Primary School Students' Perceptions of Self and Others: Revealing School Climate

ABSTRACT Many studies have been reported on school climate, but information on perception data that provide a meaningful measure of school climate for primary school students is still limited. In this study, we attempted to define school climate from the perception data of 228 fourth‐grade students in three public primary schools. We collected the data using an opinion form that we created using structured questions, and written‐answer interviews considering the characteristics of the study group. In the data collection tool consisting of three questions, we asked students to attribute an animal name to themselves, their teachers, and their school principals and to provide a causal explanation for this. We used the content analysis technique in the analysis and interpretation of the data. Our results showed how primary school students positioned themselves, their teachers, and their school principals, and allowed the school climate to be made visible. Accordingly, while students' perceptions of themselves were related to their physical and characteristic features, their perceptions of their teachers and school principals emerged through their relationships and interactions with them. This study provided a meaningful measure of school climate by reporting students' perceptual data regarding self and others (their teachers and school principal).