Diagnosing the Organizational Climate of Junior High Schools in Taiwan

Abstract

The study aims to prioritize critical climate components for school improvement. A psychometrically validated instrument named the Chinese “Organizational Climate Diagnostic Instrument for Junior High Schools” (OCDI-JH) was used to diagnose climate factors through expert judgments and fuzzy DEMATEL-based ANP. Results of the study identified the six factors clustered under the two dimensions of ‘Safety' (D1) or ‘Academic emphasis' (D2) should be given particular attention for school effectiveness. The established climate diagnosis appraisal computed by fuzzy DEMATEL-based ANP can be extended to other school regions for systematically developing school climate based on contextually specific needs and concerns. Future research studies are expected to provide incremental and value-added contributions to the competitive advantages of Taiwan's junior high school education.