High school students’ perception of school climate following a district-wide equity and inclusion program implementation

Rother, Larry E (2022) High school students’ perception of school climate following a district-wide equity and inclusion program implementation. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

Text Rother_2022_high_school_students_perception_school_climate_following_d.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (886kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of an equity and inclusion program on students’ perception of their school culture and examine if differences in their perceptions depend on school attended and their ethnicity. The intent of this analysis is to identify if an equity and inclusion program can positively influence students’ perception of their school culture. This ex-post facto study utilized data collected during the 2018-2019 school year in a large school district in the southwestern region of the U.S. Participants of this study included 10-12 grade students at two study high schools within the district and totaled 1031. The schools selected for this study were chosen because of their differences in student populations. One school serves a majority white student population while the other a majority of students of color. Student perception data were gathered utilizing a 20-question school climate survey administered at the beginning and end of the first year of the district’s implementation of the district-wide equity and inclusion program. The survey consisted of Likert-scaled questions about school climate and students answered indicating their level of agreement with corresponding statements. The design of this study was a quantitative analysis of students’ mean pre- and post-survey scores to determine if there was a significant difference in scores reported after the students were exposed to the program. Research Question 1 aimed to identify if there was a difference in students’ perceptions of their school climate following completion of the equity and inclusion program. The study revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean survey scores with an overall decrease in students’ perception of their school environment. Research Question 2 addressed any differences in students’ perceptions of their school climate following the completion of the equity and inclusion program by study school. The data at both study schools showed a significant difference in the mean survey scores identifying a decrease in students’ perceptions of their school environment. Research Question 3 again focused on the differences in students’ perceptions of their school climate following the completion of the equity and inclusion program by ethnicity. Although Asian students did not see a significant difference in their survey scores, Black, Hispanic, Multiple Race, and White students all experienced a significant decrease in their post-survey scores. Additional analysis was performed and illustrated that only White students who attended the predominately white school saw a significant decrease in their survey scores, while Black, Hispanic, and White students at the school with a predominate population of students of color saw their scores significantly decrease. When evaluating the findings, students in general had a less positive perception of their school climate after the implementation of the district-wide equity and inclusion program.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	Equity; High School; Inclusion; School Climate; Student Perception; Likert-scaled questions; Southwest, New
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	31 May 2023 17:06
Last Modified:	31 May 2023 17:06
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5926

Actions (login required)

IR Staff Record View

Downloads