Teachers' views on open school climate

Abstract

This research aimed to determine teachers' thoughts about the open school climate in the schools where they work. The relational screening method, which is within the quantitative research design, was used in the research. The research sample consists of 517 teachers working in schools in Turkey in the 2023-2024 academic year. The "School Climate Scale" was used to determine participants' opinions. Within the scope of the research, distributions of teachers' demographic factors and their participation in scale expressions were determined. Statistical differences were analyzed between the participants' gender, school type, length of time working with the current principal, and statements. Since the research data were not normally distributed, non-parametric tests were used. Mann-Whitney U Test was used for the averages of two independent groups. Kruskal Wallis H Test was used for the averages of more than two independent groups, and the results were interpreted. According to the research findings, teachers' positive open climate views do not change according to gender and the duration of their employment with the principal, and the relevant hypotheses were rejected. A statistically significant difference was detected between the participants' views on school type and open climate. Accordingly, teachers working in primary schools have more favourable opinions about their schools' open school climate than other types of schools.