related to school life.
Members of schools with positive climate ask students for their input regarding a
range of issues including school policies, and this input is taken into account by
teachers and administrators. Through these experiences, students become active
participants in the democratic process and meaningfully contribute to school life.
Follow as Schreuder and Landy (2001) suggests that “although each school
has its own particular climate, school with a positive climate share certain
characteristics”. The following usually indicate a positive school climate :
- The school’s vision and mission are expressed in the day-to-day activities.
- Teachers and learners work towards realizing their shared values in all
activities, both in the classroom and outside it.
- The atmosphere is one of order and purpose, and the school building and
grounds are neat and tidy, even if the building is old.
- The academic and extra-curricular programs are well organized.
- There is a positive culture of teaching and learning. Teachers are well
prepared and motivated to meet learners’ diverse needs.
- There are real bonds of trust between teachers and learners.
- Teachers and learners have high expectations of one another and help one
another to realize these expectations.
- The participative leadership and management approach is followed
throughout the school down to classroom level. Teachers lead by example
and acknowledge pupils’ contributions and achievements. This results in
respect developing spontaneously between teachers and learners, and
fewer disciplinary problems and conflict situations arise in the classroom.
- Teachers cooperate particularly well with one another. This results in trust
and support from the parent community. Everyone in the school will
eventually feel ownership of everything happening in the school.
2.4.7 Research on school climate
During the last twenty years there has been extensive research on identifying
the factors that comprise the quality of school (Hoy, Tarter & Kottkamp, 1991). The
research has been guided by many different voices. These range from talking about
schools as if they were akin factories, identifying the characteristics of the inputs
necessary to obtain the desired outputs, to talking about schools as if they were akin to
families, stressing the dynamics of caring which ground the kind of positive families
relationships which lead to healthy growth.
Numerous studies have been done on organization school climate. For
instance, Halpin (1967) finds that it is behavior of elementary school principals,
which in a large measure sets a climate tone for school (Halpin & Croft, 1963). In
more direct investigation leader behavior and organizational climate was found that
by varying the leadership style from bureaucratic to human relations and human
resources, three different climates-closed; warm, supportive and friendly; supportive
goal-oriented, each with distinct implementations for member performance and
satisfaction were created (Litwin & Stringer, 1968). The research of David
McClelland and colleagues at the Harvard Business School (Litwin & Stringer, 1968)
and Hay McBer and Company (Kelner, Rivers & O’Connell, 1996), ongoing since the
1950s, indicate that successful leadership competencies and managerial styles produce
motivating organizational climates, which arouse employee motivation to do work,
and which predict the desired organizational outcomes: exceptional customer
satisfaction and financial performance. Thus, climate makes a difference. That is, it
differentiates levels of performance among organizations. Hundreds of studies have
demonstrated the link between organizational climate and bottom-line performance
measures such as volume, efficiency, productivity, and customer perceptions of
service quality. Typically, climate has accounted for 10 to 25 percent of the variance
in performance measures. In many cases it has even been possible to predict
significant improvement in performance based on climate improvements (Spencer,
Pelote & Seymour, 1998). In their study, Pirola-Merlo, Hartel, Mann & Hirst (2002)
examined how negative events impact on learn climate and how team climate relates
to performance. Based on the results, team climate had a positive relation with team
performance. Zohar (2000) demonstrated that variation in behavior at the level of the
individual supervisor, the group climate level of analysis; affected safety behavior,
and it was plausible that this would hold true for other aspects of climate. Weber
(1995) found that the degree of difference in the climate regarding ethics between
organizational units depended on how “insulated” the employees in that department
were, with technical core employees having a more individual or local climate, while
boundary-spanning employees had more of a cosmopolitan ethical climate. Neal &
Griffin & Hart (2000) investigated links between general organizational climate and
specific safety climate, and found that general organizational climate could influence
perceptions of safety climate, and that these perceptions of safety climate influenced
safety performance through their effects on knowledge and motivation.
Poor school climate may result when the physical school facilities are poor.
The physical state of the school is a predictor of school achievement (Berner, 1993).
Several building features have been shown to be related to student achievement: (a)
building age, (b) climate control, (c) lighting, (d) indoor air quality, (e) acoustical
control, (f) design classifications, and (g) overall impressions. Similarly students
attending non-modernized buildings scored lower on basic skills assessments than
students attending school in more modernized buildings, showing that the building
age matters. In addition, many older buildings may not be able to accommodate
technology and curriculum innovations (Chan, 1996). Air temperature and quality are
two of the most important elements found to influence student achievement (Uline &
Tschannen-Moran, 2008). Daylight offers the most positive effects on student
achievement, most possibly due to the biological effects of sunlight on the human
body (Wurtman, 1968). Acoustics have also been shown to have an effect on student
achievement. Specifically, chronic noise has been shown to have a negative effect on
student learning (Maxwell & Evans, 2000). Specific design classifications, such as
large group meeting places, natural light, pleasing and appropriate color, and the
presence of technology for teachers have also been noted in the research as being
related to student achievement (Tanner, 2000). When learning is taking place in poor
facilities, a clear focus on academics is not taking place; the learning environment is
less likely to be perceived as orderly and serious (Uline & Tschannen-Moran, 2008).
When the buildings are in disrepair, there is less likely to be community support for
the schools. The teachers’ attitudes and behaviors are related as well; teachers are less
likely to be enthusiastic about coming to work if the building they work in is in
disrepair or in poor quality.
Some researchers approach the matter of school size from a slightly different
angle, querying students about the interpersonal climate in their schools. This research
focuses on elements such as relations among students and between students and
teachers, especially teacher attention and demonstrations of caring toward students.
Positive correlations between small schools and favorable interpersonal relations have
been found by Bates (1993); Burke (1987); Fowler and Walberg (1991); Gottfredson
(1985); Gregory & Smith (1982, 1983); Smith, Gregory, & Pugh (1981); Kershaw &
Blank(1993); Pittman & Haughwout (1987); Rutter (1988); Smith & DeYoung
(1988); Stockard & Mayberry (1992). None of the research consulted for this report
found equal or superior interpersonal relations in large schools.
Lyman and Foyle (1998) posited that considering the premise that meaningful
educational change takes root at the school level, teachers and administrators must
collaboratively solve problems as members of school wide, grade-level and subject-
area teams. Interactions within these teams, and between educators and parents and /
or students statistically significantly impact the school’s climate, student achievement,
teacher effectiveness and morale. Strong, effective school leadership is contingent
upon administrators and teachers making time to collaborate with one another and
with students. Lyman and Foyle (1998) contended student and parent confidence is
enhanced when they have opportunities to positively interact with administrators,
teachers and school staff. Positive informal interactions take place when the
professional shows empathy,25 appreciation and respect. The teacher or administrator
also uses positive discourse with the student and / or parent.
Similarly, research in the area of school climate indicates that certain
characteristics are associated with the climate of effective schools which is conducive
to learning (Brookover & Lezotte, 1979 ; Edmonds, 1979 ; Reynolds & Cuttance,
1992; Lezotte, 1991; Pashiardi & Pashiardi, 1993 ; Lezotte & Jacoby, 1990). These
characteristics can be summarized as follows:
1) The principals are the instructional leaders in their schools. They effectively
define and communicate the mission of the school to all school participants and
convey a vision of what the school should and will be.
2) Policies and procedures, rules and regulations are clear well-known to the
school participants so that everybody feels responsible to implement then
consistently.
3) Administrators, teachers, students and others involved have a common
denominator, “the plan”, that includes the school’s goals and objectives and guides
the daily behavior of all school participants (Wynne, 1981).
4) Teachers believe it is their responsibility to teach all students by using
different teaching procedures and materials based on the students’ learning needs and
styles (Roueche & Baker, 1986).
5) Communication and collaboration among the school staff is emphasized.
Administrators and teachers work collaboratively in planning and coordinating the
school curriculum as well as in implementing new learning techniques (Campo,
1993).
6) A climate of optimism and high expectations permeates the classroom.
Teachers maintain an orderly environment where student success can be cultivated
(Roueche & Baker, 1986).
7) The professional working climate within an effective school encourages an
awareness and an acceptance of the community in which it exists. This is illustrated
through participation in collective community project (Edmonds, 1979).
Gayton (1999) studied elementary schools in West Virginia to determine if a
significant relationship existed between teacher-perceived school climate and the state
accreditation status of schools. Gayton also included the SES of schools and school
size as part of her study. The CFK Ltd. School Climate Profile was used to measure
teacher perception of the schools’ climate. Student achievement was measured by
results obtained from the 1998 Stanford Achievement Test – 9th Edition (SAT – 9).
The number of students who received free or reduced lunch determined the SES of
each School Division Climate 24 school. One hundred elementary schools
participated in the study, 53 that earned full accreditation and 47 that lacked full
accreditation. Schools with a student enrollment less than 290 were considered small
schools. Schools with a student enrollment equal to or more than 290 were considered
large schools. From her descriptive, one-shot case study, Gayton (1999) concluded
that:
1) teachers in schools that lacked full accreditation status had a lower mean
scores in overall school climate compared to teachers in schools that earned full
accreditation status;
2) schools that lacked full accreditation status had at least 61% of students
who received free and reduced lunch;
3) high morale was the only predictor of low SES schools achieving full
accreditation status; as morale decreased, the number of schools that earned full
accreditation status also decreased;
4) large schools with high SES were more likely to lack full accreditation
status when compared to large schools with low SES; and
5) small schools with low SES had a low mean score in the area of
cohesiveness and therefore were less likely to earn full accreditation status.
According to research on school climate in Thailand. Such as, Srimala
Jatuporn (2005) referred to school culture in term of school climate. As the school
duty apart from offering knowledge to students, it is also the place for giving good
traits and characteristics to them. It is because school is believed to be the institute for
human development. According to the study, the means of school teacher responses
are at the “much” level. The reason is that school teachers aware and realize about
school goal and their own duties as teacher. According the relationship among school
climate, student achievement, morality and happiness. From the study findings, when
school teachers perceive school climate higher, the achievement on every subject will
increase as well.
The findings from school climate of this study are factors affecting study
achievement, morality happiness have three issues:
1. School climate, order dimension, environment dimension, and instruction
dimension affected to student achievement respectively. Because of when students
understand the lessons, they will achieve better. If teacher develop their teaching
techniques, they can assist learners to master better. Order dimension is also crucial
because the overall achievement needs orderly schools. The rule of school and
regulations will be great solutions for solving problems of misbehaviors.
2. School climate factors affecting student morality are environment
dimension, collaboration, and instruction dimension. Because good environment
foster students to relax, especially in neat and orderly school. The second issue is
collaboration, the important part of work place. The school personnel helps another to
accomplish work- the personnel are participative and collaborative. The instruction
dimension is also crucial for the student morality. Teaching style , techniques , and
aspects are improve instruction for a students.
3. School climate factors affecting student happiness are two dimension,
environment and instruction respectively. The variables on school climate are both
physical and psychological. The physical is about neat and orderly buildings-
temporary buildings, library computer room, science laboratory, and also enough
instructors, various learning resources.
Charunlak Paensuk’s (2005) study on organizational climate and job
satisfaction of personnel of Wang Klai Kang Won School revealed that the
organizational climate aspects should be correlated and in same direction.
Administrator should recognize and foster the personnel more as they perform
important tasks in the organization. The administrator should recognize and response
to the needs and feelings of personnel if he expects to lead the organization to
efficiency and effectiveness.
Siriporn Khantikarn (2006) studied organizational health and organizational
climate of schools in Samut Songkram Educational Service Area. It was found that
the overall organizational climate was at “High” level. It might be because staffs of
elementary schools pay respect to and support one another, be proud, enjoy their
work and share their practice. Praphan Sodto (2002) studied the school climate
development approach in primary school. The research findings were: 1) The levels of
school climate factors of Watthungkok school were overall at high level. When
classified by each aspect, it was found that each aspect was at high level, except
opportunity for input factor which was at the moderate level. 2) The separation of
thinking between administrative teachers and classroom teachers about the climate in
school was not different. 3) The ways to develop climate in primary school about the
opportunity for input factor was that the administrator should support all the teachers
in the school to have; the opportunity of thinking, the opportunity to share the opinion
and the opportunity to work together in order to get the successful work. The research
of Phatcharee Srichan-ngam (1999) on the organizational climate in large elementary
schools under the jurisdiction of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration revealed
that: 1) The organizational climate in large elementary schools under the jurisdiction
of the Metropolitan Administration according to the variables of the eight aspects of
organizational climate including: Leadership process, Motivational forces, Decision-
making process, Goal setting or Ordering, Control process, Performance goals and
Training were found in consultative patterns. 2) The organizational climate was found
in the combination of consultative and benevolent authoritative patterns.
Chaiwat Sakuna’s (1997) research on the environment and climate of primary
schools under the jurisdiction of the office of Phitsanulok provincial primary
education found that: 1) The school environment of area usage aspect, classroom
building management aspect, other facility structures, and sanitary system aspect were
evaluated high and very high, 2) School academic and administration climate were
evaluated high and very high, 3) The relationship between environment and climate
were positively correlated. Samniang Wilamas’s (1999) study on school climate
affecting to teachers’ commitment revealed that the climate of most of the primary
schools was open, the teachers’ commitment was high, and the climate that positively
affected the teachers’ commitment was the support dimension whereas the non-
collaboration dimension negatively affected the teachers’ commitment.
2.4.8 Assessing school climate
Many researchers have developed measures of school climate. Freiberg (1998)
consider multiple factors an individuals within the school system using direct
measures, such as surveys and interviews, and indirect measures, such as disciplinary
and attendance records. The School Climate Survey contain seven dimensions of
school climate and specifically assesses students’ perceptions in the following areas:
1) Achievement motivation
2) Fairness
3) Order and discipline
4) Parent involvement
5) Sharing of resources
6) Student interpersonal relationships
7) Student-teacher relationships (Haynes, Emmons, & Comer, 1993).
The Charles F. Kettering Ltd. (CFK) School Climate Profile is also widely
used to measures school climate. This survey is comprised of four section and is given
to teachers, administrators, and students. Part A, the General Climate Factors, is
comprised of the following eight subscales:
1) Respect
2) Trust
3) High morale
4) Opportunity for input
5) Continuous academic & social growth
6) Cohesiveness
7) School renewal
8) Caring (Johnson et al., Johnson & Johnson, 1997).
Further scales have been created assessing issues such as security
maintenance, administration, guidance, student activities, and teacher-principal
interactions (Hanna, 1998). Additional measures include the Comprehensive
Assessment of School Environments (Keefe & Kelley, 1990), the Organizational
Climate Index (Hoy, Smith, & Sweethland , 2002), and the Organizational Climate
Description Questionnaire (Halpin & Croft , 1963).
From the studied of Jones and James (1979), Middlemist and Hitt (1981), and
Joyce and Slocum (1982) have argued in favour of a multi-dimensional approach to
the issue of measurement. Specifically, Jones and James (1979) derived six
dimensions of climate:
1) Leadership facilitation and support;
2) Workgroup co-operation, friendliness and warmth;
3) Conflict and ambiguity;
4) Professional and organizational esprit;
5) Job challenge, importance and variety; and
6) Mutual trust
It has been argued that these dimensions represent a useful method for
measuring organizational climate (Ryder & Southey, 1990).
According to Stewart (2007) school climate can be measured in three ways: by
its (a) school culture, (b) school organization, and (c) school milieu. School culture
can be defined as the unwritten beliefs, values and attitudes that a school holds to be
true.
School climate inventory (SCI) used for this study consists of seven dimension
logically and empirically linked with factors associated with effective school
organizational climates (Butler & Alberg , 1989). Each scale contains seven item,
with 49 statements comprising the inventory. Response are scored through use of
Likert-type ratings. Seven dimensions were utilized for the school climate inventory
(Butler & Rakow , 1995). As the seven scales are appeared to be representation of
many variables, the instrument will be used for assessing school climate of this study.
The seven scales of the school climate inventory with brief descriptions are listed
below :
1) Order , the extent to which the environment is order and appropriate
student behaviors are present.
2) Leadership, the extent to which the administration provides instructional
leadership.
3) Environment , the extent to which positive learning environments exist.
4) Involvement, the extent to which parents and community are involve in the
school.
5) Instruction, the extent to which the instructional program is well developed
implemented.
6) Expectation, the extent to which students are expected to learn and be
responsible.
7) Collaboration, The extent to which the administration, faculty, and
students cooperate and participate in problem solving.
2.4.9 School climate variables
Although the variables of school climate appear to be slightly different from
researcher to researcher, all to them share certain communalities. The following
attributes that are discussed are representative of the many variables that have been
identified by different researchers as important attributes of school climate. They are
by no means all inclusive. They are only indicative of some of the variables that are
most of commonly listed.
Ten factors of Sweeney (1988) highlight school with good climate : a
supportive and stimulating environment, student-centered strategies, positive
expectations feedback rewards , a sense of family, closeness to parents, community
communication, achievement and trust.
Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp (1991) listed seven components of school climate;
institutional integrity, principal influence, consideration, initiating structure, resource
support, morale, and academic emphasis.
Sackney (1998) indicated the variables are related to school climate could be
divided in two general dimensions: those that deal with the academic climate and
those that address the social climate.
Seven dimensions were utilized for this study for the school climate inventory
(Butler & Rakow , 1995). As the seven scales are appeared to be representation of
many variables follow as detailed :
1) Order, there are cannot be engagement of the student’s minds if they do
not feel safe and their fears are assuaged (Scherer, 1998). Murphy , Weil , Halliger,
and Mitman (1985) claimed “effective schools maintain a safe and orderly
environment for learning”. In a safe environment students and staff feel free from
danger and harm to themselves or their property. In an orderly environment, the
school has a systematic set of school policies and practices with rules that are specific
and behavior expectations are clear and consistently enforced. Teaching and learning
cannot take place if schools do not offer a safe and orderly environment.
2) Leadership, the principal’s involvement in instruction has been positively
associated to both climate and learning outcomes. Young (1980) believed that the
principal is the key in improving school climate. The principal is the one that must
provide the kind of leadership that fosters positive climate where learning can take
place. Based on his effective school research. Edmonds (1979) identified the principal
as the person positioned to guide and improve instructional programs.
3) Environment, the way schools are structured and the conditions in which
they exist have a great impact on the academic success of its students. Purkey and
Novak (1996) indicated that schools exhibiting a positive climate are clean and nicely
decorated. They concluded that behavior and academic achievement are better when
the school is clean and when it is decorated with student work, pictures, posters. Kohl
(1998) talked about an environment that is not only warm and inviting but also
friendly. He spoke of an environment where students are valued both as individuals
members of the learning community and as members of the larger community in
which they live.
4) Involvement, parent and community involvement have been found to
influence academic achievement and school climate. Some of the many studies
linking academic achievement to parent/community involvement include Brookover
and Lezotte (1979), Edmonds and Fredericksen (1978) and others. In their view of
205 studies, Borger et al. (1985) reported that parent and community variables played
a part in effective schools according to 90 per cent of the studies analyzed. Haynes,
Comer and Hamilton – lee (1989) found that the climate of school is considerably
enhanced when parents are included in the planning and organization of school
activities and contribute to important decision about significant school events because
it gives parents the opportunity to be stakeholders.
5) Instruction, the important of the effective teachers in providing a climate
conductive to learning cannot be overemphasized. “What happens in the classroom is
an important first step to establishing a climate that is conductive to learning”
(Sackney, 1988). Professional growth and development is key in enhancing the skills
of instruction that would ultimately help teachers in their efforts to increase student
achievement.
6) Expectation. Edmonds (1979) and Rutter et al, (1979) have related high
expectations to school effectiveness more consistently than any other variable. In a
school that exhibits high expectations, the staff not only believes in their ability to
influence students achievement but is also held accountable for student learning. High
expectations for student and staff performance have been linked to positive student
outcomes (Edmonds, 1979; Brookover & Lezotte, 1979) stated that expectations not
only influence the way people think about their performance but also the way they
explain their performance.
7) Collaboration, Sergiovanni and Starrat (1998) talked about collaboration
as the main ingredient of learning communities. They further claimed that change
efforts would nor be effective in a climate that is not conductive collaboration.
2.5 Comparison between school culture and school climate
There is a closed and sometimes ambiguous relationship between
organizational culture and climate which has often been overlooked in the literature
(Schneider, 1985; Ryder and Southey, 1990). According to Barker (1994), there is
evidence that the two terms have frequently been used synonymously. Despite the
large number of studies into climate, attempts to define the construct in a way that
differentiates it from culture have proven problematic (Field & Ableson ,1982).
Moran and Volkwein (1992) argue that while culture and climate are distinctly
identifiable elements within organizations, there is some overlap between the two
terms. Culture is widely understood to be made up of a collection of fundamental
values and belief systems which give meaning to organizations (Hatch, 1993). A
further distinction between the two in the contention that the climate of an
organization consists essentially of shared perceptions, whereas the culture of an
organization is made up of shared assumptions (Ashforth , 1985). In a similar vein,
Moran and Volkwein (1992) have suggested that climate consists of attitudes and
values alone, whereas culture exists as a collection of basic assumptions, in additional
to attitudes and values.
Similarly organizational culture and climate have been described as
overlapping concepts by theorists (Miner, 1995). Hoy et al. (1991) offered a
distinction between climate and culture, with school or organizational climate being
viewed from a psychological perspective and school culture viewed from an
anthropological perspective. Differences between school climate and culture are
highlighted in organizational studies. Often the climate is viewed as behavior, while
culture is seen as comprising the values and norms of the school or organization (Hoy,
1990; Heck & Marcoulides, 1996). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described
organizational climate as the total environmental quality within an organization and
believe that the recent attention to the effectiveness of public schools and their
cultures has shed more interest on the importance of climate. Hoy and Feldman
(1999) believed that this difference is meaningful and crucial because shared
perceptions of behavior are more readily measured than shared values. They described
climate as having fewer abstractions than culture (more descriptive and less symbolic)
and concluded that climate presents fewer problems in terms of empirical
measurements. Climate is the preferred construct when measuring the organizational
health of a school.
The basic component which makes organization culture and organization
climate different from each other is related with the research method. Contrary to the
qualitative researches made about the organization culture, in the research about
organizational climate the quantitative ones are commonly made use of (Glick, 1985).
Similarly Bilir (2005) described the organization climate is mostly about attitudes and
behaviors. Whereas the culture is a process in which the aim is to form a collection
about more comprehensible system of values and believe. Related with Tahaoglu
(2007), the organization culture is composed of believes, values or norms shared by
all members of organization. On the other hand, the organizational climate is
composed of the understandings of members about organization.
The difference between climate and culture in term of major common
indicators like, discipline, method, content and level of abstraction, follow as:
Table 4 Climate, culture comparison
Items Climate CultureDiscipline Psychology and social
psychologyAnthropology and sociology
Method Survey research multivariate statistics
Ethnographic techniques linguistic analysis
Content Perceptions of behavior multivariate statistics
Assumptions and ideology linguistic analysis
Level of Abstraction
More concrete More abstract
Source : Adapted from Hoy et al. (2000)
Chuck Saufler (2005) described school culture and climate are two distinct but
highly interrelated and interactive dimensions of school life. School climate is created
by the attitudes, beliefs, values, and norm the underline the instructional practices, the
level of academic achievement and the operation of a school. It is driven by how well,
and how fairly the adults in a school create, implement, model and enforce these
attitudes, beliefs, values, and norms. Climate is largely created by the atmosphere. In
school with strong school climate the adults model behaviors that strengthen climate,
such as learning student names and greeting them by name. Adults showing a genuine
concern for individual students and consistently reinforcing them positively and
responding to negative behaviors in a respectful manner also strengthens the climate.
The product of good school climate is a strong school culture. School culture is “the
way we do that here”, or the way “we don’t do that here”. The “that” can reflect any
attitude, belief, value, norm, procedure or routine including “how we do relationships
at this school”. In a school with strong culture any staff or student will be able to
explain and demonstrate “how we do that here”.
2.6 The relationship between school culture and school climate
The school is an organization, a system of interweaving parts, linking together
in particular ways. A school is a particular kind of organization.
Mentz (1990) defined the relationship between “organizational culture and
organizational climate” as follows:
Table 5 Organizational culture and organizational climate
Organizational culture (The situation)
Organizational climate (The perception)
Set of values, convictions, ceremonies and norms
The perceptions of those involved regarding the
Which reflect the communications, symbols, management style and behavior of the people involved
Quality of school culture and
And which are evident in the management philosophy and goals of the school
Which can be evaluated by means of questionnaires and interviews
Source : Elsabe' De Villiers (2006)Organizational culture and organizational climate influence one another.
Aspects of organizational culture such as traditions and ceremonies have an effect on
organizational climate, whilst the attitudes of those involved with the school certainly
have an influence on organizational culture.
A school’s culture and climate can interact with the school improvement
process in many ways and in all phases of that improvement process. As Beach and
Lindahl (2004b) discussed, in reality, school improvement processes are not as linear
as diagrams. However, the basic phases of the model offer a useful structure for
examining potential interactions between the process and the school’s climate and
culture.
Most reviews of the effective school literature point to the consensus that
school culture and climate are central to academic success (Mackenzie, 1983).
Typical of the findings is the summary of Purkey and Smith (1983), who in their
review of the literature on effective schools found a close correlation between positive
school culture and academic quality: The literature indicates that a student’s chance
for success in learning cognitive skills is heavily influenced by the climate of the
school. A school-level culture press in the direction of academic achievement helps
shape the environment (and climate) in which the student learns. An academically
effective school would be likely to have clear goals related to student achievement,
teachers and parents with high expectations, and a structure designed to maximize
opportunities for students to learn. A press for academic success is more likely to
realize that goal than would a climate that emphasizes affective growth or social
development.
The importance of school climate and to some extent culture for an effective
school has been the subject of extensive research. Bulach, Malone and Castleman
(1994), in their research on 20 schools found a significant difference in student
achievement between schools with a good school climate and those with a poor
school climate. They also cited 17 references in their review of literature in support of
this relationship. The relationship between school climate and achievement continues
to be researched. Hirase (2000) and Erpelding (1999), found that schools with a
positive climate had higher academic achievement.
The relationship between culture and climate was supported by Schein (1996)
when he stated that norms, values, rituals and climate are all manifestations of culture.
In addition, the relationship of culture and climate is further supported by McDougall
and Beattie (1998), as well as by the early studies of Schneider and Reichers (1983).
Even though the conceptual distance between culture (shared norms) and climate
(shared perceptions) is small, it is nonetheless real (Hoy & Feldman, 1999).
Bulach and Berry (2001). Their research is the impact of setting and size on a
school’s culture and climate has been found the database from the 25 schools provides
norms for schools from different settings. This allows school officials to compare
their data against that of other schools. One conclusion based on the data is that most
schools do not have a good climate, as only two elementary schools had an average
score that was over 32.0 indicating agreement that a good culture and climate was
present. Another conclusion is that elementary schools have much better climates than
middle and high schools. Whether this is a result of smaller school size or the
elementary setting is unknown. It is possible that more well behaved elementary
students are responsible for the better climate and not school size. Regarding urban
schools, it is likely that they have less positive cultures and climates, but the small
number of schools involved in this study do not justify such a conclusion.
Related with Bulach and Williams (2001) a significant negative correlation
between school size and the school’s culture and climate was found. Other finding
were that elementary schools had more positive climates than middle and high schools
and urban schools had less positive climates than rural and suburban schools.
To encourage a school culture and climate that promotes individuals who are
bonded together by natural will, and who are together bound to a set of shared ideas,
and ideals then principals must strengthen their efforts towards improving
connections, coherence, capacity, commitment, and collaboration among their
members (Sergiovanni, 2001).
David J. Dewit (2002) discussed from the study of Sense of school
membership: A mediating mechanism linking student perceptions of school culture
with academic and behavioral functioning (baseline data report of the school culture
project), the interpersonal and normative features of school culture, evidence suggests
that student sense of school membership may be influenced by several tangible
environmental characteristics typically referred to as “school climate”. These include
factors such as organizational size, school governance (e.g., public vs. separate school
sectors), school resources, and the demographic and socio-economic composition of
students and teaching staff (Bryk et al., 1990; Finn & Voelkl, 1993; Firestone &
Rosenblum, 1988; Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 1985; McNeal, 1997; Rumberger,
1995). Large schools, for example, are thought to inhibit student ability to form
attachments to the school environment because they tend to be more bureaucratic with
a high degree of role specialization and formal communication links. Wehlage and
colleagues hypothesize that American Catholic schools may be more effective in less
bureaucratic and possess a culture that is more broadly supportive of those who attend
(Wehlage, Rutter, Smith, Lesko, & Fernandez, 1989). Unfortunately, evidence
supporting many of these hypothesized relationships has remained sketchy largely
because weak feelings of school membership are inferred from incidents of truancy
and school disorder and not measured directly as a mechanism linking school
characteristics with student behavioral outcomes.
School culture - Social atmosphere - School learning goal structures - Student behavioral norms - Governance practices
School climate (e.g. school size)
Sense of School Membership (e.g., feelings of acceptance, belonging and support, bonding to school, involvement in extra-curricular activities)
Self-Esteem, Academic, Motivation,Pro-social
Values
Behaviour,Academic,
Performance,Mental
Figure 8 Schools as communities theoretical framework Source : Dewit, Karioja (2002)
Not shown in Figure 8 are a number of model controls deemed as important
correlates of student perceptions of school culture and sense of school membership.
Because many of these factors are also related to student academic and behavioral
problems, it becomes necessary to control statistically for their influence. Prior
research suggests that girls tend to express more favorable impressions of school
environment than boys (Goodenow, 1993a; Hagborg, 1994), perform better
academically, and are less inclined to engage in violent and delinquent behavior
(Jenkins, 1997). Age is an important control insofar as early adolescence is a period of
rapid developmental change both physically (with the onset of puberty) and
psychologically as peers take on new significance as a reference group in defining
individual perceptions of self-worth. These changes may serve to explain why
feelings of detachment from school grow stronger when students enter their high
school years as well as the frequent occurrence of delinquent behavior observed
among older students.
2.7 Conceptual framework
Theorists refer to organizational culture and climate as overlapping concepts.
Organizational culture has its roots in sociology and anthropology, whereas
organizational climate is rooted in psychology (Miner, 2002). The terms school
culture and school climate describe the environment that affect the behavior of
teachers and student. School culture is the shared beliefs and attitudes that
characterize the district-wide organization and establish boundaries for its constituent
units. School climate characterizes the organization at the school building and
classroom level. It refers to the “feel” of a school and can vary from school to school
within the same district. While an individual school can develop a climate
independently of the larger organization, changes in school culture at the district level
can positively or adversely affect school climate at the building level.
School climate and culture are important in the student learning process.
Schools that successfully engage students in this process share certain characteristics.
Such schools value academic excellence and have high expectations of student
achievement. A cooperative environment is fostered in which students feel
empowered to excel, and safe from the influence of societal distractions, such as
drugs and gangs. Educators must give as much attention to school climate and culture
as is given to traditional concerns like curriculum development and teaching methods
As the purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of teacher
and staff on school culture and school climate of elementary basic education school in
Thailand and as the variables of school culture were used in this study composed of 1)
Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher Collaborative, 3) Professional Development, 4)
Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial Support, and 6) Learning Partnership, and the variables
of school climate were used composed of 1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership
Dimension, 3) Environment Dimension, 4) Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction
Dimension, 6) Expectation Dimension, and 7) Collaborative Dimension. Therefore,
the conceptual framework of this study shown as the figure below:
Independent variable Dependent variable
1. Gender2. Education level 3. Working status 4. Age5. Working experience6. School size
School Climate1. Order Dimension2. Leadership Dimension3. Environment Dimension4. Involvement Dimension5. Instruction Dimension6. Expectation Dimension7. Collaborative Dimension
School Culture1. Collaborative leadership2. Teacher collaboration3. Professional development4. Unity of purpose5. Collegial support6. Learning partnership
Figure 9 The conceptual framework of the study
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research was a Quantitative Research. The objective was to study
relationship between the variables of School Culture and School Climate of
Elementary Basic Education Schools. The researcher specified research methodology
as follows: 1) Population and Sample, 2) Informant, 3) Instrumentation, 4)
Construction and Investigation of the Instrument Quality, 5) Data Collection, 6) Data
Analysis, 7) Data interpretation with following details:
3.1 Population and sample
The population used in this research included 31,484 schools, under
jurisdiction of the Office of Basic School Commission, Primary Education, 2009
school year. (Office of Basic Education Commission, 2009) For 398 schools were
determined as the samples by using Multi-stage Random Sampling as follows:
The First Sampling, Cluster Random Sampling was performed by using
Simple Random Sampling. 20% of the provinces of each region was determined and
17 provinces were obtained.
The Second Sampling, Stratified Random Sampling was performed by using
Simple Random Sampling. The proportion was based on school size as shown in
Table 6.
Table 6 The number of population and sample
Regions Provinces
Population(School in provinces
sampled)
Sample Size(Proportion based on
school sizes)small medium large small medium large
North Lampang 118 125 30 8 8 4Phayao 137 153 12 8 9 3
Central
Samut Sakhon 41 65 9 5 6 2Lop Buri 152 203 23 9 17 4Sing Buri 68 40 28 5 4 4Pathum Thani 46 97 51 3 7 5Ang Thong 65 86 17 5 6 2
SouthTrang 101 196 14 7 16 3Ranong 37 52 7 3 5 2Phuket 17 31 10 3 4 2
East Chachoengsao 141 170 28 9 13 4Rayong 87 132 9 5 8 2
West Ratchaburi 148 190 25 9 14 4
NorthEast
Nong Bua Lam Phu 126 194 20 8 16 4
Loei 140 310 31 9 32 4Yasothon 189 209 13 13 21 3Nong khai 135 377 26 8 37 4
Total 1,748 2,629 354 117 223 564,731 398
3.2 Informants
The respondents were 398 teachers and 398 staffs in sample schools; 1 teacher
and 1 staff from each school, by using Simple Random Sampling from the name list
of teachers and staffs of each school.
3.3 Instrumentation
The instrument used in this research was the Questionnaire consisting of 3
parts; Part 1 was the Questionnaire of respondent’s demographic data, Part 2 was the
Questionnaire of school culture, and Part 3 was the Questionnaire of school climate.
The Questionnaire of school culture called “The School Culture Survey
(SCS)” was developed by Gruenert & Valentine (1998) consisted of six variables, and
reliability coefficient of each variable was as follows: collaborative leadership (.910),
teacher collaboration (.834), professional development (.867), unity of purpose (.821),
collegial support (.796), and learning partnership (.658)
The Questionnaire of school climate called “The School Climate Inventory
(SCI)” was developed by the Center for Research in Educational Policy (CREP), at
the University of Memphis in 1989. It consists of seven dimensions with the
reliability coefficients as follows: Order Dimension (.835), Leadership Dimension
(.856), Environment Dimension (.846), Involvement Dimension (.784), Instruction
Dimension (.764), Expectation Dimension (.753), Collaboration Dimension (.762)
(The Center for Research in Educational Policy, 1989 cited in Srimala Jatuporn,
2005).
3.4 Construction and investigation of instrument
Part 1: Questionnaire of respondents’ demographic data, constructed by the
researcher. It was a Checklist consisting of gender, age, educational level, working
experience, and school size.
Part 2: The School Culture Survey. The researcher sent a letter of permission
to the instrument owner, Professor Dr. Jerry W. Valentine, University of Missouri,
and Director of the Middle Level Leadership Center on 2nd June 2009. After being
permitted, the researcher translated it into Thai Language, and asked for an
investigation from 5 experts : 1) Professor Dr. Sermsak Wisalapon, 2) Professor Dr.
Paitoon Sinlarat, 3) Associate Professor Dr. Preecha Kampirapakon, 4) Associate
Professor Dr. Prachoom Rodprasert, and 5) Associate Professor Dr. Boonme Nenyod.
The experts investigated the congruence between Thai Language and English
Language. The researcher analyzed the findings from investigation for Index of
Congruence (IOC) with following criteria:
+1 when you are confident that the Thai words had the same meaning
as English language.
0 when you are not confident that the Thai words had the same
meaning as English language.
-1 when you are confidents that the Thai words did not have the same
meaning as English language.
It was found that the IOC values were more than 0.50 up in every item as the
criterion specified by Booncherd Pinyo-ananta-pong (2002). However, the experts
recommended for improving and correcting the wordings. The wordings were
corrected as recommended.
Part 3: The School Climate Inventory. Though there was a Thai version
investigated by experts by Srimala Jatuporn (2002). But, for testing quality of
instrument again. The researcher tried out both of questionnaires as The School
Culture Survey (SCS) and The School Climate Inventory (SCI), with 30 teachers and
staffs in Elementary Schools, under the jurisdiction of Roi-et Educational Service
Area 2, who were not the samples. Then, data were brought to analyze the reliability
coefficient by finding the Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient. It was found that the
reliability coefficient of total issue of The School Culture Survey = 0.94. The
reliability of each variable as follows: 1) Collaborative Leadership (0.83) 2) Teacher
Collaborative (0.74) 3) Professional Collaborative (0.70) 4) Unity of Purpose (0.83)
5) Collegial Support (0.74) 6) Learning Partnership (0.72). For The School Climate
Inventory, the reliability coefficient of total issue = 0.93, the reliability of each
variable as follows: 1) Order Dimension (0.71), 2) Leadership Dimension (0.70), 3)
Environment Dimension (0.86), 4) Involvement Dimension (0.81), 5) Instruction
Dimension (0.71), 6) Expectation Dimension (0.70), and 7) Collaboration Dimension
(0.72).
3.5 Data collection
The questionnaire and the letter from the Faculty of Education asking for
cooperation was sent to each of the samples. 361 of the questionnaire sent were
returned. That was 90.70% of the samples.
3.6 Data analysis
The SPSS statistics for windows was used to analyze the data. The statistic
values were as follows:
3.6.1 Descriptive statistics
1) The demographic data of the samples were tallied for frequency, and
calculated for percentage.
2) The Mean and Standard Deviation was analyzed for the level of
perception in school culture variables as follows : 1) Collaborative Leadership 2)
Teacher Collaborative 3) Professional Development 4) Unity of Purpose 5)
Collegial Support 6) Learning Partnership , and analyzing level of perception in
school climate variables as follows: 1) Order Dimension 2) Leadership Dimension 3)
Environment Dimension 4) Involvement Dimension 5) Instruction Dimension 6)
Expectation Dimension 7) Collaborative Dimension.
3.6.2 Inferential statistics
1) The independent sample t-test was applied to test the average value of
the school culture variables, and school climate variables, as classified by gender,
educational level, and work position.
2) One-way ANOVA was applied to analyze to differentiate the variables
of school culture, and school climate, as classified by age, work experience, and
school size.
3) The analysis of Pearson’ s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was
applied to find the relationship between 2 variables and also to study the correlation
coefficient of variables within school culture, and school climate, each variable, and
between variables of school culture and school climate.
3.7 Data interpretation
The survey question was scored on a Likert’s five-level rating scale. The
rating numbers were interpreted as follows:
1 refers to Strongly disagree.
2 refers to Disagree.
3 refers to Neutral.
4 refers to Agree.
5 refers to Strongly agree.
The Means ( ) of the level of school culture and school climate was
interpreted (Wanya Wisalaporn, 1997) as follows :
4.51 – 5.00 refers to Very High Perception (VHP).
3.51 – 4.50 refers to High Perception (HP).
2.51 – 3.50 refers to Moderate Perception (MP).
1.51 – 2.50 refers to Low Perception (LP).
0.01 – 1.50 refers to Very Low Perception (VLP).
The correlation coefficient among the variables, it was interpreted (Davis,1981
cited in Srimala Jatuporn, 2005) as follows :
0.70 – 1.00 refers to Very High Relationship (VHR).
0.50 – 0.69 refers to High Relationship (HR).
0.30 – 0.49 refers to Moderate Relationship (MR).
0.10 – 0.29 refers to Low Relationship (LR).
0.01 – 0.09 refers to Very Low Relationship (VLR).
0.00 refers to No Relationship (NR).
3.8 Chapter summary
This chapter describes the methodology and research design. Also described
were the population and sample, information, instrumentation, construction and
investigation of instrument, data collection, data analysis, and data interpretation. The
informants were one teacher and one staff of each school of the sample schools. The
survey instrument contained the following sections: demographic background, and the
School Culture Survey (the SCS), and the School Climate Inventory (the SCI). There
were six dependent variables of school culture and seven variables of school climate.
The data were collected and then statistically analyzed using various statistical
techniques; Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation, T-test, One-Way
ANOVA, The Scheffe’s technique, and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation
Coefficient. The data were analyzed to compare the variables of the school culture
and school climate. Also analyzed were demographic variables whether they affected
the school culture and climate.
CHAPTER IV
THE FINDINGS
The empirical data of School Culture and School Climate of Elementary Basic
Education Schools were obtained and analyzed to investigate the research objective.
Details were as follows:
4.1 Symbols used in data analysis
4.1.1 Symbols used refer to variables
4.1.1.1 School culture’s variables
COL Refered to Collaborative Leadership.
TEA Refered to Teacher Collaborative.
PRO Refered to Professional Development.
UNI Refered to Unity of Purpose.
COLE Refered to Collegial Support.
LEAR Refered to Learning Partnership.
4.1.1.2 School climate’s variables
ORD Refered to Order Dimension.
LEAD Refered to Leadership Dimension.
ENVI Refered to Environment Dimension.
INV Refered to Involvement Dimension.
INS Refered to Instruction Dimension.
EXP Refered to Expectation Dimension.
COLL Refered to Collaborative Dimension.
4.1.2 Symbols used refer to statistics
Refered to Mean.
n Refered to Sample.
S.D. Refered to Standard Deviation.
r Refered to Pearson’s product moment correlation
coefficient.
t Refered to T distribution.
F Refered to F distribution.
SS Refered to Sum of Squares.
MS Refered to Mean Squares.
df Refered to Degree of Freedom.
P Refered to P-values.
** Refered to Significant at the 0.01 level.
* Refered to Significant at the 0.05 level.
4.2 Presentation of data analysis
The respondents’ demographic data were analyzed and the findings were
presented as the following details:
Part 1 The findings on demographic data analysis of the respondent samples’ status
Part 2 The findings on data analysis of school cultures, with the following details:
1) The findings on analysis for the Mean and Standard Deviation of school
cultures based on perception of the teachers and staff as classified by each
variable and overall.
2) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perception of
teachers and staff as classified by gender.
3) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by educational degree.
4) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by working status.
5) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by age.
6) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by working experience.
7) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by school size.
Part 3 The findings on data analysis in school climate, with the following details:
1) The findings on analysis for the Mean and Standard Deviation of school
climate based on perceptions of the teachers and staff as classified by each
variable and overall.
2) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by gender.
3) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perceptions of
teachers and staff as classified by educational level.
4) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perception of
teachers and staffs as classified by working status.
5) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perception of
teachers and staffs as classified by age
6) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perception of
teachers and staffs as classified by working experience.
7) Comparative analysis findings on school climate based on perception of
teachers and staffs as classified by school size.
Part 4 The correlation coefficient analysis findings of school culture variables and
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools under the
Office of the Basic Education Commission.
Part 1 The findings on demographic data analysis of the respondent samples’ status
361 complete questionnaire or 90.70% of the total number required returned.
The demographic data of teachers and staff were analyzed for frequency and
percentage. The findings were shown in Table 7.
Table 7 Teachers and staffs’ status of the samples responding the questionnaire
StatusTeacher (n = 361) Staff (n = 361)
frequency percentage frequency percentage
1. Gender
1. Male
2. Female
121
240
33.52
66.48
125
236
34.63
65.37
2. Age
1. 20 – 30 years old
2. 31 – 40 years old
3. 41 – 50 years old
4. 51 – 60 years old
39
54
123
145
10.80
14.96
34.07
40.17
95
65
76
125
26.32
18.00
21.05
34.63
3. Education
1. Bachelor’s degree
2. Master’s degree
266
95
73.68
26.32
329
32
91.14
8.86
4. Working experiences
1. 1 – 10 years
2. 11 – 20 years
3. 21 – 30 years
4. 31 – 40 years
80
73
115
93
22.16
20.22
31.86
25.76
132
67
107
55
36.56
18.56
29.64
15.24
5. School sizes
1. Small ( ≤ 120 students)
2. Medium (121 – 600
students)
3. Large (600 – 1,500
105
207
49
29.08
57.35
13.57
125
185
51
34.63
51.25
14.12
students)
Table 7 showed that there were 240 female teachers or 66.48%, and 121 male
teachers or 33.52% respectively. Classified by age, there were 145 persons or 40.17%
aged between 51 to 60, 123 persons or 34.07% between 41 to 50, and 54 persons or
14.96% between 31 to 40 respectively. Classified by level of education, there were
266 persons or 73.78% with Bachelor Degrees, and 95 persons or 26.32% with Master
Degrees respectively. Classified by working experiences, most (115 persons or
31.86%) had working experiences between 21 to 30 years, second most (93 persons or
25.76%) with 31 to 40 years, and 80 persons or 22.16% with 1-10 years respectively.
Classified by school sizes, most (207 persons or 57.35%) were working in medium-
sized schools, second most (105 persons or 29.08%) in small-sized, and 49 persons or
13.57% in large-sized respectively.
Table 7 shows that there were 236 female staff or 65.37%, and 125 male or
34.63% respectively. Classified by age, most (125 persons or 34.63%) were 51 to 60
years old, second most (95 persons or 26.32%) were 20-30 years old, and 76 persons
or 21.05% were 41-50 years old respectively. Classified by level of education, 329
persons or 91.14% were Bachelor Degree holders, and 32 persons or 8.86% with
Master Degrees respectively. Classified by working experiences, most (132 persons
or 36.56%) had 1-10 years working experiences, most second (107 persons or
29.64%) with 21-30 years, and 67 persons or 18.56% with 11-20 years respectively.
Classified by school sized, most (185 persons or 51.25%) were working in medium-
sized schools, second most were 125 persons or 34.63% in small-sized, and 51
persons or 14.12% in large-sized respectively.
Part 2 The findings on data analysis of school cultures
The data were analyzed to investigate research objectives 1 and 2. The
findings were as follows;
1) The findings on analysis for the Mean and Standard Deviation of school
cultures based on perceptions of the teachers and staff as classified by each variable
and overall, the data analysis findings were shown in Table 8.
Table 8 The degree of school cultures on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools
Items S.D. Remark
1. Collaborative leadership
1.1 Leaders value teachers’ ideas.
1.2 Leaders in this school trust the
professional judgments of teachers.
1.3 Leaders take time to praise teachers
that perform well.
1.4 Teachers are involved in the decision-
making process.
1.5 Leaders in our school facilitate teachers
working together.
1.6 Teachers are kept informed on current
issues in the school.
1.7 My involvement in policy or decision
making is taken seriously.
1.8 Teachers are rewarded for
experimenting with new ideas and
techniques.
1.9 Leaders support risk-taking and
innovation in teaching.
1.10 Administrators protect instruction and
4.07
3.69
4.15
4.25
3.90
4.26
4.16
4.26
4.02
3.63
0.44
0.74
0.63
0.72
0.71
0.67
0.64
0.71
0.74
0.72
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
planning time.
1.11 Teachers are encouraged to share
ideas.
2. Teacher collaboration
2.1 Teachers have opportunities for
dialogue and planning across grades
and subjects.
4.27
4.21
3.92
4.08
0.70
0.65
0.46
0.69
HP
HP
HP
HP
Table 8 The degree of school cultures on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
2.2 Teachers spend considerable time
planning together.
2.3 Teachers take time to observe each
other teaching.
2.4 Teachers are generally aware of what
other teachers are teaching.
2.5 Teachers work together to develop and
evaluate programs and projects.
2.6 Teaching practice disagreements are
voiced openly and discussed.
3. Professional Development
3.1 Teachers utilize professional networks
to obtain information and resources for
classroom instruction.
3.2 Teachers regularly seek ideas from
seminars, colleagues, and conferences.
3.3 Professional development is valued by
the faculty.
3.4 Teachers maintain a current
knowledge base about the learning
3.77
3.69
4.06
4.08
3.86
4.03
3.77
3.86
4.25
4.08
0.77
0.76
0.61
0.67
0.72
0.46
0.76
0.70
0.66
0.66
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
process.
3.5 The faculty values school
improvement.
4. Unity of Purpose
4.1 Teachers support the mission of the
school.
4.2 The school mission provides a clear
4.18
4.05
4.17
4.08
0.68
0.49
0.64
0.69
HP
HP
HP
HP
Table 8 The degree of school cultures on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
sense of direction for teachers.
4.3 Teachers understand the mission of the
school.
4.4 The school mission statement reflects
the values of the community.
4.5 Teaching performance reflects the
mission of the school.
5. Collegial Support
5.1 Teachers trust each other.
5.2 Teachers are willing to help out
whenever there is a problem.
5.3 Teachers’ ideas are valued by other
teachers.
5.4 Teachers work cooperatively in
groups
6. Learning Partnership
6.1 Teachers and parents have common
expectations for student performance.
6.2 Parents trust teachers’ professional
4.03
3.95
3.96
4.09
4.05
4.17
4.02
4.11
3.99
4.21
3.97
0.63
0.65
0.65
0.49
0.66
0.67
0.64
0.68
0.49
0.67
0.67
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
judgments.
6.3 Teachers and parents communicate
frequently about student performance.
6.4 Students generally accept
responsibility for their schooling, for
example they engage mentally in class
and complete homework assignments.
3.90
3.89
0.69
0.71
HP
HP
Total 4.03 0.42 HP
Table 8 showed that the overall school culture of elementary basic education
schools based on perceptions of teachers and staff was at “High” level ( = 4.03) and
overall Standard Deviation at “Low” level (S.D. = 0.42). That revealed the school
culture based on perceptions of teachers and staff was scattered from the center at
overall “Low” level. It was found that every aspect was at “High” level. The values
of the aspects put in order were Collegial Support ( = 4.09), Collaborative
Leadership ( = 4.07), Unity of Purpose ( = 4.05), Professional Development ( =
4.03), Learning Partnership ( = 3.99), and Teacher Collaboration ( = 3.92)
respectively. It was found that the value of every item of each aspect was at “High”
level. The Standard Deviation of both the aspects and the items was between 0.42-
0.76 from low to high scattered from the center in school cultures.
2) Comparative analysis findings on school culture based on perception
of teachers and staffs as classified by gender, the data analysis findings were shown in
Table 9.
Table 9 The Independent Sample t-test for gender related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school culture in elementary basic education schools
School Culture Gender n S.D. t dfSig(2-
tailed)1. Collaborative Leadership
MaleFemale
246476
4.034.09
0.450.43
-1.897 720 .058
2. Teacher Collaboration
MaleFemale
246476
3.853.96
0.470.45
-3.069*
*
720 .002
3. Professional Development
MaleFemale
246476
3.954.07
0.460.46
-3.528*
*
720 .000
4. Unity of PurposeMale
Female246476
3.994.08
0.520.47
-2.137
*
720 .033
5. Collegial SupportMale
Female246476
3.994.14
0.530.47
-3.979*
*
720 .000
6. Learning Partnership
MaleFemale
246476
3.924.03
0.520.47
-2.885*
*
720 .004
Table 9 The Independent Sample t-test for gender related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school culture in elementary basic education schools
(Cont.)
School Culture Gender n S.D. t dfSig(2-
tailed)
TotalMale
Female246476
3.964.06
0.440.40
-3.314*
*
720 .001
** Significant at the 0.01 level ; * Significant at the 0 .05 level
Table 9 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and staff
on collaborative leadership, teacher collaboration, professional development, unity of
purpose, collegial support, and learning partnership. Classified by gender, the values
were found significantly different at 0.01 level in the following aspects: Teacher
Collaboration, Professional Development, Collegial Support, and Learning
Partnership. The aspect of Unity of Purpose was significantly different at 0.05 level.
The female teachers and staff had higher average values than male in every aspect.
3) Comparative analysis findings on school culture based on perception
of teachers and staffs as classified by educational degree, the data analysis findings
were shown in Table 10.
Table 10 The Independent Sample t-test for education levels related to teachers and
staff’s perceptions of the school cultures.
School Culture Education n S.D. T dfSig(2-
tailed)
1. Collaborative Leadership
Bachelor Master
595127
4.054.19
0.430.45
-3.383*
*
720 .001
2. Teacher Collaboration
Bachelor Master
595127
3.904.02
0.450.48
-2.785*
*
720 .005
3. Professional Development
Bachelor Master
595127
4.014.09
0.460.48
-1.946 720 .052
4. Unity of PurposeBachelor
Master595127
4.024.17
0.480.50
-3.243*
*
720 .001
5. Collegial SupportBachelor
Master595127
4.084.12
0.490.50
-.936 720 .350
6. Learning Partnership
Bachelor Master
595127
3.984.05
0.490.48
-1.543 720 .123
TotalBachelor
Master595127
4.004.11
0.410.43
-2.579*
*
720 .010
** Significant at the 0.01 level
Table 10 showed the comparative findings on teachers and staff in elementary
basic education schools on the aspects of collaborative leadership, teacher
collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and
learning partnership. Classified by education levels, all the aspects and the
collaborative leadership, teacher collaborative, and unity of purpose were
significantly different at 0.01 level. The average value of perceptions of teachers and
staff with master degrees was higher than that of those with bachelor degrees.
4) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions
of teachers and staff as classified by working status, the data analysis findings were
shown in Table 11.
Table 11 The Independent Sample t-test of working status related to teachers and
staff’s perceptions of school cultures in elementary basic education
schools.
School Culture Working status n S.D. T df
Sig(2-
tailed)
1. Collaborative Leadership
TeacherStaff
361361
4.024.12
0.430.44
-3.165*
*
720 .002
2. Teacher Collaboration
TeacherStaff
361361
3.923.93
0.450.47
-.372 720 .710
3. Professional Development
TeacherStaff
361361
3.994.07
0.450.47
-2.584*
*
720 .010
4. Unity of PurposeTeacher
Staff361361
4.024.08
0.480.49
-1.558 720 .120
5. Collegial SupportTeacher
Staff361361
4.084.09
0.480.51
-.304 720 .761
6. Learning Partnership
TeacherStaff
361361
3.964.02
0.500.48
-1.866 720 .062
TotalTeacher
Staff361361
4.004.05
0.410.42
-1.825 720 .068
** Significant at the 0.01 level
Table 11 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and staff
in elementary basic education schools on collaborative leadership, teacher
collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and
learning partnership. Classified by working status, the Collaborative Leadership and
Professional Development were found significantly different at 0.01 level. The
average value of the staff’s perceptions was higher than that of the teachers’ except
Learning Partnership.
5) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions
of teachers and staff classified by age. The data analysis findings were shown in Table
12.
Table 12 One-way ANOVA of age related to teachers and staff’s perceptions of the
school cultures in elementary basic education schools.
School CultureSchool Culture
Variance SS df MS F p
1. Collaborative Leadership
Between groupsWithin groups
.644153.39
4
3717
.215
.1941.109 .345
Total 154.038 720
2. Teacher Collaboration
Between groupsWithin groups
.862167.29
4
3717
.287
.2111.360 .254
Total 168.156 720
3. Professional Development
Between groupsWithin groups
.642169.37
8
3717
.214
.2141.001 .392
Total 170.020 720
4. Unity of Purpose
Between groupsWithin groups
.424188.22
6
3717
.141
.238.595 .618
Total 188.650 720
5. Collegial Support
Between groupsWithin groups
.734194.59
1
3717
.245
.246.996 .394
Total 195.32 720
6
6. Learning Partnership
Between groupsWithin groups
1.126189.61
1
3717
.375
.2391.568 .196
Total 190.737 720
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.211138.63
4
3717
.070
.175.403 .751
Total 138.845 720
Note : 20-30 years = 134, 31-40 years = 119, 41-50 years = 199, 51-60 years = 270
Table 12 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and staff
in elementary basic education schools on collaborative leadership, teacher
collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and
learning partnership. Classified by age, all the aspects had no significant differences
between teachers and staff at 0.05 level.
6) Comparative analysis findings on school cultures based on perceptions
of teachers and staff as classified by working experience, the data analysis findings
were shown in Table 13.
Table 13 One-way ANOVA for working experience related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school cultures in elementary basic education schools.
School CultureSchool Culture
Variance SS df MS F p
1. Collaborative Leadership
Between groupsWithin groups
1.538152.50
1
3717
.513
.1932.662* .047
Total 154.038 720
2. Teacher Collaboration
Between groupsWithin groups
.063168.09
4
3717
.021
.212.098 .961
Total 168.156 720
3. Professional Development
Between groupsWithin groups
.393169.62
7
3717
.131
.214.612 .607
Total 170.020 720
4. Unity of Purpose
Between groupsWithin groups
1.316187.33
3
3717
.439
.2371.855 .136
Total 188.650 720
5. Collegial Support
Between groupsWithin groups
1.548193.77
7
3717
.516
.2452.109 .098
Total 195.326 720
6. Learning Partnership
Between groupsWithin groups
.893189.84
4
3717
.298
.2401.242 .293
Total 190.737 720
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.496138.34
9
3717
.165
.175.947 .417
Total 138.845 720
* Significant at the 0.05 level
Note: 1-10 years = 212, 11-20 years = 140, 21-30 years = 222, 31 – 40 years = 148
Table 13 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and
staffs in elementary basic education schools on collaborative leadership, teacher
collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and
learning partnership. Classifying by working experience, it was found there were
significant differences of collaborative leadership at 0.05 level. The Scheffe’s
Technique was applied and it was found that there were no significant differences at
0.05 level as shown in Table 14.
Table 14 Post-Hoc (Shceffe) for working experiences related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions on collaborative leadership in elementary basic education
schools.
Years of working experience < 10 years
11 – 20 years
21 – 30 years
>= 40 years
< 10 years - -.0006 .0142 -.054911 – 20 years - .0148 -.054421 – 30 years - -.0691>= 40 years -
7) Comparative findings on school cultures based on perceptions of
teachers and staff classified by school sizes. The data analysis findings were shown in Table 15.
Table 15 One-way ANOVA for school sizes related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school cultures in elementary basic education schools
School CulturesSchool Cultures
Variances SS df MS F p
1. Collaborative Leadership
Between groupsWithin groups
.136153.90
2
2718
.068
.194.350 .705
Total 154.038 720
2. Teacher Collaboration
Between groupsWithin groups
.146168.01
0
2718
.073
.212.346 .708
Total 168.156 720
3. Professional Development
Between groupsWithin groups
.313169.70
7
2718
.156
.214.731 .482
Total 170.020 720
4. Unity of Purpose
Between groupsWithin groups
.355188.29
5
2718
.178
.237.748 .474
Total 188.650 720
5. Collegial Support
Between groupsWithin groups
.047195.27
9
2718
.023
.246.095 .909
Total 195.326 720
6. Learning Partnership
Between groupsWithin groups
.814189.92
3
2718
.407
.2391.700 .183
Total 190.737 720
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.135138.71
0
2718
.068
.175.386 .680
Total 138.845 720
Note : Small = 230, Medium = 392, Large = 100
Table 15 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and
officers in elementary basic education schools on collaborative leadership, teacher
collaboration, professional development, unity of purpose, collegial support, and
learning partnership. Classified by school sizes, all the aspects showed no significant
differences between teachers and staff at 0.05 level.
Part 3 The comparative analysis findings on school climate
For data analysis in this part was the analysis findings for answering the
research objectives 3, and 4 in order as follows:
1) Comparative analysis findings on school climate levels based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by each variable and in overall. The data
analysis findings were shown in Table 16.
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools
Items S.D. Remark
1. Order Dimension
1.1 Rules for student behavior are
consistently enforced.
1.2 Students disciplines is administered
fairy and appropriately.
1.3 Students misbehavior in this school
interferes with teaching.
1.4 Student tardiness and absence from
school is a major problem.
1.5 The school is a safe and secure place
in which to work.
3.83
4.02
4.08
3.29
2.83
4.34
0.45
0.68
0.68
1.14
1.14
0.67
HP
HP
HP
MP
MP
HP
1.6 Most problems facing this school can
be solved by the principal and the
faculty.
1.7 Students behavior is generally positive
in this school.
2. Leadership Dimension
2.1 The administration communicates the
belief that all students can learn.
2.2 The administration encouragers
teachers to be creative and to try new
methods.
2.3 The principal provides useful feedback
on staff performance.
2.4 The administrative staff does not be
4.14
4.12
3.88
4.11
4.20
3.94
2.63
0.69
0.64
0.42
0.69
0.66
0.69
1.11
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
MP
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
Enough to protect instructional time.
2.7 The principal is an effective
instructional leader.
2.8 The goals of this school are reviewed
and updated regularly.
2.9 The principal is highly visible
throughout the school.
3. Environments Dimension
3.1 Faculty and staff feel that they make
important contributions in this school.
3.97
4.05
4.25
4.12
4.10
0.81
0.70
0.66
0.49
0.66
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
3.2 Varied learning environments are
provided to accommodate diverse
teaching and learning styles.
3.3 The school building is neat, bright,
clean, and comfortable.
3.4 School employees and students show
respect for each other’s individual
differences.
3.5 An atmosphere of trust exists among
the administration, faculty, staff,
students, and parents.
3.6 Teachers are proud of this school and
its students.
3.7 People in this school really care about
each other.
4.09
4.16
4.08
3.99
4.27
4.17
0.69
0.72
0.69
0.76
0.71
0.65
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
4. Involvement Dimension
4.1 Community businesses are active in
this school.
4.2 Parents are involved in a home and
school support network.
4.3 Parents are treated courteously when
they call or visit the school.
4.4 Parents are invited to serve on school
advisory committees.
4.5 Parents volunteers are used wherever
4.03
4.11
4.07
4.26
4.18
3.87
0.50
0.77
0.66
0.74
0.74
0.77
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
possible.
4.6 Information about school activities is
communicated to parents on a
consistent basis.
4.7 Parents are often invited to visit
classroom.
5. Instruction Dimension
5.1 Teachers used a variety of teaching
strategies or models.
5.2 Teachers sequence learning activities
so that students can experience success
at each step.
5.3 Teachers provide opportunities for
students to develop higher-older skills.
5.4 Curriculum guides insure that teachers
cover similar subject content within
each grade level.
4.03
3.70
3.93
4.08
3.97
4.11
3.96
0.68
0.79
0.45
0.69
0.64
0.72
0.63
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
5.5 Teacher use appropriate evaluation
methods to determine student
achievement.
5.6 Pull out programs often disrupt and
interfere with basic skills instruction.
5.7 Teachers use a wide range of teaching
materials and media.
6. Expectation Dimension
6.1 Low achieving students are given
opportunity for success in this school.
4.10
3.22
4.05
3.69
3.79
0.68
1.02
0.70
0.46
0.75
HP
MP
HP
HP
HP
6.2 School rules and expectations are
clearly defined, stated, and
communicated.
6.3 Students share the responsibility for
keeping the school environment
attractive and clean.
6.4 Students are held possibility for their
actions.
6.5 Many students are not expected to
master basic skills at each grade level.
6.6 Many students do not participate in
classroom and school activities because
of their sex, race, religion,
socioeconomic status, or academic
ability.
6.7 Teachers have high expectations for
all students.
4.00
4.14
3.98
3.27
2.73
3.97
0.69
0.71
0.71
1.11
1.29
0.76
HP
HP
HP
MP
MP
HP
Table 16 The degree of school climate on the perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools (Cont.)
Items S.D. Remark
7. Collaborative Dimension
7.1 The faculty and staff share a sense of
commitment to the school goals.
7.2 Students are encouraged to help others
with problems.
7.3 Teachers are encouraged to
communicate concerns, question, and
constructive ideas.
7.4 Students participate in solving the
problems of the school.
3.83
4.04
3.99
3.95
3.85
0.42
0.66
0.67
0.66
0.77
HP
HP
HP
HP
HP
7.5 Faculty and staff cooperate a great deal
in trying to achieve school goals.
7.6 Teachers do not participate enough in
decision making.
7.7 Most problems facing this school can be
solved by the principal and the faculty.
4.22
2.60
4.14
0.73
1.08
0.70
HP
MP
HP
Total 3.90 0.38 HP
Table 16 revealed that the overall value of school climate in elementary basic
education schools was high ( = 3.90), and the overall Standard Deviation (S.D.) was
low. It was found that every aspect was at high level. The average values of the
studied dimensions ranged from high to low were; the highest Environment
Dimension ( = 4.12), the second highest Involvement Dimension ( = 4.03 ),
Instructional Dimension ( = 3.93), Leadership Dimension ( = 3.88), Order
Dimension, Collaborative Dimension ( = 3.83 ), and Expectation Dimension ( =
3.69 ). Every item of each dimension was valued “high”, except, “Many students of
each grade level do not expect to master their basic skills”, “Students with
misbehaviors in this school interfere teachings”, “Many students do not participate in
classroom and school activities”, “Student tardiness and absence from school is a
major problem”, “Teachers do not participate enough in decision making”, “The
administrative staff do not work hard enough to protect instructional time”, and
“Launching many programs interrupts basic skills instruction”. The Standard
Deviation (S.D.) of each item ranged from 0.38 to 1.29. Classified by gender of the
samples, the school climate was valued from low to high, scattered from the center.
2) Comparative analysis findings on school climate level based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by gender, the data analysis findings
were shown in Table 17.
Table 17 The Independent Sample t-test classified by gender of teachers and staff’s
perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic education schools.
School Climate Gender n S.D. t dfSig (2-
tailed)
1. Order DimensionMale
Female246476
3.803.85
0.470.43
-1.415 515.250
.158
2. Leadership Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
3.893.86
0.440.40
0.448 720 .655
3. Environment Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
4.084.15
0.520.47
-1.975
*
720 .049
4. Involvement Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
3.974.06
0.520.49
-2.259
*
720 .024
5. Instruction Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
3.883.95
0.480.43
-2.054
*
497.884
.041
6. Expectation Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
3.713.69
0.500.43
0.636 720 .525
7. Collaborative Dimension
MaleFemale
246476
3.823.83
0.450.40
-0.231 493.433
.817
TotalMale
Female246
4763.883.91
0.410.36
-1.252 720 .211
* Significant at the 0.05 levelTable 17 showed the comparative findings on perceptions of teachers and staff
on Order Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instructional Dimension, and Collaborative Dimension. Classified by
gender, Environment Dimension, Involvement Dimension , and Instruction
Dimension were found significantly different at 0.05 level. The female teachers and
staff’s average value was higher than that of the males, except Leadership Dimension,
and Expectation Dimension.
3) Comparative analysis findings on school climate level based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by education levels, the data analysis
findings were shown in Table 18.
Table 18 The Independent Sample t-test of educational levels of teachers and staff’s
perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic education schools
School Climate Education level n S.D. t df Sig
(2-tailed)1. Order Dimension Bachelor
Master595127
3.843.79
0.420.48
.975 191.818
.331
2. Leadership Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
3.873.91
0.410.46
-.733
189.038
.465
3. Environment Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
4.124.14
0.480.53
-.514
720 .608
4. Involvement Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
4.034.03
0.490.55
-.040
188.496
.968
5. Instruction Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
3.933.91
0.440.47
.605 720 .545
6. Expectation Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
3.703.67
0.460.45
.655 720 .513
7. Collaborative Dimension
Bachelor Master
595127
3.823.84
0.420.42
-.493
720 .622
TotalBachelor
Master595127
3.903.90
0.370.41
.078*
189.659
.938
Table 18 showed the comparative findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools on Order
Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Instructional
Dimension, Expectation Dimension, and Collaborative Dimension. Classified by
education levels of the samples, it was found that there were no significant differences
between teachers and staff at 0.05 level. The average values of teachers and staff with
Bachelor Degrees and those with Master Degrees were equal.
4) Comparative analysis findings on school climate levels based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by working status, the data analysis
findings were shown in Table 19.
Table 19 The Independent Sample t-test of working status of teachers and staff’s
perceptions of the school climate in elementary basic education schools
School Climate Working status n S.D. t df
Sig(2-
tailed)
1. Order DimensionTeacher
Staff361361
3.843.82
0.460.43
.477 720 .634
2. Leadership Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
3.873.89
0.410.42
-.694
720 .488
3. Environment Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
4.144.11
0.490.48
.860 720 .390
4. Involvement Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
4.054.01
0.520.48
.976 789.174 .329
5. Instruction Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
3.953.90
0.460.43
1.609
720 .108
6. Expectation Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
3.713.69
0.470.44
.732 720 .464
7. Collaborative Dimension
TeacherStaff
361361
3.853.80
0.430.40
1.698
720 .090
TotalTeacher
Staff361361
3.923.89
0.390.37
.980 720 .327
Table 19 showed the comparative findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools on Order
Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instructional Dimension, Expectation Dimension, and Collaborative
Dimension. Classified by working status, there were no significant differences
between teachers and staffs at 0.05 level. The average value of each dimension of the
teachers’ perceptions was higher than that of the staff’s, except the Leadership
Dimension.
5) Comparative analysis findings on school climate levels based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by age, the data analysis findings were
shown in Table 20.
Table 20 One-way ANOVA for age related to teachers and staff’s perceptions about
the school climate in elementary basic education schools.
School ClimateSchool Climate
Variance SS df MS F p
1. Order Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.535157.37
8
3718
.178
.199.897 .442
Total 157.913 721
2. Leadership Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.350136.88
9
3718
.117
.173.675 .567
Total 137.240 721
3. Environment Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.355189.21
6
3718
.118
.239.495 .686
Total 189.571 721
4. Involvement Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.473200.79
2
3718
.158
.254.622 .601
Total 201.265 721
5. Instruction Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
1.186157.81
4
3718
.395
.1991.984 .115
Total 159.00 721
6. Expectation Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
1.266164.26
2
3718
.422
.2072.035 .107
Total 165.529 721
7. Collaborative Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.314138.56
4
3718
.105
.175.599 .616
Total 138.878 721
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.405113.56
1
3718
.135
.143.942 .420
Total 113.966 721
Note : 20-30 years = 134, 31-40 years = 119, 41-50 years = 199, 51-60 years = 270
Table 20 showed the comparative findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools on Order
Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instructional Dimension, Expectation Dimension, and Collaborative
Dimension. Classified by age, there were no significant differences between teachers
and staff at 0.05 level.
6) Comparative analysis findings on school climate levels based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by working experience, the data analysis
findings were shown in Table 21.
Table 21 One-way ANOVA for working experiences related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school climate in elementary basic education schools
School ClimateSchool Climate
Variance SS df MS F P
1. Order Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.075157.838
3718
.025
.199.126 .945
Total 157.913 721
2. Leadership Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.449136.791
3718
.150
.173.866 .458
Total 137.240 721
3. Environment Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.506189.065
3718
.169
.239.706 .548
Total 189.571 721
4. Involvement Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.177201.087
3718
.059
.254.233 .873
Total 201.265 721
5. Instruction Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.853158.147
3718
.284
.2001.424 .235
Total 159.000 721
6. Expectation Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
2.059163.470
3718
.686
.2063.325* .019
Total 165.529 721
7. Collaborative Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.227138.651
3718
.076
.175.433 .729
Total 138.878 721
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.361113.605
3718
.120
.143.840 .472
Total 113.966 721
* Significant at the 0.05 level Note : 1-10 years = 212, 11-20 years = 140, 21-30 years = 222, 31 – 40 years = 148
Table 21 showed the comparative findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools on Order
Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instructional Dimension, Expectation Dimension, and Collaborative
Dimension. Classified by working experiences, the Expectation Dimension showed
significant differences at 0.05 level. Applied by Scheffe’s Technique, there were no
significant differences at 0.05 level. The findings were shown in Table 22.
Table 22 Post-Hoc (Shceffe) for working experience related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school climate in Expectation Dimension in
elementary basic education schools
Years of working experience < 10 years 11 – 20
years21 – 30 years
>= 40 years
< 10 years - .0832 .1131 .004911 – 20 years - .0299 -.078321 – 30 years - -.1082>= 40 years -
7) Comparative analysis findings on school climate levels based on
perceptions of teachers and staff as classified by school sizes, The data analysis
findings were shown in Table 23.
Table 23 One-way ANOVA for school sizes related to teachers and staff’s
perceptions about the school climate in elementary basic education schools
School ClimateSchool Climate
Variance SS df MS F P
1. Order Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.019157.89
4
3718
.010
.199.048 .953
Total 157.913 721
2. Leadership Between groups .444 3 .222 1.285 .277
Dimension
Within groups 136.796
718 .173
Total 137.240 721
3. Environment Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.093189.47
7
3718
.047
.239.195 .823
Total 189.571 721
4. Involvement Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.067201.19
7
3718
.034
.254.133 .875
Total 201.265 721
5. Instruction Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.358158.64
2
3718
.179
.200.896 .409
Total 159.00 721
6. Expectation Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.100165.42
9
3718
.050
.209.239 .787
Total 165.529 721
7. Collaborative Dimension
Between groupsWithin groups
.210138.66
8
3718
.105
.175.602 .548
Total 138.878 721
Total
Between groupsWithin groups
.005113.96
1
3718
.002
.144.016 .984
Total 113.966 721
Note : Small = 230, Medium = 492, Large = 100Table 23 showed the comparative findings on school climate based on the
perceptions of teachers and staff in elementary basic education schools on Order
Dimension, Leadership Dimension, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instructional Dimension, Expectation Dimension, and Collaborative
Dimension. Classified by school sizes, there were no significant differences between
teachers and staff at 0.05 level.
Part 4 The analysis findings on correlation coefficient between school culture
variables and school climate variables based on perceptions of teachers and staff in
elementary basic education schools.
The data were analyzed to investigate the research objectives 5, 6, and 7
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was applied to find the correlation
coefficient ( r ). Data analysis findings were as follows:
The correlation coefficient (r) between six variables of school cultures and
seven variables of school climate were investigated. The six variables of school
cultures were; (1) Collaborative Leadership (COL), (2) Teacher Collaboration
(TEA), (3) Professional Development (PRO), (4) Unity of Purpose (UNI), ( 5)
Collegial Support (COLE), and (6) Learning Partnership (LERN), and seven
variables of school climate were; (1) Order Dimension (ORD), (2) Leadership
Dimension (LEAD), (3) Environment Dimension (ENVI), (4) Involvement
Dimension (INV), (5) Instructional Dimension (INS), (6) Expectation Dimension
(EXP), and (7) Collaborative Dimension (COLL). The data analysis findings were
shown in Table 24.
Table 24 Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient of teachers and staff’s perceptions about the school cultures
and school climate in elementary basic education schools
Variables COL TEA PRO UNI COLE LEAR ORD LEAD ENVI INV INS EXP COLL
COL 1.00TEA 0.79** 1.00PRO 0.77** 0.78** 1.00UNI 0.80** 0.76** 0.77** 1.00
COLE 0.72** 0.73** 0.73** 0.72** 1.00LEAR 0.75** 0.71** 0.68** 0.75** 0.64** 1.00ORD 0.49** 0.42** 0.46** 0.45** 0.41** 0.43** 1.00
LEAD 0.60** 0.54** 0.53** 0.58** 0.46** 0.55** 0.64** 1.00ENVI 0.68** 0.64** 0.65** 0.67** 0.67** 0.64** 0.61** 0.68** 1.00INV 0.60** 0.59** 0.61** 0.61** 0.52** 0.64** 0.61** 0.65** 0.74** 1.00INS 0.56** 0.58** 0.62** 0.59** 0.52** 0.58** 0.60** 0.68** 0.72** 0.71** 1.00EXP 0.50** 0.47** 0.49** 0.48** 0.41** 0.46** 0.59** 0.63** 0.55** 0.52** 0.59** 1.00
COLL 0.58** 0.61** 0.59** 0.61** 0.55** 0.57** 0.62** 0.68** 0.73** 0.69** 0.76** 0.61** 1.00
** Significant at the 0.01 level
284
Table 24 showed that the correlation coefficient between each pair of the six
variables of school cultures was high at 0.01 level in positive direction. The
correlation coefficient between Collaborative Leadership (COLL) and Unity of
Purpose (UNI) was the highest (0.80). The correlation coefficient between Collegial
Support (COLE) and Learning Partnership (LEAR) was the lowest (0.64).
The correlation coefficient between each pair of the seven variables of school
climate was high at 0.01 significant level in positive direction. The correlation
coefficient between Instructional Dimension (INS) and Collaborative Dimension
(COLL) was the highest (0.76). The correlation coefficient between Expectation
Dimension (EXP) and Involvement Dimension (INV) was the lowest (0.52).
The correlation coefficient between each of the external pairs of the six
variables of school culture and the seven variables of school climate was significantly
different at 0.01 level in positive direction. The correlation coefficient between
Environment Dimension (ENVI), and Collaborative Dimension (COLL) was the
highest (0.68). The correlation coefficients between the Order Dimension (ORD) and
Collegial Support (COLE), and between Expectation Dimension (EXP) and Collegial
Support (COLE) were the lowest (0.41).
CHAPTER V
285
SUMMARY, DISCUSSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATION
In this chapter, the purpose of the study, research hypothesis, research
methodology, and the research findings were summarized, and discussions and
recommendations were presented as follows:
5.1 Purpose of the study
The purpose of this research was to investigate the perceptions of teacher and
staffs on school culture and school climate of elementary basic education schools in
accordance with the following seven guided research questions:
1. To what degree did elementary basic education schools demonstrate the
school culture characteristics in terms of: 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher
Collaborative, 3) Professional Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial
Support, and 6) Learning Partnership?
2. Were there significant differences in school culture in elementary basic
education schools based on teachers and staffs’ perceptions classified by gender,
education levels, working status, age, working experiences, and school sizes?
3. To what degree did elementary basic education school demonstrate the
school climate characteristics in terms of: 1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership
Dimension, 3) Environment Dimension, 4) Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction
Dimension, 6) Expectation Dimension, and 7) Collaborative Dimension?
4. Were there significant differences in school climate in elementary basic
education schools based on teachers and staffs’ perceptions classified by gender,
education levels, working status, age, working experiences, and school sizes?
5. Were there significant correlation among six variables of school culture in
terms of: 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher Collaborative, 3) Professional
Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial Support, and 6) Learning Partnership?
6. Were there significant correlation among seven variables of school climate
in terms of: 1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership Dimension, 3) Environment
Dimension, 4) Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction Dimension, 6) Expectation
Dimension, and 7) Collaborative Dimension?
7. Were there significant correlation among six variables of school culture and
seven variables of school climate?
5.2 Research hypothesis
There were many significant differences between school culture and school
climate according to four guided research hypotheses as follows:
1. There was a significant difference in the perceptions of teachers and staff on
school climate, and school culture of elementary basic education school classified by
gender, education level, working status, age, working experiences, and school sizes.
2. There was significant correlation among six variables of school culture; 1)
Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher Collaborative, 3) Professional Development, 4)
Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial Support, and 6) Learning Partnership.
3. There was significant correlation among seven variables of school climate;
1) Order Dimension, 2) Leadership Dimension, 3) Environment Dimension, 4)
Involvement Dimension, 5) Instruction Dimension, 6) Expectation Dimension, and 7)
Collaborative Dimension.
4. There was significant correlation among six variables of school culture and
seven variables of school climate.
5.3 Research methodology
The population used in this research were teachers and staffs of 31,484
schools, under jurisdiction of the Office of Basic School Commission, Primary
Education in the 2009 school year (Office of Basic Education Commission, 2009).
398 schools were determined as the samples by using Multi-Staged Random
Sampling. The respondents were 1 teacher and 1 staff in each school.
The instrument used in this research was a Questionnaire consisting of 3 parts;
Part 1: was the Checklist Questionnaire of respondents’ demographic data,
Part 2: was the Likert’s five-level rating scale of School Culture Survey,
Part 3: was the Likert’s five-level rating scale of School Climate Inventory.
Descriptive statistics were applied to obtain frequency and percentage of the
informants’ demographic data, and to analyze the Mean, Standard Deviation of the
level of the informants’ perceptions on school culture variables and school climate
variables. T-test and One-Way ANOVA were applied for inferential statistics, and the
computer program, SPSS Statistics 11.5 BASE for Windows, was applied for
Pearson’s product moment coefficient.
5.4 The findings
5.4.1 According to the respondents’ demographic data analysis, there were
361 teachers, and 361 staffs. Of the teachers, there were 66.48% females, 40.17%
ages ranging from 51 to 60 years old, 73.78% with Bachelor Degrees, 31.86% with
working experiences ranging from 21-30 years, and 57.35% working in medium-sized
schools. Of the staff, there were 65.37 % females, 34.63% with ages ranging from 51
to 60 years old, 91.14% with Bachelor Degrees, 36.56% with working experiences
ranging from 1 to 10 years, and 51.25% working in medium-sized schools.
5.4.2 Degrees demonstrated by elementary basic education schools on
school culture characteristics.
The school culture characteristics demonstrated by elementary basic education
schools based on perceptions of teachers and staffs were found in overall at high level
( = 4.03), and the Standard Deviation in overall was at low level (S.D. = 0.42).
Every aspect of school culture was rated high. The mean ( ) values of the aspects
ranging from high to low were Collegial Support ( = 4.09), Collaborative
Leadership ( = 4.07), Unity of Purpose ( = 4.05), Professional Development ( =
4.03), Learning Partnership ( = 3.99), and Teacher Collaboration ( = 3.92). Every
item of each aspect was rated high. The Standard Deviation of each of the aspects
and each of the items were from 0.42 to 0.76. That showed that the school culture
perceived by teachers and staffs were scattered from “Low” level to “High” level
from the center.
5.4.3 Comparison of school culture for elementary basic education schools
classified by gender, educational levels, working status, age, working experience,
and school size.
5.4.3.1 Classified by gender, the aspects; Teacher Collaboration,
Professional Development, Collegial Support, and Learning Partnership, were found
significantly different at 0.01 level, and Unity Purpose at 0.05. Every aspect of school
culture was perceived more by female teachers and staffs than by the males.
5.4.3.2 Classified by education levels, the overall and the aspects;
Collaborative Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Unity of Purpose, and Collegial
Support were found significantly different at 0.01 level. The school culture perceived
by teachers and staffs with master’s degrees were higher than by those with
bachelor’s degrees.
5.4.3.3 Classified by working status, the aspects Collaborative
Leadership and the Professional Development were found significantly different at
0.01 level. Every aspect of the school culture except the Learning Partnership was
perceived by the staffs was in higher than by the teachers.
5.4.3.4 Classified by age, were found no aspect of the school culture
showed any significant difference at 0.05 level.
5.4.3.5 Classified by working experiences, the Collaborative
Leadership showed significant differences. When the aspects of school culture were
paired by Scheffe’s Technique, there were no significant differences at 0.05 level.
5.4.3.6 Classified by school sizes, no aspect of the school culture
showed any significant difference at 0.05 level.
In comparison of school culture, no aspects showed significant
differences at 0.05 level.
5.4.4 Degrees demonstrated by elementary basic education schools on
school climate characteristics.
The school climate characteristics demonstrated by elementary basic
education schools based on perceptions of teachers and staffs were found in overall at
high level ( = 3.90), and the Standard Deviation in overall was at low level ( S.D.
= 0. 38). Every aspect of school climate was rated high. The mean ( ) values of the
aspects ranging from high to low were Environment Dimension ( = 4.12),
Involvement Dimension ( = 4.03), Instruction Dimension ( = 3.93), Leadership
Dimension ( = 3.88), Order Dimension( = 3.83), Collaborative Dimension ( =
3.83), and Expectation Dimension ( = 3.69). Every item of each aspect was rated
moderate to high. The Standard Deviation of each of the aspects and each of the items
were from 0.38 to 1.29. That showed that the school climate perceived by teachers
and staffs were scattered from “Low” level to “High” level from the center.
5.4.5 Comparison of school climate of elementary basic education schools
classified by gender, educational level, working status, age, working experience,
and school size.
5.4.5.1 Classified by gender, Environment Dimension, Involvement
Dimension, Instruction Dimension, and Collaborative Dimension, were found
significantly different at 0.05 level. Every aspect of school climate were perceived
more higher by female teachers and staffs than by the males except leadership
dimension and expectation dimension.
5.4.5.2 Classified by education levels, there were no significant
differences at 0.05 level. The average values of teachers and staff with Bachelor
Degrees and those with Master Degrees were equal.
5.4.5.3 Classified by working status, there were no significant
differences at 0.05 level. The school climate perceived by teachers was higher than by
staffs except Leadership Dimension.
5.4.5.4 Classified by age, there were no significant differences between
teachers and staff at 0.05 level.
5.4.5.5 Classified by working experiences, the Expectation Dimension
was found significantly different at 0.05 level. When the aspects of school climate
were paired by Scheffe’s Technique, there were no significant differences at 0.05
level.
5.4.5.6 Classified by school sizes, there were no significant differences
between teachers and staff at 0.05 level.
5.4.6 Correlation among six variables of school culture and correlation
among seven variables of school climate.
5.4.6.1 The correlation coefficient among the school culture variables
was positively related at 0.01 level with the values from 0.68 to 0.80. The correlation
coefficient between Collaborative Leadership and the Unity of Purpose was the
highest. The lowest was between Collegial Support, and the Learning Partnership.
5.4.6.2 The correlation coefficient among the school climate variables
was positively related at 0.01 level with the values from 0.52 to 0.76. The correlation
coefficient between Instruction Dimension and Collaborative Dimension was the
highest. The lowest was between Expectation Dimension and Involvement
Dimension.
5.4.7 Correlation among six variables of school culture and seven
variables of school climate.
The correlation coefficient among school culture variables and school climate
variables was positively related at 0.01 level with the values from 0.41 to 0.68. The
correlation coefficient between the school culture Collaborative Leadership and the
school climate Environment Dimension was the highest. The lowest was between the
school culture Collegial Support and the school climate Order Dimension, and
between the school culture Collegial Support and the school climate Expectation
Dimension.
5.5 Discussions
The content of this study was divided into three parts; 1) the study of school
culture based on perception of teachers and staffs, 2) the study of school climate
based on perception of teachers and staffs, and 3) the study of relationship between
school culture variables, and school climate variables. Each part was discussed as
follows:
5.5.1 The study of school culture level based on perception of teachers and
staff, consisting of six variables - they were 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher
Collaboration, 3) Professional Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial
Support, and 6) Learning Partnership. It was found that the average value of each
aspect of the school culture was high. Major issues were discussed were as follows:
5.5.1.1 The study of school culture was to investigate the perceptions
of teachers and staff on six variables; 1) Collaborative Leadership, 2) Teacher
Collaboration, 3) Professional Development, 4) Unity of Purpose, 5) Collegial
Support, and 6) Learning Partnership, found that the overall and each aspect of school
culture was at high level. It might be because both teachers and staff were aware of
the variables. They understood their own roles and recognized the school objectives.
They collaborated and supported one another while working. As a result, they could
perceive working in diversified school culture very well. This was supported by the
research findings of Chantra Pakepingchan (2004) studied on a study of relationships
between school culture and academic performance in primary schools under
Kanchanaburee education service area. The research finding was the overall of school
culture and each of aspect were at the high level. Similarly, the research of Wilai
Maikeoaw (1995) studied on the effect of school culture and leadership forces of
administrator on performance of workers in the primary school. It was found that the
overall relationship between school culture and performance of workers in primary
school was significantly correlated high at 0.01 level in positive direction. The study
of Gruenert (1998) that the six aspects created and sustained positive school culture.
Brian David Mitchell (2009) conducted a quantitative study on school culture and
student achievement using a criterion-referenced competency test. The study revealed
that collaboration was the thread woven through all six school culture elements.
Collaborative leadership stresses the importance of the shared decision making
process. Teacher collaboration is important for student achievement. Fullan (1999)
suggested that successful schools were those with the culture that encouraged teachers
to work collaboratively. As teachers collaborate, they develop stronger instructional
strategies, and these strategies ultimately enhance student achievement. Professional
development provides opportunities for teachers and communities to learn best
teaching practices together (DuFour et al., 2005). Unity of purpose requires the efforts
of the stakeholders working together towards the common vision and mission for the
school (Brown, 2005). Collegial support encourages colleagues to share their personal
professional development experiences (Brosnan, 2003). Learning partnership is the
bond the school has with the community and the sharing of the same high
expectations for student achievement (Henderson, 1987; Henderson & Berla, 1995).
School leaders should understand the concept of collaboration within each of the six
school culture elements and should recognize the importance of focusing on fostering
an overall collaborative school culture. Collegiality together with collaboration will
lead to positive school outcomes. The researches on school culture, change, and
improvement reveal that the school is more successful when teachers are collegial and
work collaboratively on improvement activities (Levine and Lezotte, 1990; Fullan and
Hargreaves, 1991). Similarly Little (1981) and Rosenholtz (1989) discovered key
behaviors in schools with strong collegial orientations. In these school, teachers
recognized professional relationships, shared ideas, and were ready to exchange new
techniques. Teachers and administrators spent time observing one another, and
discussed the teachings through formal and informal demonstrations. Interactions
among staffs and administrators fostered more successful staff development and better
teachings.
Darling and Hammond (1997) stated that schools organized around
democratic and collaborative culture prepared students with higher achievement,
better skills and better understandings than those traditionally organized. In addition,
Fullan (1998) reported that student achievement increased substantially in schools
with collaborative work culture that fostered a professional learning community
among teachers and others, that focused continuously on improving instructional
practice in the light of student performance data, and that linked to standards and staff
development support. Similarly, Ishler et al. (1998) investigated how collegial
support affected teachers' long-term implementation of cooperative learning, but the
needs for competence and autonomy were not included in their investigation. The
present study complemented and extended these previous studies by including all
three basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and collegial support. It
provided a more comprehensive account of the social-contextual factors that were
pertinent to the enhancement of teacher motivation. This comprehensive account was
consistent with the propositions of self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
5.5.1.2 The study of school culture level classified by gender was
found that the females had higher level of perceptions than males. It might be
because the females were flexible in their work, understanding, and closer to the
students than the males. This was supported by the study of Biklen (1995). Biklen
found that the elementary school women teachers she observed and interviewed did
not view "being an administrator" as a career goal because it compromised the
commitment to children. Similarly, Acker (1995a), Biklen (1983, 1995) and Evetts
(1990) found that the women teachers were whole-heartedly doing their jobs.
5.5.1.3 The study of school culture level classified by working status
was found that the staff had higher level of perceptions than teachers. It might be
because the staffs helped and supported both of the teachers and students, and worked
closely with them. So, they might viewed the overall image of school work
thoroughly. It was supported by the findings of Yeomans’ (1989) study revealing that
help, support, trust, and openness were at the heart of a collaborative staff. Silverman
(2006) stated that employees with a best friend at work were more productive, were
likely to positively engage with customers, to share new ideas, and to stay longer in
their jobs. It wasn’t supported by the findings of Eqao Research (2009) that revealed
that teachers highly recognized the importance of their collaborative efforts and
dialogues about instructional practices in developing stronger learning culture in the
school. Student achievement increased when teachers worked together in teams of
true collaboration (DuFour & Eaker, 2005). Schmoker (2004) suggested that schools
would perform better if teachers worked in focused, supportive teams.
5.5.1.4 The study of school culture level classified by school sizes was
found that the school sizes did not affect the teachers and staffs’ perceptions on school
culture. This might be because the patterns of working systems in each school were
similar. Most of the teachers, students, and the school staffs highly recognized the
importance of learning and teaching processes and the student achievement. They
worked to serve the school objectives. Nevertheless, there were differences in
perceptions of school culture. The research support was Chantra Pakepingchan
(2004) studied on a study of relationships between school culture and academic
performance in primary schools under Kanchanaburee education service area. The
findings were: 1) the teachers in different school size did not have different school
cultures as overall and each aspect. 2) The teachers in different education service area
did not different school culture as a whole, classified by each aspect found that the
different teachers in education service area had significant different practice level in
empowerment at 0.01 level. Inconsistent, the research on Meier (1996) argued that
parents needed to be involved. The parents and teachers need to get to be acquainted
with one another. This is likely to be easier developed in smaller schools. Personal
social relations (e.g. teacher-teacher, teacher-student, student-student) and
opportunities for more varied approaches to instruction and assessment may play a
mediating role in creation of positive school culture and high academic achievement
(Lee et al., 2000; Wasley et al., 2002; Darling-Hammond et al., 2002). So in smaller
schools, there may be a greater possibility to develop personal social relations and
having better opportunities of professional growth of teachers than medium and larger
schools. In smaller schools, teachers generally have better opportunities to know each
other, share ideas and materials with each other, and the head teacher can easily guide
and provides proper feedback to teachers that can contribute in the betterment of
academic achievement of students. Similarly Meier (1995), Raywid (1997),
Sizer(1996) ,and Toch (2003) stated, “smaller schools offer more opportunities for
people to know one another and for teachers to personalize learning. But the real
virtue of small schools is that they offer a better chance than large high schools to put
all of the above ingredients together and create the kind of culture just described.
Small groups have a better shot at getting members to agree upon a vision and a
mission, getting buy in from their communities, developing a curriculum tailored to
their students, increasing the amount of individualized learning, holding school-wide
conversations about improvement, and cultivating rich, productive interdependent
relationship. Small schools have a better chance of breaking teachers out of their
classroom isolation, training the entire staffs, and sustaining long term professional
development initiatives. It is easier to gather data and develop data driven decision
making systems in a small school than in a large one, and, when the data suggest
changes, it is easier to turn a small school around than a large school.”
5.5.2 The study of school climate level based on perceptions of teachers and
staffs consisted of seven variables; 1) order dimension 2) leadership dimension 3)
environment dimension 4) involvement dimension 5) instruction dimension 6)
expectation dimension 7) collaborative dimension. It was found that every variable of
the school climate was perceived by teachers and staffs at “High” level. The major
issues were discussed as follows:
5.5.2.1 Every aspect of school climate was perceived by both teachers and
staff at “High” level. This suggested that the teachers and staff were aware of their
own duty. So, the good working climate was developed. In addition, the relationship
among teachers and staffs and students’ learning achievement were recognized in
order to serve the school objectives. According to Srimala Jatuporn’s study (2005),
the means of school teacher responses was “much”. The reason was that school
teachers were aware of and recognized school goals and their own duties as teachers.
The research which investigated the relationship among school climate, student
achievement, morality and happiness revealed that the higher the school teachers
perceived school climate, the more the achievement of every learning subject
increased. Similar, research of Siriporn Khantikarn (2006) studied organizational
health and organizational climate of schools in Samut Songkram Educational Service
Area. It was found that the overall organizational climate was at “High” level. It
might be because staffs of elementary schools pay respect to and support one another,
be proud, enjoy their work and share their practice. Praphan Sodto (2002) studied the
school climate development approach in primary school. The research findings were:
1) The levels of school climate factors of Watthungkok school were overall at high
level. When classified by each aspect, it was found that each aspect was at high level,
except opportunity for input factor which was at the moderate level. 2) The separation
of thinking between administrative teachers and classroom teachers about the climate
in school was not different. 3) The ways to develop climate in primary school about
the opportunity for input factor was that the administrator should support all the
teachers in the school to have; the opportunity of thinking, the opportunity to share
the opinion and the opportunity to work together in order to get the successful work.
According to the study of Anderson (1982), there were more than half that
reported effects of school climate on student achievement. High students' achievement
is associated with high teacher commitment or engagement, positive peer norms, an
emphasis on group or team cooperation, high level of expectation held by teachers
and administrators, consistency in administering rewards and punishments, consensus
over curriculum and discipline, and clearly defined goals and objectives. Some of
these relationships between school climate and student achievement remain
significant after students' background characteristics are controlled. Similarly, a
number of studies have explored the relationships between teacher commitment and
factors of school climate. Strong associations have been reported between
organizational commitment and climate openness (McDaniel, 1992), collegiality
(Combs, 1995; Firestone & Pennel, 1993), collaboration (Gibson, 1996; Hatton, 1996;
Rosenholtz, 1989), and teacher empowerment (Hornung, 1995). Overall, these studies
make a strong case for a relationship between the climate of a school and the level of
teacher commitment. Hirase (2000) and Erpelding (1999) research found that schools
with a positive climate had higher academic achievement. Krawczyk (2007) found a
positive relationship between student academic performance and teacher perceptions
of the overall school climate.
5.5.2.2 The study of school climate level classified by gender revealed
that females’ average value of school climate perceptions was higher than that of
males. It might be because females paid more attention to different kinds of
environment than males. Furthermore, they had an attempt in working to accomplish
goal and mission of school more than males. Hrebiniak & Alutto (1977), Reyes
(1992), and Steers (1997) supported that women were consistently more committed
to their employing organizations than men (Steers, 1997). Donmez’s (1992) research
was different, it showed that, classified by gender, both groups perceived the
organizational climate at “middle” level or as “mild climate”. The findings on Supcin
(2000) showed that female teachers were affected from the organizational climate of
school in a more negative way than the males. In addition, the findings on Acet’s
(2006) research on elementary schools revealed that male teachers perceived the
organizational climate in a more positive way than the females did. Gunbayi, Ilhan
(2007) found that there was a trend for men to report higher open climate than women
in intimacy, support and member conflict.
5.5.2.3 The study of school climate level classified by working status revealed
that the level of perception in school climate of teachers was higher than that of the
staffs. It might be because the teachers were more satisfied with their roles and duties
and happier to work than the staffs. This was supported by the findings on
Bahamonde-Gunnell (2000) found that teachers who were satisfied with their jobs had
more positive views about school climate than those who were not satisfied.
Similarly, Hirase's (2000) research found that teachers have in good climate schools
had a greater sense of work-efficacy. Erpelding (1999) found that there was a strong
relationship between teacher autonomy and school climate. This was not supported by
the findings of research on Charunlak Paensuk’s (2005) study on organizational
climate and job satisfaction of personnel of Wang Klai Kang Won School revealed
that the organizational climate aspects should be correlated and in same direction.
Administrator should recognize and foster the personnel more as they perform
important tasks in the organization. The administrator should recognize and response
to the needs and feelings of personnel if he expects to lead the organization to
efficiency and effectiveness.
5.5.2.4 The study of school climate level classified by school sizes revealed
that the school sizes did not affect the teachers and staffs’ perceptions on school
climate. It might be because schools of any size had similar management patterns and
working environment of learning and teachings focusing on students’ learning
achievement. As a result, there were no differences in school climate. It was not
supported by the findings of research on Phatcharee Srichan-ngam (1999) on the
organizational climate in large elementary schools under the jurisdiction of the
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration revealed that: 1) The organizational climate in
large elementary schools under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Administration
according to the variables of the eight aspects of organizational climate including:
Leadership process, Motivational forces, Decision-making process, Goal setting or
Ordering, Control process, Performance goals and Training were found in
consultative patterns. 2) The organizational climate was found in the combination of
consultative and benevolent authoritative patterns. The findings on Raywid (1999)
pointed out that the studies indicated that smaller schools allowed more opportunities
for students to be involved in co-curricular activities, and paid more attention to the
individuals. Similarly, Tucker (1997) found that small schools had better learning
climate than large schools. That was due to the acquaintance of the faculty and
students in smaller schools. And this could affect the levels of openness, trust,
cooperation, atmosphere and other culture and climate variables that would directly or
indirectly affect the students’ achievement. The findings on Cotton (1996, 2001)
concluded that smaller schools yielded better academic results and provided better
school climate. Furthermore, Walberg (1992) revealed that the higher rates of parent
involvement in smaller schools/units were frequently cited as major positive influence
on students’ achievement and attitudes. Pittman and Haughwout (1987) found
smaller-sized schools to be strongly correlated with a composite measure of school
climate in terms of student participation, interaction with faculty, sense of cohesion
and infrequent discipline problems.
5.5.3 The study of the relationship between the school culture variables
and school climate variables showed that the highest level of relationship was
between the school culture variable Collaborative Leadership (COL) and the school
climate variable Environment Dimension (ENVI) in positive direction at 0.01
significant level. The teachers and staffs worked collaboratively under the
administrators’ efforts. In addition, good environment for enhancing the complete
implementation needed to be included. The research conducted by Samniang
Wilamas’s (1999) study on school climate affecting to teachers’ commitment revealed
that the climate of most of the primary schools was open, the teachers’ commitment
was high, and the climate that positively affected the teachers’ commitment was the
support dimension whereas the non-collaboration dimension negatively affected the
teachers’ commitment. The findings on Bulach and Berry (2001) revealed that 25
schools provided norms for schools of different settings. This allowed school officials
to compare their data against those of other schools. The research concluded that most
schools did not have good climate. There were only two elementary schools with
average score over 32.0 indicating that a good culture and climate were present.
Furthermore, it added that elementary schools had much better climate than middle
and high schools. It was possible that more well-behaved elementary students were
responsible for the better climate and not school sizes. Regarding urban schools, it
was likely that they had less positive culture and climates, but the small number of
schools involved in this study was not consistent with such conclusion. Similarly, De-
Roche (1997) mentioned the culture climate relationship as: Culture is to meteorology
(the study of weather) as climate is to climatology (the study of weather in a specific
area or location). The school had culture, the classroom had climate. Both influenced
and affected one another. What we had been calling school climate might be
described as the school culture in terms of its organizational health, its safety and
orderliness, its rites, its goals and regulations, and so on. While the commitment to
improve the culture of a school might take sometimes, it seemed that principals,
teachers, and others could begin to improve some of the climate factors immediately.
Since the school climate and the classroom climate were interrelated, it was best, not
to focus on the dichotomy but rather to suggest that both could be enhanced to
improve the quality of the education taking place in the school.
5.6 Recommendations
According to the above findings, there were two major recommendations: the
findings application, and future research conducting as follows:
5.6.1 Recommendation for the findings application
5.6.1.1 School culture
1) Although the research findings revealed that the six aspects of
school culture; Collaborative Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Professional
Development, Unity of Purpose, Collegial Support, and Learning Partnership were
each and overall rated at high level, the teachers and the staffs should be develop and
improve the six culture aspects for the schools to be more efficient and effective.
2) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
gender revealed that there were significant differences in Teacher Collaboration,
Professional Development, Collegial Support, Learning Partnership, and Unity of
Purpose. Females had higher level of perceptions on the school culture than males.
Therefore, the teachers and male staffs should be encouraged to acquire more of the
following school culture aspects: the Teacher Collaboration, Professional
Development, Collegial Support, Learning Partnership, and Unity of Purpose.
3) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
education levels revealed that there were significant differences in overall and the
following aspects; Collaborative Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Unity of
Purpose, and Collegial Support. The perception of teachers and staffs with master’s
degrees was higher than that of those with bachelor’s degrees. Therefore, the teachers
and staffs with bachelor’s degrees should be fostered to develop their perceptions on
school culture in overall and the following aspects: Collaborative Leadership, Teacher
Collaboration, Unity of Purpose, and Collegial Support.
4) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
working position revealed that there were significant differences in two aspects:
Collaborative Leadership and Professional Development. The perception level of
staff was higher than that of teachers, except Learning Partnership. Therefore, the
staff should be fostered to acquire more of Learning Partnership.
5) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
age revealed that there were no significant differences in the following aspects:
Collaborative Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Professional Development, Unity of
Purpose, Collegial Support, and Learning Partnership. Therefore, all of the teachers
and staff should be fostered to acquire more of all of the aspects be better.
6) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
working experiences revealed that there were significant differences in Collaborative
Leadership. Therefore, the teachers and staff with any working experiences should be
fostered to acquire more of Collaborative Leadership be better and for long.
7) The comparative research findings on school culture classified by
school sizes revealed that there were no significant differences in Collaborative
Leadership, Teacher Collaboration, Professional Development, Unity of Purpose,
Collegial Support, and Learning Partnership. Therefore, all of the teachers and staffs
should be fostered to acquire more of all of the aspects be better.
5.6.1.2 School climate
1) The research findings of school climate level perceived by teachers
and staffs were valued high in overall and in each aspect. Each item was found that:
(1) Of the Order dimension, the items “Student’s misbehavior
in this school interferes the teachings, and Student’s tardiness and absence from
school is a major problem” were at moderate level. Therefore the teachers and staffs
should encourage the students to participate more in learning and teaching activities.
(2) Of the Leadership dimension, the item “The administrative
staff do not protect enough instructional time” was at “moderate” level. Therefore,
the administrators should provide more time for teachers to prepare different learning
and teaching activities.
(3) Of the Instruction dimension, the item “Pull out the
programs that often disrupt and interferes basic instruction skills” was at “moderate”
level. Therefore, the teachers should be prepared with appropriate lesson plans based
on the individual differences. Too much difficult and complex technique teaching
plans are not appropriate for the whole class.
(4) Of the Expectation dimension, the item “Many students
are not expected to master basic skills at each grade level”, and “Many students do
not participate in classroom and school activities because of their gender, race,
religion, socioeconomic status, or academic ability”, were at “Moderate” level.
Therefore, the teachers should expect only what students can do in accordance with
their potentiality. They should not set high expectations for all students. In addition,
they should allow students to participate different activities appropriate to their
gender, race, religion, economic, or status. Students should be free to show off their
competency.
(5) Of the Collaborative dimension, the item “Teachers do not
participate enough in decision making” was at “Moderate” level. Therefore,
Elementary School teachers and staffs should be encouraged to participate more in
decision making.
2) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by gender revealed that there were
significant differences in the following aspects: the Environment Dimension,
Involvement Dimension, Instruction Dimension, and Collaborative Dimension.
Females perceived the school climate at higher level than males, except Leadership
Dimension, and Expectation Dimension. Therefore, both of male and female teachers
and staff should be encouraged to participate more in working together. In addition,
they should collaborate in planning and solving the students’ problems so that the
students would have better learning achievement, and the school would be more
efficient.
3) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by education levels revealed that there
were no significant differences. Therefore the teachers and staff both with bachelor’s
degrees and master’s degrees should be encouraged to collaborate in working and
helping each other.
4) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by working status revealed that were no
significant differences in every aspect. The teachers had higher level of perceptions
than the staffs, except in Leadership Dimension. Therefore, the teachers should be
encouraged to acquire Leadership Dimension.
5) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by age revealed that were no significant
differences in every aspect. Therefore, the teachers and staffs should be encouraged
to improve all of the seven aspects of school climate be better.
6) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by working experiences revealed that were
significant differences in the Expectation Dimension. Therefore, the teachers and
staffs should be enhanced to improve school climate in the Expectation Dimension.
Furthermore, they should not set too high expectations for students. The students
should be encouraged to improve themselves with full potential in every aspect.
7) The comparative research findings on school climate based on
perceptions of teachers and staff classified by school size revealed that were no
significant differences in every aspect. Therefore, all of seven aspects of school
climate should be developed to better.
5.6.1.3 The research findings revealed that there was positive correlation
among the school culture variables and school climate variables in the following
pairs; between Order Dimension and Collegial Support, and between Expectation
Dimension and Collegial Support at “Moderate” level. Therefore, it can be explained
that:
1) The teachers and staff should enhance the climate of working
together with well-organized instruction, and expect students to behave well and to
learn things in proper ways with good working culture – being supportive and
considerate of one another.
2) The administrators, teachers, and staff should clearly determine rule
and regulation of students appropriate behavior so that the students could practice
correctly.
3) The teachers and staff should encourage students to learn or work
with their full potentiality but they shouldn’t set too high expectations on students.
4) The administrators should encourage the teachers and staff to work
together to gain trust and to recognize one another’s value.
5.6.2 Recommendations for future researches
Recommendations for future researches are as follows:
5.6.2.1 This research was in a study framework of six school culture
variables, and seven school climate variables applied with One-way ANOVA, and
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The samples were teachers and
staffs working in elementary basic education schools. The research findings were
similar regarding the school differences. It would be interesting should school
cultures of higher educational institutes like Secondary Education School,
Vocational College, Technical College, and Higher Education levels be studied. The
differences or school culture characteristics, and specific school climate of different
contexts would be clearly specified.
5.6.2.2 There should be varied and updated conceptual frameworks,
variables and theories of School Culture and School Climate to explain the studies.
Researches need to be conducted for new knowledge bodies of School Culture and
School Climate.
5.6.2.3 Qualitative Researches of School Culture and School Climate
should be conducted to get more reliable results. The school culture and school
climate of studied schools compared with successful schools will yield interesting
results. Later on, the results of both Quantitative Research and Qualitative Research
should be developed as overall research conclusion that will consequently be useful
for concerned people.
5.2.4 This research findings should be studied again to confirm the
past results, the differences and to get the guidelines for further studies like; the
Linear Equation Model, Grounded Theory Study, Participatory Action Research,
Research and Development. The researches of School Culture and School Climate in
different contexts and with different samples should also be conducted.
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Journal, 5(6), 69.
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A
List of Experts
List of Experts
1. Professor Dr. Sermsak Wisalapon : Member of the Royal Institute.
: Vongchavalitkul University.
2. Professor Dr. Paitoon Sinlarat : Vice president of research department,
Dhurakij Pundit University
3. Associate Professor Dr. Preecha Kampeerapakon : Special Instructor of
Philosophy
Program in Educational
Administration of
Khon Kaen University
4. Associate Professor Dr.Prachoom Rodprasert : Expert from Chulalongkorn
University
5. Associate Professor Dr. Boonme Nenyod : Department of Educational
Policy, Management, and
Leadership,
Faculty of Education,
Chulalongkorn University
APPENDIX B
Instrumentation
เรยน ทานผอำานวยการโรงเรยน
ขาพเจา นางสาวธนยาภรณ พาพลงาม ตำาแหนง อาจารยสาขาวชาจตวทยา วทยาลยการศกษา มหาวทยาลยราชภฎรอยเอด
ปจจบนเปนนกศกษาปรญญาเอกสาขาวชาการบรหารการศกษา คณะศกษาศาสตร มหาวทยาลย ขอนแกน ไดทำาวทยานพนธเรอง “School Culture and School Climate of Elementary Schools in Thailand ” โดยมอาจารยทปรกษาวทยานพนธดงน คอ 1) รองศาสตราจารย ดร. วโรจน สารรตนะ 2) Professor Dr. Muriel K. Oaks (Dean)
ในการทำาวทยานพนธครงน มแบบสอบถามทใชในการเกบรวบรวมขอมล 3 สวน ประกอบดวย
สวนท 1 แบบสอบถามขอมลพนฐานของผตอบแบบสอบถาม
สวนท 2 แบบสอบถามวฒนธรรมโรงเรยนสวนท 3 แบบสอบถามบรรยากาศโรงเรยนเพอใหการเกบรวบรวมขอมลสอดคลองกบวตถประสงคการ
วจย ขาพเจาใครขอความกรณาจากทาน โปรดมอบหมายให “ ครผสอน” จำานวน 1 ทาน และ “เจาหนาท” จำานวน 1 ทาน เปนผตอบแบบสอบถาม (ตามจำานวนแบบสอบถามทสงมาจำานวน 2 ชด) โดยใครขอความกรณารวบรวมใหครบทกฉบบ แลวสงคนตามชอทอยทระบในซอง (ตดแสดมป) ทแนบมาพรอมน ภายในวนท 31 มนาคม 2553
ในการตอบแบบสอบถาม ขอความกรณาตอบแบบสอบถามใหครบทกขอ และตรงกบความเปนจรง เพราะขอมลทถกตองตามความเปนจรงจะชวยใหการวจยมความนาเชอถอ และสามารถนำาผลการวจยไปใชประโยชนได และการสรปผลการวจยครงนเปนการสรปผลในภาพรวม ไมไดแยกวเคราะหเปนรายโรงเรยน ดงนน ผลการวจยจะไมกระทบตอสถานภาพของโรงเรยนและผตอบแบบสอบถามแตประการใด ขอใหตอบอยางเปนอสระ โดยไมตองลงชอโรงเรยนและชอผตอบแบบสอบถามในแบบสอบถาม
ขอขอบพระคณเปนอยางสงมา ณ โอกาสน
(นางสาวธนยาภรณ พาพลงาม)
นกศกษาปรญญาเอก สาขาวชาการบรหารการศกษา
คณะศกษาศาสตร มหาวทยาลยขอนแกน
เบอรโทรศพทตดตอ 081-4344377
สวนท 1 ขอมลพนฐานของผตอบแบบสอบถาม – สำาหรบคร
เพศ ชาย หญง
อาย ….……. ป
การศกษา (สงสด) ปรญญาตร ประกาศนยบตรวชาชพคร
ปรญญาโท ปรญญาเอก อน ๆ …………………..…
ประสบการณการทำางาน ….……. ป
ขนาดของโรงเรยน ขนาดเลก ขนาดกลาง ขนาดใหญ ขนาดใหญพเศษ
สวนท 2 แบบสอบถามวฒนธรรมโรงเรยน สำาหรบคร–
คำาชแจง ขอความขางลางอธบายถงสภาพการณทเกดขนในโรงเรยนของทานในระดบใดโปรดแสดงความคดเหนโดยทำาเครองหมาย / เกยวกบวฒนธรรมโรงเรยนของทาน โดยพจารณาจากเกณฑตอไปน
1 = ไมเหนดวยอยางยง 2 = ไมเหนดวย 3 = เหนดวยปานกลาง 4 = เหนดวย 5 = เหนดวยอยางยง
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไม
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 51. ครใชประโยชนจากเครอขายวชาชพเพอใหได
ขอมลและทรพยากรสำาหรบการสอนในหองเรยน2. ผนำาเหนคณคาในความคดของคร3. ครมโอกาสปรกษาหารอและวางแผนรวมกน
ระหวางเพอนครรวมชนเรยนและรายวชา4. ครใหความไววางใจซงกนและกน5. ครใหการสนบสนนพนธกจของโรงเรยน6. ครและผปกครองมความคาดหวงในทางเดยวกน
เกยวกบการปฏบตตนและการเรยนของนกเรยน7. ผนำาโรงเรยนมความไววางใจในการตดสนใจทาง
วชาชพของคร8. ครใชเวลาสวนใหญในการวางแผนงานทสำาคญ
รวมกน9. ครแสวงหาแนวคดการปฏบตงานจากการสมมนา
เพอนรวมงาน และการประชมอยเสมอ10.
ครเตมใจใหความชวยเหลอเมอมปญหาเกดขน
11.
ผนำาโรงเรยนใหการยกยองครทปฏบตงานด
12.
พนธกจของโรงเรยนทำาใหครทราบทศทางการปฏบตงานทชดเจน
13.
ผปกครองมความไววางใจในการตดสนใจทางวชาชพของคร
14.
ครมสวนเกยวของในกระบวนการตดสนใจ
15.
ครใชเวลาสงเกตการสอนซงกนและกน
16.
คณะครเหนคณคาในการพฒนาวชาชพ
17.
ครตางเหนคณคาในความคดของครดวยกน
18.
ผนำาโรงเรยนอำานวยความสะดวกใหครไดปฏบตงานรวมกน
19.
ครมความเขาใจในพนธกจของโรงเรยน
ขอท
ขอความ ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 520.
ครไดรบทราบขาวสารทเปนเหตการณปจจบนทเกดขนในโรงเรยน
21.
ครและผปกครองมการตดตอสอสารกนบอยครงเกยวกบการปฏบตตนและการเรยนของนกเรยน
22.
ขาพเจาจรงจงกบการมสวนเกยวของในการกำาหนดนโยบายหรอการตดสนใจทสำาคญ
23.
ครตระหนกถงการปฏบตงานของเพอนครดวยกน
24.
ครจดกระบวนการเรยนการสอนโดยใชองคความรทเปนปจจบน
25.
ครทำางานในกลมอยางรวมแรงรวมใจ
26.
ครไดรบรางวลจากการทดลองใชแนวคดและวธการใหมๆ
27.
พนธกจของโรงเรยนสะทอนใหเหนคานยมของชมชน
28.
ผนำาโรงเรยนสนบสนนใหนำาสงใหมหรอนวตกรรมใหมเพอใชในการสอน
29.
ครปฏบตงานรวมกนเพอพฒนาและประเมนแผนงานและโครงการตางๆ
30.
คณะครใหความสำาคญในคณคาของการปรบปรงโรงเรยน
31.
การปฏบตงานสอนสะทอนใหเหนถงพนธกจของโรงเรยน
32.
ผบรหารตองการใหครปฏบตงานสอนตามแผนและเวลาทกำาหนด
33.
ความเหนตางในการปฏบตการสอนของครสามารถวจารณและอภปรายไดอยางเปดเผย
34.
ครไดรบการกระตนใหมการแลกเปลยนความคดเหนซงกนและกน
35.
นกเรยนสวนใหญมความรบผดชอบในการเรยน เชน ตงใจเรยน และทำาการบานทไดรบมอบหมาย
สวนท 3 แบบสอบถามบรรยากาศโรงเรยน - สำาหรบคร
คำาชแจง โปรดแสดงความคดเหนโดยทำาเครองหมาย / เกยวกบบรรยากาศดานตางๆ ในโรงเรยนของทาน
โดยพจารณาจากเกณฑตอไปน
1 = ไมเหนดวยอยางยง 2 = ไมเหนดวย 3 = เหนดวยปานกลาง 4 = เหนดวย 5 = เหนดวยอยางยง
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 51. บคลากรในโรงเรยนมการแลกเปลยนความคดเหน
เพอนำาไปสเปาหมายของโรงเรยน2. นกเรยนทมผลสมฤทธตำาไดรบโอกาสทจะพบกบ
ความสำาเรจในโรงเรยน3. กฎระเบยบ และความคาดหวงของโรงเรยนมการ
ระบและชแจงใหเขาใจรวมกนอยางชดเจน4. ครใชยทธศาสตร และรปแบบทหลากหลายในการ
จดการเรยนการสอน5. มการดำาเนนการเกยวกบกจกรรมของชมชนใน
โรงเรยน6. นกเรยนไดรบการกระตนใหชวยเหลอผทมปญหา7. บคลากรในโรงเรยนมความรสกวาพวกเขาไดให
ความสำาคญกบโรงเรยน8. การบรหารไดทำาใหนกเรยนมความเชอมนวา
นกเรยนทกคนสามารถเรยนรได9. สงแวดลอมการเรยนรไดจดใหมการเปลยนแปลง
อยเสมอ เพอปรบใหมความเหมาะสมกบรปแบบของการเรยนการสอนอยางหลากหลาย
10.
อาคารเรยนเปนระเบยบ สะอาด สดใส และสบาย
11.
ผปกครอง มสวนรวมในเครอขาย สนบสนนบานและโรงเรยน
12.
ผปกครองไดรบการปฏบตอยางสภาพ เมอโทรศพทหรอมาตดตอทโรงเรยน
13.
กฎระเบยบเกยวกบพฤตกรรมของนกเรยน สามารถใชบงคบไดอยางสมำาเสมอ
14.
บคลากรในโรงเรยนและนกเรยน ยอมรบซงกนและกนในความแตกตางระหวางบคคล
15.
ครลำาดบกจกรรมการเรยนการสอนอยางเปนขนตอน ทำาใหนกเรยนสามารถประสบความสำาเรจในแตละขนตอน
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหนไม
เหนด
วย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วยอย
าง1 2 3 4 5
16.
ครไดรบการกระตนใหมการสอสารเกยวกบคำาถาม และความคดเหนอยางสรางสรรค
17.
นกเรยนมสวนในการรบผดชอบ ในการรกษาวนยของโรงเรยนใหมสภาพแวดลอมทดและสะอาด
18.
ผปกครองไดรบการเชอเชญ ใหเขาไปเปนคณะกรรมการใหคำาปรกษาของโรงเรยน
19.
ผปกครองทเปนอาสาสมครไดเขาทำางานใหโรงเรยนในทกสถานท เทาทจะเปนไปได
20.
ฝายบรหาร สงเสรมใหครเปนผมความคดสรางสรรคและพยายามใชวธการสอนใหมๆ
21.
นกเรยนไดรบการจดใหกระทำาในสงทเขาทำาได เทาทเปนไปได
22.
นกเรยนจำานวนมากไมไดรบการคาดหวงวา เปนผมความรอบรในทกษะพนฐานของแตละระดบชนทเรยน
23.
ระเบยบวนยของโรงเรยนไดรบการดำาเนนการอยางยตธรรมและถกตอง
24.
ครจดโอกาสใหนกเรยน เพอพฒนาทกษะชนสง
25.
นกเรยนทมพฤตกรรมไมเหมาะสมในโรงเรยน รบกวนการสอน
26.
นกเรยนมสวนรวมในการแกปญหาของโรงเรยน
27.
มนกเรยนจำานวนมากทไมไดมสวนรวมในชนเรยน และกจกรรมของโรงเรยน เนองจากขอจำากดในเรองเพศ เผาพนธ ศาสนา สถานภาพเศรษฐกจและสงคม หรอความสามารถทางวชาการ
28.
คณะครและทมงาน ใหความรวมมอเปนอยางยงในการพยายามทำาใหโรงเรยนบรรลเปาหมาย
29.
บรรยากาศทเปนอยระหวาง ฝายบรหาร คณะคร ทมงาน นกเรยน และผปกครองเปนไปอยางไววางใจ
30.
นกเรยนทเฉอยชา และขาดเรยน เปนปญหาใหญของโรงเรยน
31.
ครมสวนรวมในการตดสนใจนอยเกนไป
32.
ขอมลเกยวกบกจกรรมตางๆ ของโรงเรยน ไดรบการแจงใหผปกครองทราบโดยพนฐาน ทรบรรวมกน
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 533.
แนวทางของหลกสตร ประกนไดวา ครครอบคลมเนอหาวชาในทำานองเดยวกนภายใน
แตละระดบชน34.
ผบรหารจดเตรยมขอมลยอนกลบทเปนประโยชนของการปฏบตของทมงาน
35.
ครใชวธการประเมนผลทเหมาะสมในการพจารณาตดสนผลสมฤทธของนกเรยน
36.
ทมบรหาร ไมไดรกษาเวลา ในการจดการเรยนการสอนเทาทควร
37.
ผปกครองไดรบเชญใหมาเยยมเยยนชนเรยนอยบอยๆ
38.
ครมความภาคภมใจในโรงเรยน และนกเรยนของตน
39.
โรงเรยนเปนททำางานทมความมนคงและปลอดภย
40.
ปญหาสวนใหญทโรงเรยนเผชญอย สามารถแกไขไดโดยผบรหารและคณะคร
41.
มการตดโครงการททำาแลวมกจะไมประสบความสำาเรจ
42.
ผบรหารเปนผนำาทางวชาการทมประสทธผล
43.
ครมความคาดหวงสงกบนกเรยนทกคน
44.
คร ผบรหาร และผปกครอง มขอตกลงรวมกนเกยวกบวนยของนกเรยน
45.
เปาหมายของโรงเรยนไดรบการทบทวน และปรบเปลยนใหเปนปจจบนอยเสมอ
46.
พฤตกรรมของนกเรยนในโรงเรยน โดยทวไปเปนไปในทางบวก
47.
ผบรหารสอดสองดแลทวทงโรงเรยน
48.
ครใชอปกรณ และสอการเรยนการสอน อยางกวางขวาง
49.
บคลากรในโรงเรยนมความใสใจซงกนและกนอยางแทจรง
สวนท 1 ขอมลพนฐานของผตอบแบบสอบถาม – สำาหรบเจาหนาท
เพศ ชาย หญง
อาย ….……. ป
การศกษา (สงสด) ปรญญาตร ประกาศนยบตรวชาชพคร
ปรญญาโท ปรญญาเอก อน ๆ …………………..…
ประสบการณการทำางาน ….……. ป
ขนาดของโรงเรยน ขนาดเลก ขนาดกลาง ขนาดใหญ ขนาดใหญพเศษ
สวนท 2 แบบสอบถามวฒนธรรมโรงเรยน -สำาหรบเจาหนาท
คำาชแจง ขอความขางลางอธบายถงสภาพการณทเกดขนในโรงเรยนของทานในระดบใด โปรดแสดงความคดเหนโดยทำาเครองหมาย / เกยวกบวฒนธรรมโรงเรยนของทาน โดย พจารณาจากเกณฑตอไปน
1 = ไมเหนดวยอยางยง 2 = ไมเหนดวย 3 = เหนดวยปานกลาง 4 = เหนดวย 5 = เหนดวยอยางยง
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 51. เจาหนาทใชประโยชนจากเครอขายวชาชพเพอใหได
ขอมลและทรพยากรสำาหรบการสอนในหองเรยน2. ผนำาเหนคณคาในความคดของเจาหนาท3. เจาหนาทมโอกาสรวมปรกษาการวางแผนปฏบต
งานรวมกน4. เจาหนาทใหความไววางใจซงกนและกน5. เจาหนาทใหการสนบสนนพนธกจของโรงเรยน6. เจาหนาและผปกครองมความคาดหวงในทาง
เดยวกนเกยวกบการปฏบตตนและการเรยนของ
นกเรยน7. ผนำาโรงเรยนมความไววางใจในการตดสนใจทาง
วชาชพของเจาหนาท8. เจาหนาทใชเวลาสวนใหญในการวางแผนงานท
สำาคญรวมกน9. เจาหนาทแสวงหาแนวคดการปฏบตงานจากการ
สมมนา เพอนรวมงาน และการประชมอยเสมอ10.
เจาหนาทเตมใจใหความชวยเหลอเมอมปญหาเกดขน
11.
ผนำาโรงเรยนใหการยกยองเจาหนาททปฏบตงานด
12.
พนธกจของโรงเรยนทำาใหเจาหนาททราบทศทางการปฏบตงานทชดเจน
13.
ผปกครองมความไววางใจในการตดสนใจทางวชาชพของเจาหนาท
14.
เจาหนาทมสวนเกยวของในกระบวนการตดสนใจ
15.
เจาหนาทใชเวลาสงเกตการปฏบตงานซงกนและกน
16.
เจาหนาทเหนคณคาในการพฒนาวชาชพ
17.
เจาหนาทตางเหนคณคาในความคดของเจาหนาทดวยกน
18.
ผนำาโรงเรยนอำานวยความสะดวกใหเจาหนาทไดปฏบตงานรวมกน
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 519.
เจาหนาทมความเขาใจในพนธกจของโรงเรยน
20.
เจาหนาทไดรบทราบขาวสารทเปนเหตการณปจจบนทเกดขนในโรงเรยน
21.
เจาหนาทและผปกครองมการตดตอสอสารกนบอยครงเกยวกบการปฏบตตนและการเรยนของนกเรยน
22.
ขาพเจาจรงจงกบการมสวนเกยวของในการกำาหนดนโยบายหรอการตดสนใจทสำาคญ
23.
เจาหนาทตระหนกถงการปฏบตงานของเพอนรวมงาน
24.
เจาหนาทปฏบตงานโดยใชองคความรทเปนปจจบน
25.
เจาหนาททำางานในกลมอยางรวมแรงรวมใจ
26.
เจาหนาทไดรบรางวลจากการทดลองใชแนวคดและวธการใหมๆ
27.
พนธกจของโรงเรยนสะทอนใหเหนคานยมของชมชน
28.
ผนำาโรงเรยนสนบสนนใหนำาสงใหมหรอนวตกรรมใหมเพอใชในการปฏบตงาน
29.
เจาหนาทปฏบตงานรวมกนเพอพฒนาและประเมนแผนงานและโครงการตางๆ
30.
เจาหนาทใหความสำาคญในคณคาของการปรบปรงโรงเรยน
31.
การปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทสะทอนใหเหนถงพนธกจของโรงเรยน
32.
ผบรหารตองการใหเจาหนาทปฏบตงานตามแผนและหยดตามเวลาทกำาหนด
33.
ความเหนตางในการปฏบตงานของเจาหนาทสามารถวพากษวจารณและอภปรายไดอยางเปดเผย
34.
เจาหนาทไดรบการกระตนใหมการแลกเปลยนความคดเหนซงกนและกน
35.
นกเรยนสวนใหญมความรบผดชอบในการเรยน เชน ตงใจเรยน และทำาการบานทไดรบมอบหมาย
สวนท 3 แบบสอบถามบรรยากาศโรงเรยน - สำาหรบเจาหนาท
คำาชแจง โปรดแสดงความคดเหนโดยทำาเครองหมาย / เกยวกบบรรยากาศดานตางๆ ในโรงเรยนของทาน
โดยพจารณาจากเกณฑตอไปน
1 = ไมเหนดวยอยางยง 2 = ไมเหนดวย 3 = เหนดวยปานกลาง 4 = เหนดวย 5 = เหนดวยอยางยง
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 51. บคลากรในโรงเรยนมการแลกเปลยนความคดเหน
เพอนำาไปสเปาหมายของโรงเรยน2. นกเรยนทมผลสมฤทธตำาไดรบโอกาสทจะพบกบ
ความสำาเรจในโรงเรยน3. กฎระเบยบ และความคาดหวงของโรงเรยนมการ
ระบและชแจงใหเขาใจรวมกนอยางชดเจน4. ครใชยทธศาสตร และรปแบบทหลากหลายในการ
จดการเรยนการสอน5. มการดำาเนนการเกยวกบกจกรรมของชมชนใน
โรงเรยน6. นกเรยนไดรบการกระตนใหชวยเหลอผทมปญหา7. บคลากรในโรงเรยนมความรสกวาพวกเขาไดให
ความสำาคญกบโรงเรยน8. การบรหารไดทำาใหนกเรยนมความเชอมนวา
นกเรยนทกคนสามารถเรยนรได9. สงแวดลอมการเรยนรไดจดใหมการเปลยนแปลง
อยเสมอ เพอปรบใหมความเหมาะสมกบรปแบบของการเรยนการสอนอยางหลากหลาย
10.
อาคารเรยนเปนระเบยบ สะอาด สดใส และสบาย
11.
ผปกครอง มสวนรวมในเครอขาย สนบสนนบานและโรงเรยน
12.
ผปกครองไดรบการปฏบตอยางสภาพ เมอโทรศพทหรอมาตดตอทโรงเรยน
13.
กฎระเบยบเกยวกบพฤตกรรมของนกเรยน สามารถใชบงคบไดอยางสมำาเสมอ
14.
บคลากรในโรงเรยนและนกเรยน ยอมรบซงกนและกนในความแตกตางระหวางบคคล
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 515.
ครลำาดบกจกรรมการเรยนการสอนอยางเปนขนตอน ทำาใหนกเรยนสามารถประสบความสำาเรจในแตละขนตอน
16.
ครไดรบการกระตนใหมการสอสารเกยวกบคำาถาม และความคดเหนอยางสรางสรรค
17.
นกเรยนมสวนในการรบผดชอบ ในการรกษาวนยของโรงเรยนใหมสภาพแวดลอมทดและสะอาด
18.
ผปกครองไดรบการเชอเชญ ใหเขาไปเปนคณะกรรมการใหคำาปรกษาของโรงเรยน
19.
ผปกครองทเปนอาสาสมครไดเขาทำางานใหโรงเรยนในทกสถานท เทาทจะเปนไปได
20.
ฝายบรหาร สงเสรมใหครเปนผมความคดสรางสรรคและพยายามใชวธการสอนใหมๆ
21.
นกเรยนไดรบการจดใหกระทำาในสงทเขาทำาได เทาทเปนไปได
22.
นกเรยนจำานวนมากไมไดรบการคาดหวงวา เปนผมความรอบรในทกษะพนฐานของแตละระดบชนทเรยน
23.
ระเบยบวนยของโรงเรยนไดรบการดำาเนนการอยางยตธรรมและถกตอง
24.
ครจดโอกาสใหนกเรยน เพอพฒนาทกษะชนสง
25.
นกเรยนทมพฤตกรรมไมเหมาะสมในโรงเรยน รบกวนการสอน
26.
นกเรยนมสวนรวมในการแกปญหาของโรงเรยน
27.
มนกเรยนจำานวนมากทไมไดมสวนรวมในชนเรยน และกจกรรมของโรงเรยน เนองจากขอจำากดในเรองเพศ เผาพนธ ศาสนา สถานภาพเศรษฐกจและสงคม หรอความสามารถทางวชาการ
28.
คณะครและทมงาน ใหความรวมมอเปนอยางยงในการพยายามทำาใหโรงเรยนบรรลเปาหมาย
29.
บรรยากาศทเปนอยระหวาง ฝายบรหาร คณะคร ทมงาน นกเรยน และผปกครองเปนไปอยางไววางใจ
30.
นกเรยนทเฉอยชา และขาดเรยน เปนปญหาใหญของโรงเรยน
31.
ครมสวนรวมในการตดสนใจนอยเกนไป
ขอท
ขอความ
ระดบความคดเหน
ไมเห
นดวย
ไมเห
นดวย
เหนด
วยปา
น
เหนด
วย
เหนด
วย
1 2 3 4 532.
ขอมลเกยวกบกจกรรมตางๆ ของโรงเรยน ไดรบการแจงใหผปกครองทราบโดยพนฐาน ทรบรรวมกน
33.
แนวทางของหลกสตร ประกนไดวา ครครอบคลมเนอหาวชาในทำานองเดยวกนภายในแตละระดบชน
34.
ผบรหารจดเตรยมขอมลยอนกลบทเปนประโยชนของการปฏบตของทมงาน
35.
ครใชวธการประเมนผลทเหมาะสมในการพจารณาตดสนผลสมฤทธของนกเรยน
36.
ทมบรหาร ไมไดรกษาเวลา ในการจดการเรยนการสอนเทาทควร
37.
ผปกครองไดรบเชญใหมาเยยมเยยนชนเรยนอยบอยๆ
38.
ครมความภาคภมใจในโรงเรยน และนกเรยนของตน
39.
โรงเรยนเปนททำางานทมความมนคงและปลอดภย
40.
ปญหาสวนใหญทโรงเรยนเผชญอย สามารถแกไขไดโดยผบรหารและคณะคร
41.
มการตดโครงการททำาแลวมกจะไมประสบความสำาเรจ
42.
ผบรหารเปนผนำาทางวชาการทมประสทธผล
43.
ครมความคาดหวงสงกบนกเรยนทกคน
44.
คร , ผบรหาร และผปกครอง มขอตกลงรวมกนเกยวกบวนยของนกเรยน
45.
เปาหมายของโรงเรยนไดรบการทบทวน และปรบเปลยนใหเปนปจจบนอยเสมอ
46.
พฤตกรรมของนกเรยนในโรงเรยน โดยทวไปเปนไปในทางบวก
47.
ผบรหารสอดสองดแลทวทงโรงเรยน
48.
ครใชอปกรณ และสอการเรยนการสอน อยางกวางขวาง
49.
บคลากรในโรงเรยนมความใสใจซงกนและกนอยางแทจรง
ขอขอบพระคณเปนอยางสง
APPENDIX C
Permission to use the School Culture Survey
To: '[email protected]'Cc: Valentine, Jerry W.; caod49Subject: School Culture Survey
Dear Wirot Sanrattana and Thanyaporn Papolngam,
My name is Catherine O’Brien and I am one of the graduate research assistants here at the Middle Level Leadership Center (MLLC). Dr. Valentine forwarded your request to me regarding permission to use the School Culture Survey located on our website. I have attached the documents you need to use per Dr. Valentine's approval. If you have any questions regarding our instrument as you are conducting your research, please do not hesitate to give us a call.
Thanks for your interest in our work at the Middle Level Leadership Center.
Best Wishes,
CAO
Catherine A. O’Brien
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Missouri-Columbia
Middle Level Leadership Center
Hill Hall, Room 211
573.882.0947 573.882.0947
VITAE
Personal Data
Name : Thanyaporn Papolngam
Date of Birth : December 4, 1976
Place of Birth : Roi Et, Thailand
Nationality : Thai
Marital Status : Single
Work Place : Roi Et Rajabhat University
Education Background
1998 : Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science
Rambhaibanni Rajabhat University, Chantaburi, Thailand.
2002 : Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology
Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.
2011 : Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Administration
Faculty of Education, Khon Kaen University, Thailand.