The Effect of Collaborative Climate and Open Culture on Educational Innovation Capacity: Toward the Development of Educational Change

Educational innovation improves teacher development and student outcomes, so generating the conditions for innovation capacity is critical for ensuring the effectiveness of school change. The present work has two objectives: The first is to analyze the relationship between collaborative climate and educational innovation capacity, and the second is to assess the mediation effect of an open culture on that relationship. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 221 teachers from 17 secondary schools in Spain. The hypotheses were tested through structural modeling and were positively confirmed: a collaborative climate is related to innovation capacity, and an open culture mediates the relationship between climate and innovation capacity. Teachers should be supported by developing an environment favorable to innovation, because a collaborative climate allows problems to be faced effectively. Values that support open behavior should be cultivated to develop an open culture.