ERIC Number: EJ1147160
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: N/A
Educators' Perceptions of School Climate and Health in Selected Primary Schools
Pretorius, Stephanus; de Villiers, Elsabe
South African Journal of Education, v29 n1 p33-52 2009
The aims in this research were to determine the perceptions of school climate held by educators of primary schools in the southern Cape. Six primary schools with a staff complement of 178 educators participated in the investigation. Two instruments were used: the Organisational Climate Description Questionnaire Rutgers Elementary (OCDQ-RE) and Dimensions of Organisational Health Inventory of Elementary Schools (OHI-E). The results indicated that primary school educators in the southern Cape perceived their relations with their principals as closed, while educator-educator relations were perceived as more open. An engaged school climate was taken as the typical prototype for the relevant primary schools. Average health profiles were drawn for the overall organisational health of primary schools. A significant relationship was found between primary schools' perceptions of organisational climate and organisational health. A significant difference was found between perceptions held by educators from different primary schools regarding the various dimensions of organisational climate and health. These findings have significant implications for the implementation of change in schools, educators' job satisfaction, motivation, productivity, well-being, and learner achievement.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Environment, Teacher Attitudes, Elementary School Teachers, Questionnaires, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Peer Relationship, Collegiality, Elementary Schools, Organizational Climate, Job Satisfaction, Productivity, Health, Coping, Principals, Teacher Behavior, Administrator Behavior, Statistical Analysis
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Tel: +27-12-420-5798; Fax: +27-12-420-5511; Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A