South African schools are learning environments that are defined by heterogenity, which means the relating and interaction of teachers and learners from different cultural, language and religious backgrounds. Viewed in terms of a social constructivist theoretical framework, teachers’ perceptions of their interaction with their learners are defined by their personal experiences, as well as their observations of concrete learner behaviour in class which are mostly shaped by the learners’ perceptions. ,. Broad cultural influences, including the unique school culture and climate where the teachers are operating, also contribute to teachers’ perception of the teacher-learnerinteraction. The nature and quality of teacher-learner interactions must be viewed as a contextual feature of school culture and climate as these relations shape the classroom experience. This study sought to generate broad themes on how teachers perceive teacher-learner interactions within diverse school cultures and climates. The research was conducted within a social constructivist, interpretive paradigm and it utilised Kenny’s PERSON Model of Interpersonal Perception. The PERSON Model of Interpersonal Perception is a model used to explore the formation of perceptions during interpersonal interaction and it is in line with the social constructivist position as it takes into account the dynamic and socially embedded nature of the interaction process. A research study of this nature was needed because teachers’ perceptions of their regular contact and connecting with learners influence teacher-learner relations. This in turn serves to shape learners’ perceptions of the learning environment as well as mediate the learners’ behaviour and relationship with scholastic learning (Luckner & Pianta, 2011:257). Qualitative research was used as this method lends itself to revealing the authenticity of human experience (Silverman, 2013:6) and it is particularly useful in the study of social relations (Flick, 2009:12). The participants consisted of twenty teachers from four high schools in Johannesburg, Gauteng. Three teachers from each of the four schools participated in semistructured interviews, while two other teachers from each of the four schools participated in a single focus group activity that included a collage-making exercise. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that articulate the teachers’ perceptions of the teacher-learner interaction. Key themes that were identified through the research study included teaching to be a vocation; teachers’ interactions with their learners as character building that serve to shape the personalities of their learners; the influence of the length of time that teachers are active in the teaching profession and teacher-learner interactions; how classroom management strategies influences teachers perceptions of teacher-learner interactions. It was found that several factors influence the teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners. Teachers who considered teaching to be a “vocation” tended to report that they experience enjoyable teacher-learner interactions. The teachers whose narratives did not include references to teaching as a vocation were inclined to report more conflictual and less enjoyable interaction experiences with their learners. The findings further reveal that the teachers perceive a decrease in negative teacher-learner interactions the longer they teach. Both groups of teachers viewed the interactions with their learners as character-building exercises that served to shape the personalities of their learners. Classroom climate factors and management strategies were found to influence teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners. The teachers’ narratives did not emphasise race or culture as factors (qualitative research) that moderated their interactions with the learners in a significant manner. Overall, the findings indicated that the participants showed an awareness that firstly, personal factors, secondly, the external social factors or environmental events, and, lastly that individual behaviour contributed much to the quality of the interactions. An in-depth study investigating rural teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners is recommended. A wider study that compares and contrasts the perceptions of teachers from the various provinces of South Africa would provide valuable insight into whether or not teachers’ perceptions of teacher-learner interaction vary from province to province. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

South African schools are learning environments that are defined by heterogenity, which means the relating and interaction of teachers and learners from different cultural, language and religious backgrounds. Viewed in terms of a social constructivist theoretical framework, teachers’ perceptions of their interaction with their learners are defined by their personal experiences, as well as their observations of concrete learner behaviour in class which are mostly shaped by the learners’ perceptions. ,. Broad cultural influences, including the unique school culture and climate where the teachers are operating, also contribute to teachers’ perception of the teacher-learnerinteraction. The nature and quality of teacher-learner interactions must be viewed as a contextual feature of school culture and climate as these relations shape the classroom experience. This study sought to generate broad themes on how teachers perceive teacher-learner interactions within diverse school cultures and climates. The research was conducted within a social constructivist, interpretive paradigm and it utilised Kenny’s PERSON Model of Interpersonal Perception. The PERSON Model of Interpersonal Perception is a model used to explore the formation of perceptions during interpersonal interaction and it is in line with the social constructivist position as it takes into account the dynamic and socially embedded nature of the interaction process. A research study of this nature was needed because teachers’ perceptions of their regular contact and connecting with learners influence teacher-learner relations. This in turn serves to shape learners’ perceptions of the learning environment as well as mediate the learners’ behaviour and relationship with scholastic learning (Luckner & Pianta, 2011:257). Qualitative research was used as this method lends itself to revealing the authenticity of human experience (Silverman, 2013:6) and it is particularly useful in the study of social relations (Flick, 2009:12). The participants consisted of twenty teachers from four high schools in Johannesburg, Gauteng. Three teachers from each of the four schools participated in semistructured interviews, while two other teachers from each of the four schools participated in a single focus group activity that included a collage-making exercise. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes that articulate the teachers’ perceptions of the teacher-learner interaction. Key themes that were identified through the research study included teaching to be a vocation; teachers’ interactions with their learners as character building that serve to shape the personalities of their learners; the influence of the length of time that teachers are active in the teaching profession and teacher-learner interactions; how classroom management strategies influences teachers perceptions of teacher-learner interactions. It was found that several factors influence the teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners. Teachers who considered teaching to be a “vocation” tended to report that they experience enjoyable teacher-learner interactions. The teachers whose narratives did not include references to teaching as a vocation were inclined to report more conflictual and less enjoyable interaction experiences with their learners. The findings further reveal that the teachers perceive a decrease in negative teacher-learner interactions the longer they teach. Both groups of teachers viewed the interactions with their learners as character-building exercises that served to shape the personalities of their learners. Classroom climate factors and management strategies were found to influence teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners. The teachers’ narratives did not emphasise race or culture as factors (qualitative research) that moderated their interactions with the learners in a significant manner. Overall, the findings indicated that the participants showed an awareness that firstly, personal factors, secondly, the external social factors or environmental events, and, lastly that individual behaviour contributed much to the quality of the interactions. An in-depth study investigating rural teachers’ perceptions of their interactions with their learners is recommended. A wider study that compares and contrasts the perceptions of teachers from the various provinces of South Africa would provide valuable insight into whether or not teachers’ perceptions of teacher-learner interaction vary from province to province. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Abstract AN EXAMINATION OF WHAT PRINCIPALS DO TO CREATE A POSITIVE SCHOOL CLIMATE FOR TEACHERS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVE THOSE EFFORTS By Carol Anne H. Ziolkowski, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Director: Whitney Sherman Newcomb, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Educational Leadership School of Education This qualitative study of elementary school climate explored the actions principals take to create or maintain a positive school climate for their teachers and teachers’ perceptions of those efforts. The study included individual interviews of four elementary school principals to determine what they intentionally did to create or maintain a positive school climate. Next, focus group interviews of general education teachers from within the four participating schools were conducted to determine how teachers perceived the efforts of the principals. The findings in three of the four schools indicated several discrepancies between perceptions of the participating principals and teachers. While teachers acknowledged and appreciated some of the efforts of the principals, the teachers did not recognize those efforts as contributing to the climate of the school. The participants of the fourth school shared perceptions that the efforts of the principal had created a positive school climate. The principal maintained an open-door policy and built strong relationships with faculty members. The teachers perceived those efforts as contributing to the positive climate of the school.

This diploma thesis deals with the topic of school climate and its relationship to the professional satisfaction and health of teachers. In the broader context, this paper deals with the relationship between the work environment represented by school climate and the two dimensions of subjective quality of life and personal well-being - happiness and satisfaction in the profession and job, and health-related quality of life. The theoretical part presents the definition of and theoretical bases for school climate, it also deals with methodological issues associated with its research. Professional satisfaction is presented from the viewpoint of positive psychology and operationalized as happiness. The chapter concerning health summarizes different concepts of health and disease, and presents the aspects of health which are relevant to the teaching profession. The project "Škola podporující zdraví" (Health promoting school) is presented at the end of the chapter. The last chapter focuses on the teaching profession and research findings related to school climate, satisfaction and health. The empirical part of the diploma thesis consists of two parts. The first part describes the findings of quantitative research of the relationship between school climate and satisfaction and between school climate and...

[pt] Este trabalho situa-se no contexto das pesquisas que investigam as instituições escolares consideradas de excelência. Objetivou identificar o clima de uma escola de prestígio, orientado pelas características das escolas eficazes. Pretendeu articular as dimensões macro e micro, que permitissem uma aproximação à singularidade da instituição. Na primeira parte foram construídos perfis de alunos, pais e professores, a partir de um survey realizado pelo SOCED - Grupo de Pesquisa em Sociologia da Educação da PUC-Rio, do qual participo, na pesquisa Processos de Produção de Qualidade de Ensino, da qual constam nove escolas consideradas pela mídia, como algumas das melhores da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Na segunda parte, foi realizado um trabalho de campo, buscando um olhar mais próximo, que apontasse as peculiaridades e as razões de sua distinção no universo pesquisado. O clima escolar da instituição, recorte específico desta pesquisa, parece decorrer, principalmente, da forma como se articulam os recursos disponíveis, a partir do engajamento e a predisposição da maioria dos agentes escolares, para superação das dificuldades, e o fortalecimento das equipes. / [en] This study finds itself in the context of other similar investigations dealing with school institutions considered of superior quality. It was aimed at identifying the general atmosphere of a prestigious educational institution, emphasizing the characteristics of such efficient organizations. It attempted to articulate both macro and micro perspectives, which would then allow us to narrow down the singularity of this institution. During the first half of the study, student, parent and staff profiles were built based on previous research conducted by SOCED - Research Group in Education Sociology from PUC- Rio, which I am part of, titled Teaching Quality Production Process, where nine institutions, crowned by local media as some of Rio de Janeiro s finest schools, were included. During the second half, a field research was conducted attempting to take a closer look at some of the peculiarities and reasons that set this institution apart from others in the same researched universe. The institution s school climate - the specific focus of this research - seems to be the result of how available resources are articulated, and triggered by the engagement and the predisposition of the majority of the school agents to overcome dificulties and strengthen its teams.

Submitted by EMERSON DA SILVA DOS SANTOS null (esantos@sp.senai.br) on 2017-03-15T03:09:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação de Mestrado v5 UNESP.pdf: 1574602 bytes, checksum: fc87a811bfe27ef9227b227b6a7bb1de (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-03-21T13:26:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_es_me_mar.pdf: 1574602 bytes, checksum: fc87a811bfe27ef9227b227b6a7bb1de (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-21T13:26:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_es_me_mar.pdf: 1574602 bytes, checksum: fc87a811bfe27ef9227b227b6a7bb1de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-16 / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo investigar dois ambientes escolares, quais sejam: Escola de Tempo Parcial e Escola de Tempo Integral, analisando quais desses tem maior influência na construção de competências pessoais dos adolescentes, em especial a adesão a valores morais em nível moral. Os referenciais teóricos utilizados no trabalho como Piaget, Singer, Paulo Freire e Paro auxiliaram na conceituação de adolescência, valores morais, escola de tempo integral e clima escolar, sendo fundamentais para a contextualização e compreensão do objetivo proposto por este trabalho. O delineamento da pesquisa foi o estudo de caso. Houve a aplicação dos questionários Socioeconômico, Origin/hs, Clima Escolar e Adesão à Valores Morais. Foram feitas observações durante o desenvolvimento da pesquisa que auxiliou no entendimento e elaboração das considerações finais deste trabalho. Os resultados obtidos apresentaram que não há diferença significativa na influência dos diferentes ambientes na formação da adesão dos valores morais dos estudantes, exceto no caso em que exista situações quem os mesmos participem de atividades ou ações em que são protagonistas e consigam perceber e vivenciar situações de aprendizagem que sejam significativas para seu contexto e realidade. Se faz necessário uma reflexão sobre quais objetivos do Projeto de Escola de Tempo Integral são realmente atingidos, haja visto que os resultados significativos apresentados na adesão à valores foram detectados na Escola de Tempo Parcial, onde o estudante fica metade do tempo em atividades escolares comparado à outra modalidade de ensino. Contudo, espera-se que esta pesquisa sirva de base para outros estudos sobre a relação entre Ambiente Escolar e Adesão à Valores, ampliando aqui as discussões aqui iniciadas. / This empirical research aims to investigate two school environments, such as Partial School and Integral School, analyzing which of these has a greater influence on the construction of personal skills of adolescents, especially adherence to moral values. The theoretical references used in the work such as Piaget, Singer, Paulo Freire and Paro helped in the conceptualization of adolescence, moral values, full time school and school climate, being fundamental for the contextualization and understanding of the objective proposed by this work. The research design was based on a case study. The application of the Socioeconomic questionnaires, Origin / hs, School Climate and Adhesion to Moral Values was applied. Observations were made during the development of the research that helped in the understanding and elaboration of the conclusions of this work. The results obtained showed that there is no significant difference in the influence of the different environments in the formation of the adherence of the moral values of the students, except in the case where there are situations who participate in activities or actions in which they are protagonists and can perceive and experience situations of That are meaningful to their context and reality. It is necessary to reflect on what objectives of the Integral School Project are actually achieved, since the significant results presented in adherence to values were detected in the Partial School, where the student spends half the time in school activities compared to another form of education. However, it is hoped that this research will serve as a basis for other studies on the relationship between School Environment and Adhesion to Values, expanding here the discussions initiated here.

The principal’s roles as manager and instructional leader are complementary terms for explaining what s/he does daily in the school to direct the mission towards its fulfilment. However, these roles are often in tension, especially in the context of school self-management. This scenario has led to an overemphasis on routine (administrative) tasks by school managers, leaving them over-worked and with little time to devote their efforts to the core technology of schooling, the most critical and essential responsibility of school management namely, instructional leadership. Employing a qualitative case study approach, this report explored the day-to-day instructional tasks of leaders in two primary schools in the Johannesburg East District in the Gauteng Province. It is argued, in the study, that it is necessary for school principals to distribute, collaborate and involve other SMT members in executing their instructional leadership responsibilities to enhance quality delivery of C2005. The deputy principal and school level HoDs, it is argued, should be the immediate arbiters of the tension between the principal’s functions as manager and instructional leader. They should be enabled and encouraged to create a balance between meeting the school’s educative goals and sharing in the instructional duties of principals. The lack of time and commitment to instructional improvement on the part of principals seriously hampers and compromises their effectiveness, teaching and learning, and student achievement. Consistent with the Department of Education’s policy framework on instructional leadership practices in schools (DoE, 2000), the findings in this study reveal that the effective implementation and reaping the benefits of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) requires collaborative practices among the SMT members (the principal, deputy principal and the heads of departments). This study also found that instructional improvement should be regarded as core to everybody’s job and not as a specialised function for an individual, the principal. This is consistent with Alvarado (in Elmore & Burney, 1997), who asserts that anyone with staff responsibility has the duty to support others directly involved in staff development. The deputy principal, the heads of department and subject heads in primary schools as formal leaders, all have an instructional responsibility to assist the principal in meeting the school’s instructional goals.

The harmful effects of exclusionary disciplinary practices, including its disproportionate impact on Black students, have led to calls for school discipline reform at both the national and state levels. Many have called for the dissolution of zero-tolerance policies and the adoption of alternative methods that can ameliorate their harmful impact. Two reform efforts that have been proffered to address this issue center on school climate and restorative justice (RJ). This study focused on narrow aspects of both: Authoritative School Climate (ASC) and restorative justice readiness (RJR). RJR is defined as the measure of beliefs aligned with foundational RJ principles and values concerning harm, needs, obligations, and engagement. Such alignment can potentially lead to increased buy-in and willingness to implement RJ practices. While a large portion of the RJ literature focuses on implementation of RJ practices, researchers have indicated the challenge of successfully implementing and sustaining RJ in schools where there is a lack of buy-in or staff alignment with the principles and values of RJ. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between Authoritative School Climate, as measured by Disciplinary Structure and Student Support, and the construct Restorative Justice Readiness. A secondary purpose of the study was to develop a reliable instrument that could be used to measure both. A quantitative methodology was chosen for this study. A survey comprised of tested and original items was administered to high school staff at twelve high schools in the Inland Valley of Southern California and yielded a sample of 126. Multiple analyses were conducted. Findings revealed statistically significant relationships between items in each subscale; a five-factor solution, statistically significant relationships between Restorative Justice Readiness and both Disciplinary Structure and Student Support; and finally, that Disciplinary Structure and Student Support were predictors of Restorative Justice Readiness. To turn the tide and create more equitable schools, leaders must work to reform current discipline policies and practices. RJ and school climate are two ways to do so. It is important to ensure staff values and beliefs align with these reform efforts before implementation to increase the likelihood of implementation fidelity and sustainability.

This study examined the significance of perceived parent and teacher support for autonomy and responsiveness, along with perceptions of democratic social organization, in the development of conceptions of children’s rights. Relations between these family and school environments and adolescents’ psychological well-being were also examined and a contrast between urban and rural settings within mainland China was included. Current findings suggest that Chinese adolescents display patterns of children’s rights attitudes similar to those found in Western settings. Different possible pathways of family and school environmental impact on children’s rights attitudes are found and explored. Current findings support psychological models that propose that the promotion of autonomy and responsiveness is critical to adolescents’ psychological well-being across cultures. Moreover, these findings provide strong evidence that features of democratic environments (e.g., mutual respect between parents and children, opportunities for children to express their opinions, shared decision making) are relevant to people in non-Western cultures.

This study examined the significance of perceived parent and teacher support for autonomy and responsiveness, along with perceptions of democratic social organization, in the development of conceptions of children’s rights. Relations between these family and school environments and adolescents’ psychological well-being were also examined and a contrast between urban and rural settings within mainland China was included. Current findings suggest that Chinese adolescents display patterns of children’s rights attitudes similar to those found in Western settings. Different possible pathways of family and school environmental impact on children’s rights attitudes are found and explored. Current findings support psychological models that propose that the promotion of autonomy and responsiveness is critical to adolescents’ psychological well-being across cultures. Moreover, these findings provide strong evidence that features of democratic environments (e.g., mutual respect between parents and children, opportunities for children to express their opinions, shared decision making) are relevant to people in non-Western cultures.