How do school learning environments differ across Australia's rural, regional and metropolitan communities?

• Published in: Australian educational researcher Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 521 - 540
• Main Authors: Sullivan, Kevin, Perry, Laura B., McConney, Andrew
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.11.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Administrator Attitudes; Australia; Classroom Environment; Classrooms; Datasets; Discipline; Education; Educational Environment; Educational Policy; Educational Policy and Politics; Educational Psychology; Educational Resources; Foreign Countries; Foreign students; Geographic location; Learning; Learning environment; Metropolitan areas; Outcomes of Education; Primary secondary education; Principals; Program for International Student Assessment; Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA); Regional schools; Relevance (Education); Rural areas; Rural Schools; Rural Urban Differences; School environment; School Holding Power; School principals; Standardized Tests; Student Attitudes; Student Behavior; Student perceptions; Student retention; Teacher Behavior; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching and Teacher Education; Urban areas; Urban Schools; Australia; Western Australia Australia; Rural education; PISA; School learning environments; Geographic location; Australia; Communities
• ISSN: 0311-6999; 2210-5328
• DOI: 10.1007/s13384-014-0144-1

This study uses data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, a large and nationally representative dataset, to examine how learning environments vary across metropolitan, rural and regional schools in Australia. Research has shown that school climate and learning environments are related to student academic performance, but little is known about the degree to which they differ across school communities in Australia. The authors examined principals' perceptions of teacher and student behaviour related to school climate and students' perceptions of teacher support, classroom disciplinary climate, and the relevance of education. The findings show that regardless of where they live, most students believe that schooling is worthwhile, and report positive relationships with their teachers. Perceptions of classroom disciplinary climate vary more across school communities, however, with students reporting less positive disciplinary climate in rural communities than in very large cities. Principals' perceptions of teacher and student behaviour related to school climate varied; with urban schools having much more positive results than schools in towns and rural communities. Finally, the findings show that students' and principals' perceptions of their school climate and learning environments are more positive in urban communities than in rural communities, but that the least positive environments are generally found in country towns rather than remote communities. The findings suggest that attention should be paid to improving learning environments not just in the most rural/remote communities, but also in largish regional towns of up to 50,000 residents. [Author abstract, ed]