Educators' perception of school climate in primary schools in the Southern Cape

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the perceptions of school climate of 178 educators of six primary schools in the Southern Cape. Two instruments, namely The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire Rutgers Elementary (OCDQ-RE) and Dimensions of Organizational Health Inventory of Elementary Schools (OHI-E) were used. The results indicated that primary school educators in the Southern Cape perceived their relations with their principals as more closed, while educator-educator relations were being perceived as more open of nature. The typical climate prototype for the relevant primary schools, was an engaged school climate. Regarding the overall organizational health of primary schools, average health profiles were found. A significant relationship was found between the perceptions of primary school educators with regard to organizational climate and organizational health. A significant difference between educators of different primary schools was found regarding their perceptions of all the different dimensions of both organizational climate and health.