The School Climate – Theoretical Principles and Research from the Perspective of Students, Teachers and Parents

This paper analyses the quality of the school climate. One of its objectives is to defi ne such basic terms as environment, atmosphere, climate, and selected climate variants, above all the school climate. Attention is also paid to the following fi ve areas of school life, which are of signifi cance: 1) the overall attitude to school and the motivation to study; 2) teachers’ qualities and competence; 3) school rules and discipline in class; 4) the solidarity of the class as a social group; 5) the architectural, aesthetic and hygienic aspects of the school. The paper also seeks to present new practical methods supported by long experience of school climate gained abroad and even by similar experience lately picked up in the Czech Republic. Whereas in Europe and elsewhere school climate is part of basic educational disciplines, in the Czech Republic it is still waiting for recognition as a regular educational and psychological phenomenon. The primary overall aim was to devise a suitable method, i.e. a questionnaire, for the current research. This questionnaire was tested in a quantitative way. It has assisted in judging the quality of fi ve areas of the school climate at a grammar school. One-factor analysis of dispersion revealed differences in pupils, teachers and parents’ judgement of the fi ve areas. A comparison of the average answers given by the three groups of respondents shows that it is the teachers who are most satisfi ed with all areas of the school climate. Parents appeared to be less content. The biggest dissatisfaction is among pupils. In future, the gained results can become a basis for further research in this area. The long-term goal should be to propose a model for the creation of a positive school climate in the form of practical advice and recommendations for teachers and head teachers. The signifi cance of the present work consists of setting up a survey method and carrying out the actual research.