SCHOOL CLIMATE

School climate refers to social characteristics of a school in terms of

relationships among students and staff/teachers, learning and teaching
emphasis, values and norms, and shared approaches and practices
(Anderson, 1982; Moos, 1987; Thapa et al., 2013). Among other factors,
empirical evidence has confirmed that school climate is powerful in affecting
students' academic achievement (Brand et al., 2008; Chen and Weikart, 2008;
Collins and Parson, 2010). However, the extent to which both of student and
staff perceptions of school climate influence student achievement is less clear.
Furthermore, the precise psychological processes underpinning the
climate-achievement link requires further investigation.
The school climate construct is complex and multi-dimensional. It has been
described as the unwritten personality and atmosphere of a school, including
its norms, values, and expectations (Brookover et al., 1978; Haynes et al.,
1997; Petrie, 2014).Further, it has been described as the “quality and
character of school life” (Cohen et al., 2009, p. 182).Importantly, rather than
concerning administrative or physical attributes of the school (e.g., teachers'
salary or schools' physical resources), school climate research hones in on
the psychosocial school atmosphere, and the inter-group interactions that
affect student learning and school functioning (Johnson and Stevens, 2006;
Lubienski et al., 2008; Reyes et al., 2012).
School climate is a leading predictor of students' emotional and behavioral
outcomes. It affects students' adaptive psychosocial adjustment (Brand et al.,
2008), mental health outcomes (Roeser et al., 2000; Brand et al., 2003) and
self-esteem (Way et al., 2007). School climate also influences students'
behavior, such as rates of bullying and aggression (Espelage et al., 2014;
Turner et al., 2014), student delinquency (Gottfredson et al., 2005), and
alcohol and drug use (Brand et al., 2003). Finally, and of particular relevance
to this research, school climate perception has also been found to affect
students' academic achievement (Brookover et al., 1978; Brand et al., 2008).
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