The relationship of enabling school structure, academic optimism, school disciplinary climate and pupil control ideology with school discipline rates
The relationship between enabling school structure, academic optimism, pupil control ideology, and school disciplinary climate with school disciplinary rate was quantitatively investigated in my dissertation. A total of 72 schools located throughout northern and central Alabama were surveyed using Enabling School Structure Form (ESS), School Academic Optimism Survey (SAOS), Pupil Control Ideology Form (PCI), School Disciplinary Climate Form (SDC) as instruments to measure predictors. Socioeconomic status and percent African American students served as the control variables for this investigation and were measured using data derived from the Alabama State Department of Education. School disciplinary rates served as the responding variable and was obtained from disciplinary data taken from the Alabama State Department of Education. The school was the unit of analysis. The data collected was analyzed using correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, intra-class correlations, structural equation modeling, and multiple indicator, multiple cause path modeling. The investigation results indicated that a significant relationship existed between SDC and SDR, and a path model could be drawn from ESS to SAOS to SDC to SDR. Other findings confirmed previous research demonstrating that academic optimism was a latent variable comprised of collective efficacy, faculty trust in clients, and academic emphasis along with previous research demonstrating that enabling school structure was highly correlated with and predictive of school academic optimism. Other findings demonstrated a negative correlation between present of African-Americans and SAOS.
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