Perception and predictors of school climate among Jordanian adolescents

BACKGROUND: School climate has great effects on adolescents’ outcomes. It offers possible protective or harmful sets of factors that have significant contributions to adolescents’ health, development, and academic outcomes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate adolescents’ perception of school climate and its predictors. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used to recruit a convenient sample of 567 students with mean age of 14.6 years. Health Behavior in School-Aged Children questionnaire subscales of perceived school climate, peer support, and teacher support were used to collect data. Descriptive, parametric, bivariate, and regression analysis tests were used in the analyses of the study data. RESULTS: The study showed that less than half of the students felt that they belonged to their schools. One-third of responding students were involved in making rules. Perceived academic performance, adolescents’ age, peer support, and teacher support were the predictors of school climate. Significant differences existed between adolescents’ perception of school climate in relation to age, gender, and perceived academic performance. CONCLUSION: Some aspects of school climate should be further addressed by the school nurse, policy makers, and school administrators in order to improve Jordanian adolescents’ outcomes in term of their developmental needs and academic performance.