Francis L Huang1, Dewey G Cornell2, Timothy Konold3, Joseph P Meyer4, Anna Lacey5, Erin K Nekvasil6, Anna Heilbrun7, Kathan D Shukla8. 1. College of Education, University of Missouri, 16 Hill Hall, Columbia, MO 65211. huangf@missouri.edu. 2. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 417 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA 22901. dcornell@virginia.edu. 3. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 417 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA 22904. konold@virginia.edu. 4. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA 22904. meyerjp@virginia.edu. 5. Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, 59 Koch Avenue, Morris Plains, NJ 07950. apl4gu@virginia.edu. 6. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, 8901 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20889. ekn2cn@virginia.edu. 7. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street South, Charlottesville, VA 22904. anna.heilbrun@gmail.com. 8. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, Ruffner Hall 153, 405 Emmet St South, Charlottesville, VA 22904. kds5un@virginia.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: School climate is well recognized as an important influence on student behavior and adjustment to school, but there is a need for theory-guided measures that make use of teacher perspectives. Authoritative school climate theory hypothesizes that a positive school climate is characterized by high levels of disciplinary structure and student support. METHODS: A teacher version of the Authoritative School Climate Survey (ASCS) was administered to a statewide sample of 9099 7th- and 8th-grade teachers from 366 schools. The study used exploratory and multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (MCFA) that accounted for the nested data structure and allowed for the modeling of the factor structures at 2 levels. RESULTS: Multilevel confirmatory factor analyses conducted on both an exploratory (N = 4422) and a confirmatory sample (N = 4677) showed good support for the factor structures investigated. Factor correlations at 2 levels indicated that schools with greater levels of disciplinary structure and student support had higher student engagement, less teasing and bullying, and lower student aggression toward teachers. CONCLUSIONS: The teacher version of the ASCS can be used to assess 2 key domains of school climate and associated measures of student engagement and aggression toward peers and teachers.
BACKGROUND: School climate is well recognized as an important influence on student behavior and adjustment to school, but there is a need for theory-guided measures that make use of teacher perspectives. Authoritative school climate theory hypothesizes that a positive school climate is characterized by high levels of disciplinary structure and student support. METHODS: A teacher version of the Authoritative School Climate Survey (ASCS) was administered to a statewide sample of 9099 7th- and 8th-grade teachers from 366 schools. The study used exploratory and multilevel confirmatory factor analyses (MCFA) that accounted for the nested data structure and allowed for the modeling of the factor structures at 2 levels. RESULTS: Multilevel confirmatory factor analyses conducted on both an exploratory (N = 4422) and a confirmatory sample (N = 4677) showed good support for the factor structures investigated. Factor correlations at 2 levels indicated that schools with greater levels of disciplinary structure and student support had higher student engagement, less teasing and bullying, and lower student aggression toward teachers. CONCLUSIONS: The teacher version of the ASCS can be used to assess 2 key domains of school climate and associated measures of student engagement and aggression toward peers and teachers.
Authors: Katie M Edwards; Stephanie N Sessarego; Linda R Stanley; Kimberly J Mitchell; Robert P Eckstein; Kara Anne E Rodenhizer; P Caroline Leyva; Victoria L Banyard Journal: J Interpers Violence Date: 2017-12-20
Authors: Katie M Edwards; Victoria L Banyard; Stephanie N Sessarego; Linda R Stanley; Kimberly J Mitchell; Robert P Eckstein; Kara Anne E Rodenhizer; P Caroline Leyva Journal: Psychol Violence Date: 2018-09