Relationships Between Teacher Characteristics and Teacher Perceptions of School Climate: A Multiple Indicators–Multiple Causes (MIMIC) Model Investigation

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Abstract

School climate, as a factor to increase student achievement, is receiving increased attention in the school improvement literature. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of teacher-level characteristics on the latent structure of school climate teacher surveys. The South Carolina school climate data collected in 2015 from 23,037 teachers across the state were used to examine the relationships. A multiple indicator-multiple causes (MIMIC) model used with six-factor model showed differences on most of the latent factor means relative to teachers’ gender, race, years of experience, and number of years in the current school. Findings highlight the importance of teacher-level variables in the teachers’ perceptions of school climate.

Authors

• Zhaoxia Guo, University of South Carolina - Columbia

• Mihaela Ene, University of South Carolina

• Diane M. Monrad, University of South Carolina

• Christine DiStefano, University of South Carolina

• Elizabeth Leighton, University of South Carolina

• Kathleen McGrath, University of South Carolinia