Contributions of School Climate to Mathematics: A Three-Level Analysis in Chilean Students

• In Event: International Perspectives on the Conceptualizations and Effects of School Climate

Abstract

Supportive school and classroom climates can positively influence the academic outcomes of students, thus potentially reducing academic achievement gaps due to SES. However, few studies have examined the joint contribution of student-level, classroom-level, and school-level variables on students' test scores. We performed a secondary analysis of the censual cohort of 151,015 Chilean eighth grade students, attending 8,412 classrooms in 5,619 schools, who answered the national SIMCE achievement test. School climate variables showed an additive contribution to test scores beyond individual and school SES, even when controlling for previous achievement. We discuss the importance of investing resources to promote a positive school climate, and emphasize the need to further explore classroom characteristics that shape students´ academic outcomes.

Authors

• Verónica López, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso

• Mauricio Salgado, Universidad Andrés Bello

• Ruth Berkowitz, University of Haifa