School Climate and Teachers’ Motivational Variables: Effects on Teacher Satisfaction and Classroom Motivational Climate Perceived by Middle School Students. A Cross-cultural Study

Abstract

This paper seeks two objectives. First, to study the potential effect of teachers’ perception of school climate and teachers’ motivational variables related to students on teachers’ satisfaction with school, and classroom motivational climate (CMC). Second, to validate a battery of questionnaires for assessing different teachers’ motivational variables related to students: motivational knowledge, teachers’ focus on students’ grades and emotional needs, and expectancies. In total, 441 teachers and 5,380 students from Spain and Costa Rica participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analyses showed the adequacy of each questionnaire structure. Besides, results on correlation and regression analyses showed, first, that school climate perception, together with teachers’ expectancies are the main factors potentially influencing teachers’ satisfaction with school. Second, that CMC does not depend on teachers’ satisfaction, but only on two components of school climate – teacher’s mutual support and students’ attitudes –, and on self-efficacy expectancies. In both regression analyses – satisfaction and CMC –, cross-cultural differences were found.

Keywords

• school climate
• teachers’ satisfaction
• teachers’ motivational knowledge
• teachers’ expectancies
• classroom motivational climate