Sixty Years of School Climate Research
A Bibliometric and Content Analysis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21376232 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Muammer Maral (0000-0002-2055-5711, Department of Educational Administration, Atatürk Strategic Studies and Graduate Institute Milli Savunma University Konaklar District, Beşiktaş İstanbul Türkiye, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 63 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 824-855 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Psychology in the Schools (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-3085 • E-ISSN: 1520-6807 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/pits.70129 |
| OpenAlex | W4416929032 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 168 |
This study aimed to reveal the growth trend of school climate research, institutional and geographical contributions, the most impactful institutions, journals, and countries, the co‐authorship network of countries, the most impactful articles, the intellectual structure of the knowledge base, research fronts, and thematic evolution. This study, based on 2915 publications from the Web of Science spanning approximately 60 years, integrates bibliometric and content analysis to provide a comprehensive analysis of school climate. According to the findings, school climate research tends to grow in general, but the volume of research has grown significantly in the last decade. The school climate literature has evolved into a multidisciplinary field and continues to expand across disciplines. The USA dominates the co‐authorship collaboration network and contributes more than half of the school climate studies. The intellectual structure of school climate research is composed of four clusters, while the research fronts are categorized into six clusters. The intellectual structure of school climate focuses on academic achievement, student behavior, bullying, school engagement, social‐emotional learning, and teacher well‐being. However, over time, technological, social, and political influences have transformed the knowledge base, leading to the emergence of themes such as cyberbullying, sexual identity, racial discrimination, and inequality in school climate research
Bibliometrics · Climate change · Content analysis · Multidisciplinary approach · School climate · Social network analysis · Thematic analysis · Trend analysis · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Early Childhood Education and Development · Education Discipline and Inequality
Rankings and the Reshaping of Higher Education
Associations of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning–Inclusive Sex Education With Mental Health Outcomes and School-Based Victimization in U.S. High School Students
Implementation of school based physical activity interventions
The Transition to High School as a Developmental Process Among Multiethnic Urban Youth
Teachers' Sense of Efficacy and Commitment to Teaching
Two decades of customer experience research in hospitality and tourism
Teacher mental health, school climate, inclusive education and student learning
School climate, academic self-efficacy and student achievement
Research trends in the use of augmented reality in science education
The narrative of sustainability and circular economy - A longitudinal review of two decades of research
Safe and supportive schools for LGBT youth
Measuring School Climate in High Schools
Homophobic Teasing, Psychological Outcomes, and Sexual Orientation Among High School Students
A review of research on bullying and peer victimization in school
Middle school improvement and reform
School Climate as a Factor in Student Adjustment and Achievement
Prevalence and Predictors of Internet Bullying
A multilevel study of predictors of student perceptions of school climate
Promoting School Connectedness
The psychological sense of school membership among adolescents
The Influence of Student Perceptions of School Climate on Socioemotional and Academic Adjustment
School as a Context of Early Adolescents' Academic and Social-Emotional Development
Effectiveness of school-based programs to reduce bullying
School climate, peer victimization, and academic achievement
School Climate Predictors of School Disorder
The Dynamic Capability View in Strategic Management
The Overlap Between Cyberbullying and Traditional Bullying
School Climate
School support groups, other school factors, and the safety of sexual minority adolescents
The Importance of Bonding to School for Healthy Development
Relationships among school climate, school safety, and student achievement and well‐being
Delaware School Climate Survey—Student
The test of time
The Search for School Climate
A multilevel examination of racial disparities in high school discipline
Students’ perceptions of school climate as determinants of wellbeing, resilience and identity
School Social Climate and Individual Differences in Vulnerability to Psychopathology among Middle School Students
School Climate
The Relationship Between School Climate and Mental and Emotional Wellbeing Over the Transition from Primary to Secondary School
School climate and social–emotional learning
Antisocial Behavior, Academic Failure, and School Climate
Visualizing Bibliometric Networks
Bullying and Peer Victimization at School
Teacher stress interventions
Altering School Climate through School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Authoritative school discipline
The relationships between school climate and adolescent mental health and wellbeing
School absenteeism and school refusal behavior in youth
Social, Emotional, Ethical, and Academic Education
A systematic approach to conducting review studies
The relationships between school autonomy gap, principal leadership, teachers’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment
The Impact of School Climate and School Identification on Academic Achievement
School climate, family structure, and academic achievement
A Research Synthesis of the Associations Between Socioeconomic Background, Inequality, School Climate, and Academic Achievement
LGBTQ Youth in Unstable Housing and Foster Care
Predictors of bullying and victimization in childhood and adolescence
Affective Teacher—Student Relationships and Students' Externalizing Behavior Problems
School Climate
Evaluating Goodness-of-Fit Indexes for Testing Measurement Invariance
How to conduct a bibliometric analysis
Bibliometrix
A Review of School Climate Research
Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis
Protecting Adolescents From Harm
Bibliometric Methods in Management and Organization
Socioeconomic Status and Academic Achievement
Bullying Behaviors Among US Youth
The Prosocial Classroom
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
Systematic and evaluative review of school climate instruments for students, teachers, and parents
Job satisfaction of teachers and their principals in relation to climate and student achievement
Bibliometric and content analysis on competition in higher education
School characteristics moderating the relation between student socio-economic status and mathematics achievement in grade 8. Evidence from 50 countries in TIMSS 2011
Teachers' Perceptions of School Climate
LGBTQ-inclusive curricula
Self-efficacy
The Influence of Bullying and Cyberbullying in the Psychological Adjustment of Victims and Aggressors in Adolescence
Implementation of health promotion programmes in schools
Why Does the United States Have the Best Research Universities? Incentives, Resources, and Virtuous Circles
Practices for Improving Secondary School Climate
Gay-Straight Alliances are Associated with Lower Levels of School-Based Victimization of LGBTQ+ Youth
Peer victimization and suicidality among LGBTQ youth
Teachers' knowledge, attitudes, and supportive behaviors toward LGBT students
Are perceived school climate dimensions predictive of students’ engagement
A Bibliometric Analysis on Academic Integrity
Talent Mobility and the Shifting Geographies of Latourian Knowledge Hubs
Your whole life depends on it’
The Influence of School Climate and Family Climate among Adolescents Victims of Cyberbullying
School Order, Justice, and Education
The Trajectories of Adolescents’ Perceptions of School Climate, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Behavioral Problems During the Middle School Years
Gay‐Straight Alliances, Inclusive Policy, and School Climate
Examining the Moderating Role of Perceived School Climate in Early Adolescent Adjustment
It’ll Never Be the White Kids, It’ll Always Be Us”
School climate factors relating to teacher burnout
The influence of test-based accountability policies on school climate and teacher stress across four states
The effect of perceived school climate and teacher efficacy in behavior management on job satisfaction and burnout
School climate multidimensionality and measurement
Mitigating the effect of family poverty on academic and behavioral outcomes
Classroom social climate, growth language mindset, and student engagement
The Racial School Climate Gap
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |