This dissertation presents the results of a study to assess the impact of a stress management, a self-development, and a relaxation technique on the quality of school life and attendance of 448 Year 5 and 6 students in 16 classes at 4 Lower Hunter Valley primary schools in New South Wales, Australia, in 2000. The importance of contextualising student quality of school life as a key indicator of school effectiveness and measure of school improvement is also argued. The Quality of School Life questionnaire (Ainley & Bourke, 1992) scales were used pre- and post- intervention as indicators of student perception of aspects of their school life including stressful and satisfying elements. Various student, teacher, and class contextual variables were also investigated. Overall, the interventions implemented in this study appeared to have had some small impact on student quality of school life, student absence, teacher stress, teacher satisfaction, and teacher absence. Of particular interest are the apparent differential effects of some of the interventions for: teachers and students, classes, schools, and, at least in part, the effectiveness of the implementation of the interventions. Possible explanations of these differences are discussed while implications including the apparent importance of positive peer relationships and an exciting and enjoyable curriculum in ensuring students have a high quality of school life are described. In the broader context of school effectiveness and school improvement, it is hoped that further investigation will be undertaken of the intervention strategies explored and refined in this study, and perhaps other strategies intended to enhance student quality of school life. In particular, interventions are needed that facilitate the establishment of classroom environments where students and teachers want to be, where educational outcomes are enhanced, and students are led to a broader life experience. / PhD Doctorate

This study shows that whilst the emergence of school climate as an educational issue of major importance is being recognised in the more recent schooling effects literature, the actual concept remains somewhat elusive and vaguely defined. A severe lack of knowledge and need for study into the area, particularly of primary school climates, is also evident. The actual concept of climate is thus discussed and analysed and evidence in support of the need for its assessment is presented. Past measures used for climate assessment are then reviewed with the aim of selecting an appropriate instrument to identify school climate perceptions of primary school students in this study. Here a new area of school climate information - the quality of school life - was introduced. The Quality of School Life Questionnaire which enabled differentiation between a number of climate dimensions, was selected as being the most appropriate instrument for minor modification and use in this study. The refined version titled School Life was administered to 587 students from 23 classes in 12 A.C.T. primary schools. Data was analysed to provide detailed information concerning students' views of the positive and negative aspects of their school climate. To determine the validity of these results and to strengthen the study as a whole students with very high/very low school climate perceptions were then interviewed. This enabled more detailed discussions of these students' perceptions of school life. Also, it enabled examination of the possibility of employing school counsellor intervention techniques at both the school and personal levels aimed at assisting such students in coping more adequately in their school systems. The results indicate that school climate assessment can provide important information which could be utilized by school counsellors. In this Study, such assessment led to actual identification of the high/low quality areas in school climates and led to identification with reasonable accuracy of individual students not coping in their existent climates. Thus the possibility and the value of school counsellors working towards 'individualizing' school climates through either modifying the actual climate or climate dimension/s to better match student needs, or through employing intervention techniques aimed at helping individual students not coping in their particular school climates is examined and emphasized.