The OCDQ an Application and Some Implications

Abstract

This article discusses an application of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire in a particular research situation and presents a critique of the instrument as a research tool.

Teaching Experience: Its Effect on School Climate, Teacher Morale

“…Those who have tried to validate it tend to support the factorial structure of the instrument, but the categories of climate (open to closed) have come under considerable suspicion (Watkins, 1968).…”

Innovations in Curriculum and Administration School Climate and Other Factors in Greek Primary Schools:their Relationship and Impact on Students' Outcomes

“…This means that the organisational climate of schools has been conceptualised as an aspect of the social system dimension in a variety of studies. These either sought to determine the adequacy of a given conceptualisation as a descriptor of climate (Brown, 1965;Halpin and Croft, 1963;Hall, 1972 ) or examined the extent to which climate is associated not only with other aspects of the school social system (Kanner, 1974;Licata and Willower, 1975), but also with other types of school characteristics (Watkins, 1968;Thomas, 1976;Witkoskie, 1991) or with school achievement (Miller, 1968).…”

“…Among the most important weaknesses reported by different researchers have been the length of the questionnaire, the narrowness of conceptualisation and measurement and inconsistent findings (Miskel and Ogawa, 1988). The invalidity of some items, such as aloofness, the lack of underlying logic in its dimensions, ambiguity and vagueness of the middle climate, and the dilemma as to whether climate is a categorical or a continuous variable were identified as serious weaknesses by many scholars (Silver, 1983, Andrews, 1965Brown, 1964;Watkins, 1968;Thomas, 1976;Thomas and Slater, 1972;Brady, 1985;Feldvebel, 1964;Hayes, 1973;Cheng, 1991).…”