Running Head: SCHOOL CLIMATE AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENTS 1

School Climate and Its Effect on Students

Jeanne Lee

California State University Dominquez Hills

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Abstract

There are many issues in education today. Proper assessment of the school climate could

solve many questions and challenges that affect schools. The purpose of the research is to

evaluate existing literature on school climate and understand various effects of school

climate, including social behavioral development, academic achievement, and school

absenteeism. There are four main sections. The first section will identify what school

climate is and how different researches describe it. The second section will focus on the

relationship between school climate and social behavioral development. The third section

will discuss the effect of school climate on academic achievement. Lastly, the fourth

section will reveal the link between school climate and school absenteeism. In

conclusion, suggestions for future research direction are discussed.

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School Climate and Its Effect on Students

School climate has been recognized as an opportunity to enhance student

achievement and reduce problem behaviors and dropout rates (Wang & Degol, 2016).

School climate is becoming a topic of education talk, as more people understand its

importance. Many of the current problems in education are closely connected to school

climate. The core of the issues in education could be explained and resolved through

school climate. School climate is not only linked to student’s test result, it is closely

associated with development, academic, and even a behavioral outcome. The research

will evaluate the relationship between school climate and social behavioral development,

academic achievement, and school absenteeism. One of the driving theories that support

the significance of school climate is bioecological development theory. Bioecological

theory suggests that the interactions between the individual and their environment,

categorized into various systems, shape their development over time (Bronfenbrenner,

1979). Children are not constructed by a single element. Rather, children are shaped by

complex, multidimensional factors. School climate has various aspects and the

multidimensional nature of school climate collectively work together to shape children. It

is clear that school climate influence children in numerous ways, and not one particular

aspect is more visible than the other.

School Climate

It is important to not be hindered by the ambiguity of the meaning of school

climate. It has various aspects and could portrait different quality to a different group of

people. School climate could include variables such as sharing of resources, order and

discipline, parental involvement, and student-teacher relations (Hendron & Kearyney,

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2016). Researchers Hopson and Schiller and Lawson (2014) argue that school climate is

focused on behavioral norms, interpersonal relationships between children and adults,

values, methods, and organizational structures. School climate is the foundation of how

the school operates, as well as the school’s belief and values of its practice (Back, Polk,

Keys, & McMahon, 2016). Researchers Wang and Degol (2016) provide the structure of

school climate, defining school climate in four ways: academic, community, safety, and

institutional environment. Various aspects of school climate contribute to the school

environment, which directly affects students in psychological, cognitive, and social

behavioral development.

Social-Behavioral Development

Children go through the endless amount of development throughout school years.

It is impossible to even measure the growth of children in one school year. Children’s

progress in school system relies heavily on social and behavioral development. It is

important to understand the strong relationship between school climate and social

behavioral development. School climate has a big contribution to the social and

behavioral outcome of the children. Researcher Esposito (1999) reports that children’s

social skills in the classroom are related to school climate, especially cooperation in

kindergarten and first grade and assertiveness in second grade. When students have a

positive relationship with teachers and school staffs and feel safe in school, they are more

likely to avoid disruptive behavior (Hopson, Schiller, & Lawson, 2014). One of the most

important agenda of school climate is to allow students to learn how to work with others

and to minimize problematic behaviors.

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Academic Achievement

School climate is directly related to student’s academic achievement. For schools

that focus on giving students high expectation and endless support for success inside and

outside of classroom result in high academic achievement (Back, Polk, Keys, &

McMahon, 2016). The research data shows that multiple school climate variables relate

to each other and positively correlated with mean scores on standardized testing

(Esposito, 1999). It is interesting to see that standardized testing result is not only related

to the information the students learned from school, school climate plays a big role. A

supportive school climate, high parental expectations, and safe neighborhoods are

associated with good grades (Hopson, Schiller, & Lawson, 2014). Esposito (1999) argues

that influence of the teacher-student relationship can influence achievement.

School Absenteeism

School absenteeism is an issue in America as it affects many students and it is

linked to various problems such as low academic performance, behavioral disorders,

school dropout, literacy skills, and juvenile justice system involvement (Hendron &

Kearney, 2016). It is an understatement to say that children are the future. Children are

not only the future of America; they are the only hope in this disorganized world. Every

child has tremendous potential to achieve goals. School absenteeism is a serious issue

because these children are giving up on school, without knowing their possibilities. In

Hendron and Kearney’s research (2016), the researchers argue that school climate

subscales related inversely to absenteeism severity, especially for older youths. In order

to bring students back to the school environment, school climate has to be the important

factor.
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Conclusion

A good school system reflects on the students. A beneficial school climate will

produce positive outcomes in students’ social behavioral development, academic

achievement, and void in absenteeism. As more problems in education occur, educators

need to pay close attention to school climate and its effects. As bioecological theory

suggests, interactions between individual and their environment shape a person. School

climate’s main focus is on positive interactions and healthy environment. School climate

is directly related to student’s social development and behavioral development. When

there is a supportive school climate, student’s academic achievement increases. Positive

school climate will prevent school absenteeism, setting students up for a success.

Although school climate has various aspects of it, all of the elements collectively work

together for student’s success.

Even though school climate has tremendous influence, there is not a distinct

definition of it. Also, it is lacking a specific system to assess the quality of school

climate. It will be beneficial for educators or anyone who is in education to use well-

composed set standards for school climate. More researches to determine other possible

effects of good school climate will be helpful to set standards.

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References

Back, L. l., Polk, E., Keys, C., & McMahon, S. (2016). Classroom management, school

staff relations, school climate, and academic achievement: testing a model with

urban high schools. Learning Environments Research, 19(3), 397-410.

doi:10.1007/s10984-016-9213-x

Bronfenbrenner, U., & Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development:

experiments by nature and design. Boston: Harvard University Press.

Esposito, C. (1999). Learning in urban blight: school climate and its effect on the school

performance of urban, minority, low-income children. School Psychology Review,

28(3), 365-377.

Hendron, M., & Kearney, C. A. (2016). School Climate and Student Absenteeism and

Internalizing and Externalizing Behavioral Problems. Children & Schools, 38(2),

109-116.

Hopson, L. l., Schiller, K. S., & Lawson, H. A. (2014). Exploring Linkages between

School Climate, Behavioral Norms, Social Supports, and Academic Success.

Social Work Research, 38(4), 197-209. doi:10.1093/swr/svu017

Wang, M. M., & Degol, J. j. (2016). School Climate: a Review of the Construct,

Measurement, and Impact on Student Outcomes. Educational Psychology Review,

28(2), 315-352. doi:10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1