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STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF SCHOOL CLIMATE IN A BERMUDA MIDDLE
SCHOOL: A PROGRAM EVALUATION STUDY
A dissertation submitted
by
Stephanie Guthman
toFIELDING GRADUATE UNIVERSITY
in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
in
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
This dissertation has been accepted for
the faculty of Fielding Graduate University by
Marie P. Farrell, d!, MP"
#ommittee #hair
#ommittee$%eonard &aca, d!., Faculty 'eader
!ebra &endell stroff, Ph!., Faculty 'eader
#heryl (ance, (.M., )tudent 'eader
d*ard +oyner, d!., ternal aminer p-
UMI Number: 3376886Copyright 2009 byGuthman, StephanieIN!"M#$I!N $! US%"S$he &ua'ity o( thi) repro*u+tion i) *epen*ent upon the &ua'ity o( the +opy)ubmitte* -ro.en or in*i)tin+t print, +o'ore* or poor &ua'ity i''u)tration)an* photograph), print b'ee*/through, )ub)tan*ar* margin), an* impropera'ignment +an a*er)e'y a((e+t repro*u+tionIn the un'i.e'y eent that the author *i* not )en* a +omp'ete manu)+riptan* there are mi))ing page), the)e 1i'' be note* #')o, i( unauthorie*+opyright materia' ha* to be remoe*, a note 1i'' in*i+ate the *e'etion
UMUMI Mi+ro(orm 3376886Copyright 2009 by ro4ue)t 55C#'' right) re)ere* $hi) mi+ro(orm e*ition i) prote+te* again)tunauthorie* +opying un*er $it'e 7, Unite* State) Co*ero4ue)t 55C789 %a)t %i)enho1er ar.1ay! -o 36#nn #rbor, M' 806/36 p2
8/10/2019 Student Perceptions of School Climate in a Bermuda Middle
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)TU!(T P'#PT/() /F )#"//% #%MAT ( A &'MU!A M!!% )#"//%$
A P'/G'AM 0A%UAT/( )TU!1
by
)tephanie Guthman
Abstract
The purpose of this program evaluation study *as to eamine the impact of a year2long
broad2based intervention program aimed at ma3ing positive changes in school climate for
students in one &ermuda middle school. The conceptual frame*or3 guiding this study *as
based, in part, on the #omer model of school improvement. General school climate is defined
as
the sum total of the physical and psychosocial dimensions of the school contet. This includes
the quality and character of the school life and the environment that influences attitudes of
and
interactions bet*een staff, students, and parents. The study used a quasi2eperimental, one
group, pretest4posttest design *ith all -56 middle school student volunteers in attendance
duringthe time period in *hich the intervention *as implemented. The primary dependent variables
for
this study *ere scores from the 1ale )chool #limate )urvey, namely, fairness, order and
discipline, parent involvement, sharing of resources, student interpersonal relations,
studentteacher
relations, and total school climate. !emographic variables included gender,
race4ethnicity, age, grade, and school year. To test the null and alternate hypotheses, t*o2*ay
Pearson7s correlations and one2*ay A(/0A tests *ere used. Tests did not support the
research
hypotheses and the study concluded that there *as no significant positive effect of the year2
long
intervention program by The Family #entre on the students7 perception of the overall school
climate. p8
9ey*ords 2 &ermuda, Middle )chool, )chool #limate, )tudent Perception :
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)TP"A( GUT"MA(
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