School Climate and Teachers’ Commitment: A Descriptive-Correlational Study
- Reynante U. Gonzales, MAED
- Elizabeth D. Dioso, EdD
- 48-61
- Jul 29, 2024
- Education
School Climate and Teachers’ Commitment: A Descriptive-Correlational Study
Reynante U. Gonzales, MAED1, Elizabeth D. Dioso, EdD2
The Faculty of the Graduate School, Assumption College of Nabunturan, Nabunturan, Davao de Oro
DOI: https://doi.org/10.51584/IJRIAS.2024.907006
Received: 08 June 2024; Accepted: 22 June 2024; Published: 29 July 2024
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to look into the effects of school climate on the teachers’ commitment in Monkayo West District for the school year 2023-2024. Specifically, it sought to: 1) determine the level of school climate; 2.) level of teachers’ commitment towards the school; and 3) determine the significant relationship between school climate and the commitment of teachers. Data were gathered from 134 teachers. Modified questionnaire from Spicer (2016), Dalanon (2018) and Akinwale (2019) was utilized. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics like frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. Findings revealed that there was no significant relationship between school climate and teacher’s commitment. This data suggest that teachers were still committed despite whatever is the school climate there maybe. The school climate does not affect teachers’ commitment in the organization. This indicates further that there were several undertakings that may or may not influence the work commitment of a teacher. As observed, teachers have coped with the school culture that they have had. They were already adjusted on the kind of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination which they have accepted since they stayed in the school for a period of time. It was concluded that teachers’ are so passionate and dedicated to perform their jobs and responsibilities no matter what. These are the teachers who could extend their time without counting the cost since they are already used to it. It is recommended that Department of Education school authorities should regularly orient and train teachers on how to effectively foster positive school climate especially on the areas of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination. Strategic interventions may be designed so that teacher’s work commitment and performance may continually improve over time and proper orientation should be conducted especially for those newly hired teachers.
Keywords: School Climate, Commitment, and Work Performance
INTRODUCTION
The Problem and Its Background
School climate plays a crucial part in defining what an effective school seems to be. It would determine the direction of the school to achieve its vision and mission, goals and objectives. It is essential for the school organization to check the perception of the teachers about the school climate since it would affect their school performance and commitment. Similarly, a school climate ensures a congenial work environment for the employees to keep them motivated for a long time, increasing their level of endurance to deal with stressful work pressures and the result reveals in the increase of productivity of the employees as well as the school as a whole whereas negative school climate demotivates employees making them feel disconnected with the interest of the school. When employees are valued and rewarded for their hard work and given recognition, they feel motivated to work hard to achieve the goals of the school organization (Huang & Cornell, 2016).
There was a study conducted in Indonesia by Rahmatulla (2018) that investigated the relationship between learning effectiveness, teacher competence and performance. The study’s aim was to compare teacher performance and competence. The findings revealed that teachers are not performing well because of the limited factors relating to learning effectiveness. Teachers indicated that, teaching alone is not enough, it needs the complementarily of learning environment and motivation factors which would lead to teacher commitment and high performance.
In the study of Manla (2020) that was conducted in the congressional district of Bohol, Philippines revealed that school climate is related to teachers’ commitment and school performance. These findings have significant implications for the implementation of change in schools, motivation, productivity, well-being, and learner achievement. Teachers learn when there is a school-wide culture of quality improvement that encourages creativity, teamwork, and the confidence needed to enable teachers to try out new teaching methods. Further, it was explained by Manla (2020) that school climate affects the forms of commitment of teachers. Teachers receiving administrative support are more likely to be committed to the school’s goals and values. As a result, commitment is linked to the organization’s quality of life. Teaching is a profession so concerned about commitment. The quality of education rests mainly on the commitment of teachers who guide and carry most of the tasks and activities of education. Organizational commitment consists of the factors such as the teacher’s beliefs and acceptance of the school’s goals and values; their enthusiasm to exert effort on behalf of the school; as well as a deep desire to remain a part of the school.
In Mokayo West District where the research would like to embark on this study observes that teachers are complaining about the overburden of tasks and are bombarded with so many paper works and other functions to perform outside of their teaching loads. Others plan to venture to other countries to teach when in fact these teachers were already serving the department for a quite long time already. Others also are uncooperative with the implementation of the programs set by the school and they lack the enthusiasm to teach which eventually leads to delayed submission of necessary documents. It is on this context that the study will be conducted to determine whether the school climate affects the teachers’ commitment in Monkayo West District for the school year 2023-2024.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This presents the review of related literature and studies which are found relevant to the present investigation. This related literatures and studies help the discussion of the results which strengthens the analysis and interpretation of the data.
School Climate. The word “school climate” is a metaphor that requires a more concrete conceptual basis. The meteorological climate of a region, on the other hand, refers to the weather patterns that define the area and set it apart from other regions.
Analogously, the concept of school climate refers to the patterns of daily social interactions in the school that distinguish it from other schools. The school’s climate should be distinguishable from other elements of the school environment, such as the psychosocial school atmosphere, and the inter-group interactions that affect student learning and school functioning (Cornell & Huang, 2018).
There is little consensus on the definition of school climate. Wang and Degol (2017) posited that school climate includes academic, community, safety, and institutional environment dimensions that “encompass just about every feature of the school environment that impacts cognitive, behavioral, and psychological development.” This approach equates school climate with all aspects of the school environment. For example, academic climate goes beyond the overall quality of the academic atmosphere to include curricula, instruction, teacher training, and professional development. Institutional environment broadly includes physical characteristics, such as the heating and lighting in the school, as well as the adequacy of school supplies. It is difficult to differentiate school climate from other school characteristics with such a broad description of school climate. An alternative view is that qualities such as teacher training and professional development can be regarded as important background characteristics that influence teachers but are not necessarily part of the school climate. Similarly, physical qualities and resources of the school would be outside the conceptual boundary of its climate, in much the same way that the physical qualities of a building would be distinguishable from its meteorological climate. A narrower conception of school climate would focus on the interpersonal interactions that take place in a school, as distinguished from physical attributes, such as the quality of the historical variables, such as how teachers were educated, or the school building.
Teachers Commitment. Supovitz et al. (2019) found that great leaders act through emotions and they act as emotional guides of employees in the organization. To implement the vision, leaders motivate, direct, inspire, listen, persuade. It is important to know that emotions that are prevalent in people at work most directly reflect the quality of work life. The percentage of time in which people experience positive emotions at work is very large, and in this sense, managers who spread negative rather than positive energy, are simply bad for the organization.
The measuring of school climate begins with series of question items such as: How do people feel in the organization, what areas in the school are perceived as problematic and what is the most important aspect to consider when implementing interventions and changes. According to Forehand and Gilmer (2019), climate consists of a set of characteristics that describe an organization, distinguish it from other organizations that are relatively enduring over time and influence the behavior of individuals within and outside an organization.
Teachers have the most interaction with students during the day, despite the fact that school principals make the most decisions. Their professional attitudes may have a positive or negative impact on the student and the school. Teachers with a strong teaching passion and a positive attitude have a significant positive impact on students and the school, while teachers with a negative attitude have a negative impact on students and the school. Educational leaders face the task of reversing certain teachers’ negative attitudes and restoring a healthy morale in which teachers want to have a positive impact on student achievement (Lacks & Watson, 2018).
Statement of the Problem
This study aimed to determine the level of school climate and teachers commitment 5 schools in Monkayo West District with 134 teacher respondents. Specifically, this endeavor sought to answer the following questions:
1. What is the level of school climate in terms of:
1.1 professional collaboration,
1.2 collegiality, and
1.2 self-determination?
2. What is the level of teachers’ commitment towards the school?
3. Is there a significant relationship between school climate and commitment of teachers?
METHODS
This chapter presents the research design, the research locale, the respondents of the study, the research instrument, validation of the instrument, data gathering procedure and the statistical tools to be used in the analysis of the obtained data.
Research Design
This study utilized quantitative descriptive-correlational research. This design involves description, recording, analysis, and interpretation of recent nature, and composition of process of phenomena (Valeña, 2015). Quantitative approach is employed since this research will define the research questions based on the trends in the field of research site (Creswell, 2012). The quantitative approach is used if the researcher would like to explain why something occurs.
Research Respondents
The respondents in this study were the 134 public secondary teachers in Monkayo West District of Davao de Oro Division during the school year 2023-2024. Table 1 presents thechosen schools with the corresponding number of teachers. There were five public secondary schools namely Awao National High School, New Kapatagan National High School, Casoon National High School, Monkayo National High School, and Monkayo Senior High School with a total population of 134 teachers. To calculate the required sample respondents of the study, universal sampling was used meaning all the teachers from the five identified schools were taken as the respondents of this study.
Table 1 Distribution of Respondents
Name of School | Total No. of Respondents |
Awao NHS | 13 |
Casoon NHS | 16 |
New Kapatagan | 12 |
Monkayo NHS | 53 |
Monkayo SHS | 40 |
Total | 134 |
Research Instrument
The instrument utilized in this study was a modified and adapted from the study of Chioma (2017) entitled An Investigation of the Relationship between School Culture and Leadership Behavior on Organizational Commitment. The questionnaire consisted of two major parts: first, on school climate and the second was on the commitment of the teachers. While the school climate had three components: professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination.
Methods of Data Acquisition
Seeking permission to conduct the study, Assumption College of Nabunturan (ACN) endorsed to Division Office of Nabunturan. Then, the researcher drafted a letter of permission addressed to the OIC-Schools Division Superintendent through HR department, upon the approval of the OIC-Schools Division Superintendent, the researcher handed another letter to the PSDS of Monkayo District and to the principal or school head.
The researcher approached the adviser and asked teacher’s permission as the respondents of the study. Once the questionnaire was retrieved, all responses were recorded, tabulated, analyzed, and treated with utmost confidentiality.
Statistical Treatment of Data
The data collected were analyzed and interpreted using the following statistical tools:
For problems 1 and 2, descriptive statistics was used such as frequency distribution, percentage, mean, and standard deviation to describe respondent’s commitment and the level of school climate in terms of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination.
For problem 3, Pearson r was used to determine the relationship between school climate and the commitment of teachers.
RESULTS
This chapter presents the results, analysis and interpretation of the data gathered from the survey questionnaires given to the respondents to assess the school climate affecting the teachers’ commitment in Monkayo West District during the School Year 2023-2024.
Level of School Climate
A. Professional Collaboration. The table below shows the level of school climate in terms of professional collaboration.
Table 2 Professional Collaboration
A. Professional Collaboration | Mean | SD | Description |
1. Teachers and staff work together to develop school schedule. | 3.41 | 0.51 | Very High |
2. Teachers and staff discuss instructional strategies and curriculum issues. | 3.53 | 0.49 | Very High |
3. Teachers and staff are involved in the decision-making process with regard to materials and resources | 3.60 | 0.42 | Very High |
4. The student behavior code is a result of collaboration and consensus among staff. | 3.20 | 0.53 | High |
5. The planning and organizational time allotted to teachers and staff is used to plan as collective teams rather than as separate individuals. | 3.60 | 0.42 | Very High |
Overall | 3.46 | 0.48 | Very High |
B. Collegiality. It is indicated in Table 3 the level of school climate in terms of collegiality.
Table 3 Collegiality
B. Collegiality | Mean | SD | Description |
1. Teachers and staff tell stories of celebrations that support the school’s values. | 3.31 | 0.48 | Very High |
2. Teachers and staff visit/talk/meet outside of the school to enjoy each other’s company. | 3.19 | 0.49 | High |
3. Our school reflects a true sense of community. | 3.63 | 0.31 | Very High |
Our school schedule reflects frequent communication opportunities for teachers and staff. | 3.40 | 0.47 | Very High |
4. Our school supports and appreciates the sharing of new ideas by all the members. | 3.63 | 0.31 | Very High |
5. There is a rich and robust tradition of rituals and celebrations including holidays, special events and recognition of goal attainment. | 3.54 | 0.45 | Very High |
Overall | 3.45 | 0.46 | Very High |
C. Self-Determination. Revealed in Table 4 is the level of school climate in terms of self-determination.
Table 4 Self-Determination
C. Self-Determination/Efficacy | Mean | SD | Description |
When something is not working in our school the faculty and staff predict and prevent than react and repair. | 3.35 | 0.50 | Very High |
School members are interdependent and value each other. | 3.50 | 0.48 | Very High |
Members of the school community seek alternatives to problems/issues rather than repeating what we have always done. | 3.50 | 0.48 | Very High |
Members of our school community seek to define the problems/issues rather than blame others. | 3.01 | 0.56 | High |
The school staff is empowered to make decisions rather than waiting for supervisors to tell them what to do. | 3.33 | 0.52 | Very High |
People work here because they enjoy and choose to be here. | 3.18 | 0.53 | High |
Overall | 3.31 | 0.511 | Very High |
Level of Teachers’ Commitment
Teachers’ Commitment. It is presented in the table below the level of commitment of teachers.
Table 5 Level of Commitment of Teachers
Teachers Commitment | Mean | SD | Description |
1. I do not feel like part of a family at the school where I am in. | 1.70 | 1.10 | Low |
2. I feel emotionally attached to this school. | 3.07 | 0.56 | High |
3. Working at this school has a great deal of personal meaning for me | 3.60 | 0.41 | Very High |
4. I feel a strong sense of belonging to this school. | 3.21 | 0.53 | High |
5. This school does not deserve my loyalty. | 3.23 | 0.49 | High |
6. I am proud to tell others that I work at this school. | 3.60 | 0.41 | Very High |
7. I would be happy to work at this school until I retire. | 3.12 | 0.59 | High |
8. I am not concerned about what might happen if I left this school without having another position-lined up. | 3.16 | 0.51 | High |
9. It would be very hard for me to leave this school right now, even if I wanted to. | 3.26 | 0.52 | Very High |
10. It would not be too costly for me to leave this school now. | 3.33 | 0.56 | Very High |
11. Right now, staying with this school is a matter of necessity. | 3.42 | 0.59 | Very High |
12. I do not feel any obligation to remain with this school. | 3.28 | 0.63 | Very High |
13. Too much in my life would be disrupted if I decided I wanted to leave this school. | 3.30 | 0.54 | Very High |
14. I would feel guilty if I left the school now. | 3.11 | 0.61 | High |
15. I owe a great deal to this school. | 3.17 | 0.54 | High |
Overall | 3.170 | 0.54 | High |
Significant Relationship between School Climate and Commitment of Teachers
Table 6 Significant Relationship between School Climate and Teachers’ Commitment
Variables | Pearson’s r | p-value | Remarks |
School Climate | 0.066 | 0.446 | Not Significant |
Teachers Commitment |
DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION
This chapter confers the discussions, conclusion, and recommendations drawn from the results of the data gathered. The presentation of the study follows the organization of the statements of the problem of the study.
Discussions
Level of School Climate. As perceived by the teacher respondents, professional collaboration was rated very high. This means that teachers were very positive of their professional collaboration. This further means that fostering very positive professional collaboration is important for the success of the goals and objectives of the school. As observed, teachers fulfilled their obligations since they have nurtured desirable undertakings to involve the co-teachers and staff and together achieve their dreams. They have made co-teachers’ journey in school fruitful and meaningful. Fostering positive professional collaboration climate for teachers is important. As posited by Kraft, Marinell & Yee (2016), an effective school enables leaders to help teachers fulfill their academic and personal potential. Teachers in schools where the school climate was improving increased their academic achievement gains.
Furthermore, teachers in general treated their co-teachers fairly at all times. This shows that fostering equity in the classroom not only earns respect for the teacher, but also gives students a sense of security and confidence in others. As can be seen, teachers have tried to be fair at all times, recognizing that a climate based on justice, trust, and respect would benefit everyone on the school grounds.
As opined by Saitz (2020) every leader needs to know that they have the same opportunities to succeed, and their teacher appreciated them. This is important for boosting students’ self-motivation and self-esteem. The need to consistently provide fair appreciation essentially provides motivation and caring environment for students and colleagues in the academe.
In addition, it was also revealed that teachers did very high modification on the classroom tasks that the learners should accomplish for a day. This implies that few tasks were given, and teachers considered their capabilities on the assignment provided. This also indicates that leaders did not provide burden but essential learning to be studied upon. As argued by Maharaj-Sharma and Sharma (2016), leaders need to think carefully about the planning and organizing to attain the common goal they have given to teachers. In particular, they need to carefully consider the purpose for which they have assigned and when they do not assign homework, that it shall be well-aligned to the classroom learning experience in terms of learning outcomes and challenge levels. Most importantly, school leaders need to provide meaningful feedback to teachers for their assignment efforts. Assignment shall be given not to burden but emphasize its essentiality and the learning it will provide that benefits the learners.
Positive professional collaboration climate is, in general, the product of a concerted effort between school principals, teachers, stakeholders, and students. To maintain its effectiveness, key personnel must closely follow school procedures, adhere to school guidelines, and perform unique tasks for each member of the school group. Creating a positive climate does not happen immediately. As noticed, positive school climate was a product of school principals and teachers’ teamwork and perseverance. They have remediated several ways to consistently experience the culture of understanding and positivity.
This result supports Payne (2018), that teachers in a school with a positive and communal climate experience higher level of efficacy, morale, and satisfaction. If teachers feel that they belonged to a competent school climate, they perform better. This is a result of school administrators’ leadership styles and open-mindedness, and it indicates good academic success.
Results on collegiality revealed an overall mean rating of 3.45 which is described as very high. This means that the teacher respondents had very high assessment on collegiality. The have ensured that all the time teachers fostered positive social climate among their co-teachers and staff. This also indicates that they have promoted a social interaction to better learning outcomes. As observed, a responsive and respectful social interaction at school can motivate learners from diverse or disadvantaged backgrounds to participate actively in the educative process and to achieve good results in academic assessments.
As opined by Kraft and Falken (2020), teachers play an important role in creating a collective culture where students believe they are capable of meeting high standards. In this way, a strong professional environment for teachers facilitates a strong learning environment for students, and vice-versa. Academic success and social-emotional growth are also aided by cultivating environments in which students feel like they belong and are respected members of the group.
In particular, the teacher respondents have very high concern on making sure that all internal and external stakeholders are well-aware and informed about matters regarding school policies that may directly or indirectly involve them. Rules and regulations in a school are important, for these enable discipline for students, make a school orderly, and maintain the quality of the school. The main reason why schools have rules and regulations is to discipline students. These regulations enable students to behave well inside the school premises. As posited by Ulla (2018), school policies are set of rules and principles, adopted for ease of governance within the school. It is fundamentally important for the school to have implementable policies, as it forms a linking pin between the school management, teachers, students, parents, and the rule of law. A school without policy is a school without control. Hence, teachers during the parent-teacher conferences and assembly including homeroom meeting must ensure the parents, students and other stakeholders are oriented with the school policies and what are the sanctions if they fail to obey these policies.
Further, the teacher respondents have very high value in encouraging their pupils to join extra-curricular activities. This is important because in this way students can also build their skills outside the classroom. Extracurricular activities are great for developing general academic and soft skills; think debating for public speaking, academic competitions for exam strategies and sport for teamwork. According to Naik (2018), extra-curricular activities are important for the overall development of students. Although, some parents feel that extra-curricular activities will distract their children from their academic studies, extracurricular activities are utmost important in a student’s life. Students who get involved in extra activities meet new people and because of that their social skills are improved.
Generally, collegiality can be achieved through collaboration with school administrators, parents, teachers, and students. This is more on honing an individual to become more adept in daily life activities. This should involve creativity, open-mindedness, determination, and willingness to learn in every aspect of the school competitions and academic opportunities. It is one of the child’s social needs to be able to learn at their own potentials guided by the teachers’ expertise and knowledge.
The overall data on self-determination were rated very high as indicated by the overall mean of 3.31 means that the teacher respondents evaluated the school climate as very high. They make the self-determination/ efficacy healthy and conducive for the teachers and learners to foster better learning outcomes as well as good behavior. Implies that to foster better learning outcomes as well as good behavior, teachers should prioritize an environment which is friendly and comfortable to students. Indicates that desirable self-determination/efficacy affects learners’ morale and learning.
As it is vital, the self-determination/ efficacy affects the morale of every teacher and student. Teacher may also include students in creating the physical environment that can enhance conducive environment that would increase the interest of the students and give them a sense of empowerment. As supported by Tapia-Fonllem, et al., (2020), the creation of a self-efficacy is important for the development of students’ abilities. The specific characteristics of the classroom’s physical environment are related to student satisfaction, attitudes, and evaluation of the quality of the subject. Thus, self-determination/efficacy affects learners’ self-esteem, morale, and learning. To sustain positive classroom physical environment, teachers should maintain positive discipline and sustainable management techniques (Fraser, 2015; Han, Moon & Lee, 2019).
The data also revealed that the teacher respondents made very high improvements of their classroom as to its cleanliness and orderliness. They have organized and cleaned well for their students to feel comfortable inside their classroom. This also suggests that a clean workplace means a healthy and safe workplace. As observed, teachers posted schedule for cleaning and physical arranging of the classroom materials and equipment. In this way, teachers can emphasize the importance of leadership in little ways.
Hence, DepEd teachers at all times need to consider that clean and organized working environment is an important aspect for promoting their health and well-being as well as their school productivity. Raesgo (2015), providing a clean work environment helps in maintaining the well-being of employees. In a workplace where litter and waste are disposed of correctly and surfaces are cleaned regularly, employees take fewer days of sick leave, which results in improved overall productivity.
In addition, the result also revealed that the respondents gave very high on adequate facilities that may reinforce their teaching and students learning. Since the teachers and students benefited from the school resources, it is empirical that classroom environment should be favorable for the students to learn. DepEd has provided resources for instruction and students’ consumption. Teachers have experienced yearly the provision of several materials needed in the classroom that will be utilized for instruction. This is one way of coping with the physical needs of each learner. School principals as in-charge of the budget allocation to sustain the physical environment were looking forward for consistent collaboration on the realization of the school projects in relation to admirable physical ambiance. As argued by Andrews (2019), the quality of school facilities affects students in two ways. Firstly, a lack of facilities limits the ability of a student to achieve various learning and extra curricula activities. Secondly, a lack of facilities has a negative impact on a teachers’ job satisfaction, which undermines their motivation to teach. Hence, DepEd should allocate sufficient funds on school and classroom facilities because they are vital for the students and teachers.
Level of Teachers Commitment. Teachers’ commitment and work performance contributed to positive school climate. Teachers’ commitment towards school should be undertaken to find out if what specific indicator of teachers’ commitment would significantly contribute to their actual performance. The result of this investigation will further justify and substantiate the worth of each variable. More so, school administrators will be guided on what materials should be intensified and be eliminated since it will affect the commitment of the teachers. It was revealed that the level of commitment of teachers is described as high which means that the respondents have high commitment to serve their school.
According to Aslamiah (2019), teacher’s organizational commitment had been found to affect their quality of work, and productivity. In reality, educating children require not only extensive training, practice, and skills, but a number of personal commitments that teachers must embrace if they are to succeed in the field and ultimately leave a positive and lasting impression on their students. This indicates that they are optimistic about their schools’ potential prospects in the coming years. This also means that as a school stakeholder, they are able to discuss and be optimistic about the future. They also show optimistic attitudes toward accepting whatever the future will hold. This is in consonance with the study of Williams, Kern, and Waters (2016) whom they found that as employees develop positive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, they become more open to recognizing the virtuousness in others and in the learning organizations as a whole, as well as influence colleagues to behave in similar ways. In other words, educators who experience positive attitudes at work tend to have positive attitudes towards their work.
Therefore, mistakes are seen as natural elements of learning and reflection process. Teachers were generally pleased with the school’s progress and hopeful about its future. They are convinced that the school will assist them in their personal future. Educators had high hopes that the stakeholders would still be supportive of school programs. The school will become more convivial, prolific, and 82 trustworthy as a child-friendly learning atmosphere as a result of strong camaraderie and consistent cooperation with stakeholders.
Significant Relationship between School Climate and Teachers’ Commitment. There is no significant relationship between school climate and teacher’s commitment. This data suggest that teachers were still committed despite whatever is the school climate there maybe. The school climate does not affect teachers’ commitment in the organization. This indicates further that there were several undertakings that may or may not influence the work commitment of a teacher. As observed, teachers have coped with the school culture that they have had. They were already adjusted on the kind of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination which they have accepted since they stayed in the school for a period of time. As observed, they have been so passionate and dedicated on their job.
The result is contradictory on the findings of Collie and Perry (2020) that positive school climates (professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination) significantly predicted three forms of teacher commitment: greater general professional commitment, future professional commitment, and organizational commitment. Of the school climate variables, relations and collaboration among staff predicted commitment in a professional collaboration. In addition, stronger beliefs and integration of social emotional learning predicted two types of teacher commitment: greater general professional and commitment and organizational commitment. Of the social emotional learning variables, the support and promotion of a social emotional learning culture across the school and comfort with and regular implementation of social emotional learning in the classroom predicted greater teacher commitment.
As a summary, school climate in terms of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination generally do not affect teachers’ commitment in school. This has to do with teachers’ leadership and how they connect with their environment to achieve commitment.
Conclusions
Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that:
School climate is observed as a social characteristic of a school in terms of relationships among students, teachers, and stakeholders with learning and teaching emphasis on values and norms, and shared approaches and practices. School administrators and teachers collaboratively worked as a team to have exceptional performance that would eventually affect excellent academic outcomes. They worked collaboratively and committedly to attain a positive school climate with shared undertakings. School principals have viewed school climate as beneficial to teachers and students. However, in this study, it was found out that the school climate with the three indicators: professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination and efficacy did not found to be significant factors to affect the commitment of teachers. In other words these teachers are so passionate and dedicated to perform their jobs and responsibilities no matter what. These are the teachers who could extend their time without counting the cost since they are already used to it.
RECOMMENDATIONS
On the basis of the findings and conclusions of the study, the following recommendations are hereby offered:
- DepEd school authorities should regularly orient and train teachers on how to effectively foster positive school climate especially on the areas of professional collaboration, collegiality, and self-determination. Strategic interventions may be designed so that teacher’s work commitment and performance may continually improve over time and proper orientation should be conducted especially for those newly hired teachers.
- School heads should conduct school climate practices that may in turn to be developmental and not evaluative. Although, in this study, teachers possess a very positive attitude towards school climate, there is still a need to regularly train school teachers on effective school climate supervision for teachers. They need to continually motivate teachers to pursue graduate education.
- Teachers should improve work performance guided by school administrators’ strategic interventions. They should sustain a school climate effective to improving their commitment and motivation. They should develop researches and innovations that focus on improving quality academic outcomes.
- Stakeholders should consistently support the school programs, projects and related undertakings to sustain the existing positive school climate. Their full commitment and support will lead to exceptional school, teachers, and student’s performance.
- Students should realize that they are the primary concern of the school. They should stay inspiring to their classmates and friends. They should always give importance to their studies through abiding religiously the school rules and regulations.
- Parallel studies of future researchers should be conducted with the same concept; however, perceptions of other stakeholders may also be considered as well as determining its impact on students’ achievement.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
First, I thank the Almighty Father for the wisdom, courage and strength he has given me to be able to survive in this academic journey.
The completion of this study is not possible without the expertise of these generous people in terms of their expertise, time and resources.
To my adviser, Elizabeth D. Dioso, EdD., thank you so much ma’am for sharing your expertise and for guiding me all throughout my journey in the pursuit of this study.
To my panelist Roel P. Villocino, EdD, Romulo G. Doronio, PhD. and Delfin G. Enargan, MA for your comments and suggestions to make this study better.
To our District Supervisor and colleagues, for being kind and considerate.
To the participants of this study, the school heads of Awao National High School, New Kapatagan National High School, Casoon National High School, Monkayo Senior High School, and Monkayo National High School, thank you so much for the time and effort you have given for the success of this study.
To my wife, Emay A. Gonzales, and my daughters, Ahrian Grace Gonzales and Atasha Gonzales, for the unending love, support and understanding that kept me motivated to finish my study.
Lastly, thank you to all the people who have been part of this study and who contributed a lot for the success of this study. To God be all the Glory!
Reynante U. Gonzales
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AUTHOR
REYNANTE U. GONZALES, MAED in Educational Administration
ELIZABETH D. DIOSO, EdD Co-Author
The Faculty of the Graduate School, Assumption College of Nabunturan, Nabunturan, Davao de Oro