The development and validation of an instrument to measure selected support staff's perception of school climate

Abstract

The most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this manuscript from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly &om the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer.The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afifect reproduction.In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion.Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand corner and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book.

An examination of school climate as it relates to the classified staff

“…Several differences were reported in the cohesiveness, esprit, and goal orientation of the job categories within the classified staff. This finding is consistent with Willingham's (1990) research. There were some interesting and somewhat baffling findings regarding these differences in climate among job categories.…”

“…This literature review will address research directly related to the present investigation. Inherent in this review are syntheses from Anderson's (1985) investigation of school climate and related research by Pinckney (1982) and Willingham (1990).…”

“…(2) cohesiveness; and (3) esprit. These three climate dimensions have been identified as the most powerful indicators to explain the overall climate perception of the staff and have been linked to high student achievement in a number of studies (Pinckney, 1982;Willingham, 1990). Pinckney (1982) found that "goal orientation, cohesiveness, and esprit are interactive phenomena."…”

Self-reported measures of work satisfaction, receptivity towards organizational change, and ratings of quality management initiatives of campus facilities' workers in the state universities of Iowa

“…Custodian -an individual who is responsible for maintaining building areas to be clean, safe, attractive, and comfortable (Willingham, 1990).…”

“…As some custodial workers have limited reading skills, future research should attempt to improve the instrument's readability. Using the Fry's readability formula (cited in Willingham, 1990) could be one approach to improve the instrument's readability so that even custodial workers with lower levels of education do not misinterpret items. This would potentially enhance the reliability of all or parts of the instrument.…”