Elementary school climate through teachers’ eyes: Portuguese adaptation of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Revised for Elementary schools

Strong links have been observed between professionals’ occupational health and their perceived organizational climate. However, in Portugal, one of the European Union countries where teachers present higher levels of occupational stress, no measures have been found to assess perceived school climate in elementary-school teachers. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric qualities of the Portuguese adaptation of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Revised for Elementary Schools (OCDQ-RE). To test its factor structure, 687 elementary-school teachers (85.2% female, M(Age) = 46.15 years, SD(Age) = 8.88) completed the Portuguese OCDQ-RE. An additional sample of 81 participants (96.3% female, M(Age) = 46.21 years, SD(Age) = 4.82) responded at two points in time and completed external measures, ensuring test-retest reliability and validity analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the hypothesized factor structure. Coefficient omegas suggested adequate internal consistency of the composites. Adequate test-retest reliability was sustained through high correlation scores between the two data collection waves. Evidence of discriminant validity against external measures was also observed. Despite the need for further studies, the results support the adequacy and reliability of the Portuguese OCDQ-RE which may be an important research and intervention resource.