Characteristics of School Environment

Education and the school environment are one of the three primary agents of socialization where children and adolescents spend most of their time over any other environment. With this in mind, it is very important that everything about the school environment rears positive outcomes for children and adolescents because they spend most of their time there. This essay will explore the topic of the characteristics of school environments that promote positive student outcomes and the studies that suggest the importance of these characteristics. Some of the characteristics that will be discussed as sub-topics will be the importance of the classroom climate, the teacher-student relationship, the socio-emotional climate of the classroom, school organizational structure, teaching and learning environment and student connectedness to the school. If the school environment is positive and students feel safe and supported, they are more likely to do well and achieve their full potential.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The quality of the classroom setting is one characteristic of school environment that promotes positive outcomes for students. The climate of the classroom is seen as a major determinant of the behaviour and learning of students. It contributes to the academic success of students and predicts the degree to which they participate in learning, how consistently they attend school, how attentive they are in class, how carefully they complete assignment and how committed they are to staying in school and doing well (Doll, 2014). The classroom is accepting, caring, respectful, the atmosphere is honest and the teacher is positive, actively motivate students to learn, expect that students will succeed in school and in life and use effective tea...

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Sammons, P., Hillman, J. and Mortimore, P. (2014). Key characteristics of effective schools: A review of school effectiveness research. Institute of Education, pp. 5-39

Stewart, E.B. (2008). School structural characteristics, student effort, peer associations, and parental involvement the influence of school-and individual-level factors on academic achievement. Education and Urban Society, 40 (2), pp. 179-204

Thapa, A., Cohen. J., Higgins-D'Alessandro, A. & Guffery, S. (2012). School climate research summary: August 2012.