Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

School Environment

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

  • 57 Accesses

Synonyms

School climate; School context; School culture

Definition

The school environment encompasses institutional and structural features (e.g., size, space, structural organization, availability of resources), social relations (e.g., teacher-student relationships, relations between students), teaching and learning (e.g., quality of instruction), physical and social-emotional safety, as well as shared beliefs, values, and attitudes (that are often referred to as school culture or school climate).

Introduction

The school is an important microsystem that affects the personality development of students, in general, and their development of academic skills in particular. Students spend more time at school than at any other place outside their homes. For example, adolescents from Europe and the USA spend about 37% of their waking hours at school (Alsaker and Flammer 1999). While scholars agree upon the important role that the school environment plays in student development, they differ...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ali, S., Khaleque, A., & Rohner, R. P. (2015). Influence of perceived teacher acceptance and parental acceptance on youth’s psychological adjustment and school conduct: A cross-cultural meta-analysis. Cross-Cultural Research, 49, 204–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aloe, A. M., Shisler, S. M., Norris, B. D., Nickerson, A. B., & Rinker, T. W. (2014). A multivariate meta-analysis of student misbehavior and teacher burnout. Educational Research Review, 12, 30–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alsaker, F. D., & Flammer, A. (1999). Time use by adolescents in an international perspective. II: The case of necessary activities. In F. D. Alsaker & A. Flammer (Eds.), The adolescent experience: European and American adolescents in the 1990s (pp. 61–85). Mahwah: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderman, E. M. (2002). School effects on psychological outcomes during adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 705–809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Archibald, S. (2006). Narrowing in on educational resources that do affect student achievement. Peabody Journal of Education, 81, 23–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benbenishty, R., Astor, R. A., Roziner, I., & Wrabel, S. L. (2016). Testing the causal links between school climate, school violence, and school academic performance: A cross-lagged panel autoregressive model. Educational Researcher, 45, 197–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bjorklund, D. F., & Bering, J. M. (2002). The evolved child: Applying evolutionary developmental psychology to modern schooling. Learning and Individual Differences, 12, 1–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonell, C., Parry, W., Wells, H., Jamal, F., Fletcher, A., Harden, A., …, & Whitehead, M. (2013). The effects of the school environment on student health: A systematic review of multi-level studies. Health & Place, 21, 180–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boutwell, B. B. (2010). School-level moderators of genetic influences on antisocial behaviors (Unpublished dissertation). Florida State University, Tallahassee.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brand, S., Felner, R. D., Seitsinger, A., Burns, A., & Bolton, N. (2008). A large scale study of the assessment of the social environment of middle and secondary schools. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 507–535.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brendgen, M., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Barker, E. D., Vitaro, F., Girard, A., …, & Perusse, D. (2011). Gene-environment processes linking aggression, peer victimization, and the teacher-child relationship. Child Development, 82, 2021–2036.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bronfenbrenner, U. (2001). The bioecological theory of human development. In N. J. Smelser & P. B. Baltes (Eds.), International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences (Vol. 10, pp. 6963–6970). New York: Elsevier.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cook, C. R., Williams, K. R., Guerra, N. G., Kim, T. E., & Sadek, S. (2010). Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic investigation. School Psychology Quarterly, 25, 65–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coon, H., Carey, G., Fulker, D. W., & DeFries, J. C. (1993). Influences of the school environment on the academic achievement scores of adopted and nonadopted children. Intelligence, 17, 79–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Laet, S., Colpin, H., Van Leeuwen, K., Van den Noortgate, W., Claes, S., Janssens, A., …, & Verschueren, K. (2016). Teacher-student relationships and adolescent behavioral engagement and rule-breaking behavior: The moderating role of dopaminergic genes. Journal of School Psychology, 56, 13–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J., & Roeser, R. W. (2012). School influences on human development. In L. C. Mayses & M. Lewis (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of environment in human development (pp. 259–283). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Essex, M. J., Armstrong, J. M., Burk, L. R., Goldsmith, H. H., & Boyce, W. T. (2011). Biological sensitivity to context moderates the effects of the early teacher-child relationship on the development of mental health by adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 149–161.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, B. J. (2012). Classroom learning environments: Retrospect, context and prospect. In B. J. Fraser (Ed.), Second international handbook of science education (Vol. 2, pp. 1191–1239). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Geary, D. C., & Berch, D. B. (2016). Evolution and children’s cognitive and academic development. In D. C. Geary & D. B. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on child development and education (pp. 217–249). Basel: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, G. D., Gottfredson, D. C., Payne, A. A., & Gottfredson, N. C. (2005). School climate predictors of school disorder: Results from a national study of delinquency prevention in schools. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 42, 412–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gray, P. (2011). The evolutionary biology of education: How our hunter-gatherer educative instincts could form the basis for education today. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 4, 28–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grayson, J. L., & Alvarez, H. K. (2008). School climate factors relating to teacher burnout: A mediator model. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 1349–1363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenwald, R., Hedges, L. V., & Laine, R. D. (1996). The effect of school resources on student achievement. Review of Educational Research, 66, 361–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hart, S. A., Soden, B., Johnson, W., Schatschneider, C., & Taylor, J. (2014). Erratum. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 954–956.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoy, W. K., Tarter, C. J., & Hoy, A. W. (2006). Academic optimism of schools: A force for student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 43, 425–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KaradaÄŸ, E., İşçi, S., Öztekin, Ö., & Anar, S. (2016). The relationship between school climate and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis study. Journal of the Faculty of Education, 17, 107–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirschner, P. A., Sweller, J., & Clark, R. E. (2006). Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work: An analysis of the failure of constructivist, discovery, problem-based, experiential, and inquiry-based teaching. Educational Psychologist, 41, 75–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • KoÅ¡ir, K., & Tement, S. (2014). Teacher-student relationship and academic achievement: A cross-lagged longitudinal study on three different age groups. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 29, 409–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koth, C. W., Bradshaw, C. P., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). A multilevel study of predictors of student perceptions of school climate: The effect of classroom-level factors. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 96–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, R., O’Malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. D. (2008). Association between physical environment of secondary schools and student problem behavior: A national study, 2000–2003. Environment and Behavior, 40, 455–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kunter, M., Brunner, M., Baumert, J., Klusmann, U., Krauss, S., Blum, W., …, & Neubrand, M. (2005). Der Mathematikunterricht der PISA Schülerinnen und Schüler: Schulformunterschiede in der Unterrichtsqualität [Math classes of PISA students: School track differences in teaching quality]. Zeitschrift für Erziehungswissenschaft, 8, 502–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancy, D. F. (2016). Teaching: Natural or cultural? In D. C. Geary & D. B. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary perspectives on child development and education (pp. 33–65). Basel: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Lansford, J. E., Malone, P. S., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (2010). Developmental cascades of peer rejection, social information processing biases, and aggression during middle childhood. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 593–602.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Leflot, G., van Lier, P. A., Verschueren, K., Onghena, P., & Colpin, H. (2011). Transactional associations among teacher support, peer social preference, and child externalizing behavior: A four-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 40, 87–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lim, S., & Eo, S. (2014). The mediating roles of collective teacher efficacy in the relations of teachers’ perceptions of school organizational climate to their burnout. Teaching and Teacher Education, 44, 138–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, X., & Wilkins, J. L. (2002). The development of science achievement in middle and high school: Individual differences and school effects. Evaluation Review, 26, 395–417.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McCoy, D. C., Roy, A. L., & Sirkman, G. M. (2013). Neighborhood crime and school climate as predictors of elementary school academic quality: A cross-lagged panel analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 52, 128–140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGiboney, G. W. (2016). The psychology of school climate. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morton, K. L., Atkin, A. J., Corder, K., Suhrcke, M., & van Sluijs, E. M. F. (2016). The school environment and adolescent physical activity and sedentary behaviour: A mixed-studies systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 17, 142–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Perry, L. B. (2012). Causes and effects of school socio-economic composition? A review of the literature. Education and Society, 30, 19–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramelow, D., Currie, D., & Felder-Puig, R. (2015). The assessment of school climate: Review and appraisal of published student-report measures. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33, 731–743.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey, C. M., Spira, A. P., Parisi, J. M., & Rebok, G. W. (2016). School climate: Perceptual differences between students, parents, and school staff. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27, 629–641.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy, R., Rhodes, J. E., & Mulhall, P. (2003). The influence of teacher support on student adjustment in the middle school years: A latent growth curve study. Development and Psychopathology, 15, 119–138.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Larsen, R. A., Baroody, A. E., Curby, T. W., Ko, M., Thomas, J. B., …, & DeCoster, J. (2014). Efficacy of the responsive classroom approach: Results from a 3-year, longitudinal randomized controlled trial. American Educational Research Journal, 51, 567–603.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., & Oort, F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher-student relationships on children’s school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Review of Educational Research, 81, 493–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudasill, K. M., Snyder, K. E., Levinson, H., & Adelson, J. (in press). Systems view of school climate: A theoretical framework for research. Educational Psychology Review.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steffgen, G., Recchia, S., & Viechtbauer, W. (2013). The link between school climate and violence in school: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 300–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, N., & Foster, C. (2013). Developing and applying a socio-ecological model to the promotion of healthy eating in the school. Public Health Nutrition, 16, 1101–1108.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van de Werfhorst, H. G., Bergstra, M., & Veenstra, R. (2012). School disciplinary climate, behavioral problems, and academic achievement in the Netherlands. In R. Arum & M. Velez (Eds.), Improving learning environments (pp. 196–221). Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T. (2009). School climate support for behavioral and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating effect of social competence. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 240–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28, 315–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, M. T., & Dishion, T. J. (2012). The trajectories of adolescents’ perceptions of school climate, deviant peer affiliation, and behavioral problems during the middle school years. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 22, 40–53.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany

    Martin Pinquart

Authors
  1. Martin Pinquart
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin Pinquart .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Carolina - Beaufort, Bluffton, SC, USA

    Carey Fitzgerald

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Pinquart, M. (2018). School Environment. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2434-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2434-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation