Academic Optimism of Schools: A Force for Student Achievement

Abstract

Researchers have been challenged to go beyond socioeconomic status in the search for school-level characteristics that make a difference in student achievement. The purpose of the present study was to identify a new construct, academic optimism, and then use it to explain student achievement while controlling for socioeconomic status, previous achievement, and urbanicity. The study focused on a diverse sample of 96 high schools. A random sample of teachers from each school provided data on the school’s academic optimism, and student achievement scores and demographic characteristics were obtained from the state department of education. A confirmatory factor analysis and hypothesis tests were conducted simultaneously via structural equation modeling. As predicted, academic optimism made a significant contribution to student achievement after controlling for demographic variables and previous achievement. The findings support the critical nature of academic optimism.

The Impact of School Climate and Teacher Quality on Mathematics Achievement: A Difference-in-Differences Approach

“…One such key aspect is academic climate. Hoy and colleagues (see for example Hoy et al 2006) have published a number of studies on this dimension of school climate. Based on reviews of previous research, they merged three dimensions of academic climate, namely collective efficacy, faculty trust in parents and students, and academic emphasis, into one latent variable they called academic optimism.…”

“…This construct has been shown to have high reliability (Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014) and strong predictive power across almost all countries participating in TIMSS 2011 (Martin et al 2013). Conceptually, SEAS reflects the collective beliefs, capability and trust among the members of the school institution (namely, students, parents, teachers, and school leaders) (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014). Schools with high levels of SEAS promote a clear priority of and ambition for academic success (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013).…”

“…Conceptually, SEAS reflects the collective beliefs, capability and trust among the members of the school institution (namely, students, parents, teachers, and school leaders) (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014). Schools with high levels of SEAS promote a clear priority of and ambition for academic success (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013). SEAS comprises teachers' beliefs in their own capabilities, schools trust in parents and students, and teachers' expectations for students' success.…”

“…A number of studies within this field have demonstrated that students' educational outcomes are influenced by school climate (Creemers and Kyriakides 2010;Hoy et al 2006;Thapa et al 2013;Wang and Degol 2015). An important aspect of school climate is school emphasis on academic success (SEAS) (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014). Conceptually SEAS reflects a clear priority of and ambition for academic success (Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014).…”

“…1, studies within the field of educational effectiveness research have provided valuable information about explanatory factors that are likely to influence educational outcomes. A number of studies within this field have demonstrated that students' educational outcomes are influenced by school climate (Creemers and Kyriakides 2010;Hoy et al 2006;Thapa et al 2013;Wang and Degol 2015). An important aspect of school climate is school emphasis on academic success (SEAS) (Hoy et al 2006;Martin et al 2013;Nilsen and Gustafsson 2014).…”