Kim Ha Yeon, Schwartz Kate, Cappella Elise, Seidman Edward
Department of Applied Psychology, New York University, 246 Greene Street, New York, NY, 10003, USA,
Am J Community Psychol. 2014 Sep;54(1-2):28-45. doi: 10.1007/s10464-014-9659-x.
During early adolescence, most public school students undergo school transitions, and many students experience declines in academic performance and social-emotional well-being. Theories and empirical research have highlighted the importance of supportive school environments in promoting positive youth development during this period of transition. Despite this, little is known about the proximal social and developmental contexts of the range of middle grade public schools US students attend. Using a cross-sectional dataset from the eighth grade wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort 1998-1999, the current study examines the middle grade school social context from the perspectives of administrators and teachers in public schools with typical grade configurations (k-8 schools, middle schools, and junior high schools) and how it relates to students' perceptions of school climate. We find that administrators and teachers in k-8 schools perceive a more positive school social context, controlling for school structural and demographic characteristics. This school social context, in turn, is associated with students' perceptions of their schools' social and academic climate. Implications for educational policy and practice are discussed.
在青春期早期，大多数公立学校的学生都会经历学校过渡，许多学生的学业成绩和社会情感幸福感会下降。理论和实证研究都强调了支持性学校环境在这一过渡时期促进青少年积极发展方面的重要性。尽管如此，对于美国学生就读的各类初中公立学校的近端社会和发展背景，我们知之甚少。本研究利用1998 - 1999年幼儿园队列儿童纵向研究八年级的数据，从具有典型年级配置的公立学校（K - 8学校、初中和初中）的管理人员和教师的角度，考察初中学校的社会背景，以及它与学生对学校氛围的认知之间的关系。我们发现，在控制学校结构和人口特征的情况下，K - 8学校的管理人员和教师认为学校社会背景更为积极。反过来，这种学校社会背景与学生对学校社会和学术氛围的认知相关。本文还讨论了对教育政策和实践的启示。
