The Modeling of School Climate Perception and Positive Youth Development with Academic Buoyancy

Academic buoyancy is defined as maintaining academic competence and positive adjustment against existing adversities in adolescents’ developmental path in their academic context. The present research was conducted aiming at investigating the mediatory role of positive youth development concerning the relation between students’ school climate perception and their academic buoyancy in a casual model. For this purpose, 400 female high school students of Kerman responded to the scale of school climate perception, positive youth development and Academic buoyancy. The results of the analysis of structural equations indicated that the effect of school climate perception and positive youth development on academic buoyancy is positive and significant. The effect of school climate perception on academic buoyancy is positive and significant. The indirect effect of school climate perception on academic buoyancy is positive and significant through positive youth development. Therefore, positive youth development plays a mediatory role concerning the relation between school climate perception and academic buoyancy. In addition, results indicated that 64% of the variance of academic buoyancy and 27% of the variance of positive youth development are explained by the variables exiting in the research model. Introduction Psychology has been developed along with man’s development and parallel to the formation of new challenges in his modern life. Although psychological approaches and theories are formed as the result of the complex and mutual relationship of theoreticians’ personality with their sociocultural conditions of their time, nowadays, psychological theories are influenced by a new kind of the science of identifying man’s inherent capacities and characteristics, which have a worldwide aspect called “positive psychology”. The message of positive psychology movement is to notify that our field or is changing. In other words, psychology science does not deal with only diseases and treatment is not focused on only weaknesses and disorders, but the objective of psychology is creating and developing good and useful characteristics namely studying, identifying and developing capacities and virtues in man and human societies (Seligman, Steen, Park & Peterson, 2005). In this regard, AB (Academic Buoyancy) is one of the suggested constructs in the field of positive psychology. AB is students’ ability in successfully confronting with academic setbacks and challenges that are usual in their academic path reflecting daily academic resilience in positive psychology (Martin & Marsh, 2008a). They define AB as being successful confronting with academic setbacks and challenges that are usual in their path of academic life such as weak grades, anxiety, exam pressure and difficult homework. In addition, AB refers to a positive, constructive and adaptable response to types of challenges and barriers experienced in the current and constant academic arena (Putwain, Connors, symes & Douglas-Osborn, 2012). AB is the ability to confront with the challenges and barriers of daily academic life. Reviewing the research literature to AB has shown that students’ AB is related to important motivational outcomes such as greater perseverance (Martin, Colmar, Davey & Marsh, 2010), emotional outcomes such as lower anxiety (Martin, Ginns, Papworth & Ghasemi-nejad, 2013; Putwain et al., 2012; Putwain & Daly, 2013), academic achievement (Martin, 2014; Colli, Martin, Milberg, Hall & Ginns 2015) welfare and academic performance (Miller, Connolly & Maguire, 2013). Consequential factors regarding AB can be divided into contextual and individual ones, therefore, in the present research SCP (School Climate Perception) is the contextual factor and PYD (Positive Youth Development) is considered as the individual factor effective in AB. PYD is conceptualized in different forms (Lerner et al., 2011). One of these models is suggested by Lerner (2004) in the form of “five Cs” based on the theoretical and research literature of PYD (Roth & Brooks-Gunn, 2003; Lerner, 2004). The five Cs include competence, confidence, connection, caring and character. J. Curr. Res. Sci. Vol., S (1), 94-100, 2016 95 Confidence indicates an inner sense of self-worthiness and self-efficiency. Competence shows individual’s positive view to his actions in the different academic, cognitive, social and physical areas. Character indicates cultural and social regulations and having some criteria for right and wrong behavior and feeling (morality). Connection refers to have positive relationships with family members, school peers, and society members. The relationships that have reciprocal and result in positive changes for the parties. Caring or compassion shows sympathy for others and how much adolescents are affected by others’ tension. These five characteristics (competence, confidence, connection, character and caring) are related to the positive outcomes of the interference programs of adolescent development reported by Roth and Brooks-Gunn (2003). Furthermore, these indices are words, which were presented by experts and adolescents who participated in the PYD program and their parents described the characteristics of a thrived adolescent. The results of various researches (Edwards, Mumford & Serra-Roldan, 2007; Evans et al., 2012; Smith & Barker, 2009; Lerner, Von eye, Lerner & Levin-Bizan 2009) indicate a positive correlation between PYD and academic resilience. In this regard, Foltz (2012) in one case study concerning the effectiveness of the program of five Cs-based PYD, studies the resilience increase of adolescents who lived in dangerous districts. The research results indicated the role of PYD on individual resilience and goal-setting ability and hopefulness. Reviewing the theoretical and research literature, Huberty (2012) studied the role of different preventive models in creating resilience. According to him, five Cs-based PYD programs with emphasizing children’s weaknesses and strengths compared to other previous preventive models have the leading in creating resilience in adolescents. On the other hand, SCP is considered as an effective contextual factor on students’ AB. There is no consensus over the definition of SCP, but it generally refers to students’ perception of psychophysical characteristics of school climate (Sink & Spencer, 2005). Recently, a formal and consistent definition of SC has been presented by NSCC (National School Climate Center) in 2007 that includes four backgrounds of school function: physical security, individuals’ relationships at school such as teachers, employees and parents, educational methods and school physical environment (Sely, 2013). Therefore, according to NSCC (2007), SC refers to the life quality and character at school. SC is based on the experience models of life at school in students, parents and school personnel and reflects norms, objectives, values, interpersonal relationships teaching and learning activities as well as organizational structures. A resilient and positive SC nurtures students’ development and their learning, which is indispensable for effective participation and life satisfaction in a democratic society. Thus, SC reflects the physical, psychological and social aspects of school and in fact, shows a feeling that learners acquire from their daily experience at school (Adomnick, 2012). Studying SCP is based on this assumption that students’ SCP is related to their personal experiences and this issue affects their attitude, behavior and feeling toward their environment, the students whom the opportunity of trust, sympathy and autonomy is not given, are exposed to the danger of their inadaptability of developmental and background needs and are confronted with problems in terms of emotional, social and academic development (Roeser, Midgley & Urdan, 2000; Eccles, 1993; Connel & Welborn, 1991). According to Roeser et al. (2000), school as a developmental background for adolescents determines their emotional, social and academic development. Therefore, researchers have emphasized three components of teacher-student support, student-student support and class-autonomy support as the effective factors in adolescents’ development (Jia, Way, Ling & Yashikawa, 2009). Teacher are the most important ones who can support adolescents at school emotionally and academically by creating a secure social environment in the class, being sensitive to students’ problems in life and reflecting real feedback to them (Thapa, Cohen, Higgins-D’Alessandro & Guffey, 2012). Children and adolescents’ positive SC is related to the prevention of students’ risky behaviors and their academic achievement (Thapa et al., 2012; Cohen, 2013). Researches have shown that providing a positive and supportive climate for students to transfer students in the academic levels easily is of particular importance (Freiberg, 1998). Security, confidence, respect, impartiality, high expectations and a pleasant climate are among the aspects of a positive SC (Adamnick, 2012). According to Deci and Ryan (1985), adolescents attempt to find meaning in their experiences at school, especially the need to perceive merit and relationship are among important aspects of students’ perception of school experience. Roeser et al (1996) also asserted that academic achievement and the acceptance of school norms are widely affected by the interaction and relationship between teachers, students, principal and other school personnel. They also found that a supportive and caring climate focused on individual effort is related to students’ adaptable-cognitive and adaptable-behavioral models. Thus, it can be mentioned that SCP is related to the key results such as academic achievement (Reid Gonzalez, Nordness, Trout, & Epstein, 2004) and school leave (Reinke & Herman, 2002). The results of the research conducted by Burdick and Tirri (2014) concerning teacher support in goal-setting and PYD indicate stud