Preview

PDF (Whole thesis) whole_GradyNevi...pdf | Download (10MB) Available under University of Tasmania Standard License. | Preview

Abstract

There are two major purposes of the study. The first is to explore associations between
students' perceptions of their classroom psychosocial environments and their teachers'
perceptions of their school climates. The second is to investigate relationships between
teachers' images of their schools, on the one hand, and perceptions they and their
students have of their relevant school climate or classroom environment on the other.
These purposes are translated into three specific research questions. In order to throw
some light on why students experience considerable stress as they negotiate the
transition between Primary and Secondary schooling, the questions are investigated
across the Grades 5 - 8 range.
The research questions are answered through employment of three paper-and-pencil
questionnaires:
1) School Level Environment Questionnaire, which was developed originally by
Fraser and Rentoul and later refined by Fraser and Fisher; 2) My Class Environment which was developed specifically for this study, but
which was based upon Learning Environment Inventory (developed originally
by Anderson and Walberg) and My Class Inventory (a simplified version of
Learning Environment Inventory); and
3) Images of Schools through Metaphor which was developed as part of the study
and which is quite innovatory in concept and form.
The sample for the study proper was representative of the Tasmanian educational
enterprise in many respects and consisted of more than 4,000 students and 162 teachers
and classrooms in 48 schools. Other subjects, who were involved because some
Principals took the opportunity to embark on a whole school audit in conjunction with
the study, provided data which were also employed to validate/revalidate the
questionnaires.
The thesis concludes that the questionnaires were satisfactory tools to answer the three
research questions, although suggestions are made for their improvement. In broad
terms, it is demonstrated that teachers' perceptions of Student Supportiveness, in
particular, are related positively to students' perceptions of their classroom environment
(and hence to the quality of student learning). Similarly, teachers' images of their
school which are concerned largely with cooperation and ceremony are shown to be
associated positively with a range of classroom environment and school climate
perceptions. Other images, such as those concerned largely with suppression, are
shown to be related negatively with many of these environment/climate aspects.
Associations between the teachers' and students' perceptions of the various
climate/environment scales and the images teachers have of their schools are shown to
differ somewhat at the Primary and Secondary levels, and these differences point to a
number of implications for school leaders, especially concerning tighter coupling of
core aspects of Secondary schools.

Item Type:	Thesis - PhD
Authors/Creators:	Grady, NB
Keywords:	School environment, Classroom environment, High school environment
Copyright Information:	Copyright 1993 the author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Includes bibliographical references (leaves 141-150). Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tasmania, 1994
Item Statistics:	View statistics for this item

Actions (login required)

Item Control Page