IN SEARCH OF PATHWAYS THAT PROMOTE THE IMPROVEMENT OF COEXISTENCE IN SCHOOL: INVESTIGATING THE SCHOOL CLIMATE

INVESTIGANDO O CLIMA ESCOLAR

Abstract

The present research aims to understand and evaluate the school climate in students, teachers and managers, seeking subsidies that guide the elaboration of actions to improve school coexistence. The school climate is understood as the set of perceptions of the members of the educational community in relation to the educational institution that involves factors related to the pedagogical and administrative structures, the organization and the social relations that occur in this environment. The evaluation of school climate was made through questionnaires addressed to students, teachers and managers covering eight dimensions that compose the climate. A total of 400 questionnaires were administered at a primary and secondary institution from the state public school system. The school actors, in general, had a positive perception about the dimensions of the school climate. However, the analysis of the itens that make up the dimensions reveals negative points which are contested among the participants. The "situations of intimidation among the students" were evaluated positively among the students; in counterpoint, some of the teachers had a negative perception. The "infrastructure and physical network of the school" and "family, school and community" were more negatively evaluated by students; in these the answers of the teachers were divided, predominantly, between neutral and positive; half of the managers negatively evaluated the institutional infrastructure. Also, "management and participation" were negatively evaluated by half of the teachers. Finally, the diagnosis made allows a greater knowledge about the school climate, contributing with the elaboration of proposals of interventions aiming at improving the quality of the coexistence in school.