Abstract

The primary objective of the study was to determine the relationship between organizational climate and teachers' performance at the secondary school level in Punjab. The nature of the study was descriptive. The population is comprised of teachers working in public sector secondary schools. The sample was drawn using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using two Likert scale questionnaires; namely, the School Climate Scale (SCS) and the Teachers' Performance Evaluation Scale (TPES) consisted of 34 and 43 items, respectively. Collected data were analyzed by applying Pearson correlation coefficient r and Simple regression. The study found a significant relationship between organizational climate and teachers’ performance. Moreover, female teachers’ performance was better than male teachers in an open climate as compared to a closed climate. It was recommended to provide an open climate to improve the performance of teachers and institutions.

Key Words

Organizational Climate, Performance, Comparison, Gender, Secondary Schools, Teachers

Introduction

Education is considered the basic necessity of life, like air, water, food, and a sense of security which plays a vital role in developing human resources (Rieckmann, 2018). It fulfills its responsibility of providing technical support and skilled personnel. Today, everyone has knowledge, understanding, and realization about the importance of education. All the countries of the world especially developed countries, give noteworthy or extraordinary precedence to education. According to the constitution of Pakistan, education is the accepted basic right of all nationals (GOP, 2002).

The secondary school level is an important phase in the life of a student because it provides the basis for higher education. It is the period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood of a student’s life (GOP, 1998). Teaching is the noblest profession as compared to all other professions. The teacher’s role is of great value at every level of education. A teacher plays the role of a guide and a facilitator to change into reality the dreams and objectives of a nation. The progress of the education system significantly revolves around the performance of teachers. But unfortunately, teachers occupy a less honorable position in our society. If a teacher wants to regain his lost position and status in society, the development of teachers should be brought into focus and improved (Topchyan & Woehler, 2021). The teaching-learning process is reckoned as the heart of the education system. Professional knowledge, pedagogy, skills development, and organizational competency are believed as primal to educational advancement (Sarita & Tomer, 2004).                                          

Every institution has a separate appearance and different environment which is called organizational climate. Organizational climate is an essential component of a school. The relationship among the people working at a place plays a vital role in their performance (Chandrasekar, 2011). It is the responsibility of the teachers to produce a learning-friendly environment in the class. It includes the use of appreciation, setting of high learning goals, and using a variety of teaching methods, pedagogy, and techniques to instruct students (Arif, 2003). School climate represents the subjective experience of school (Cohen, 2006). Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson (2008) stated that organizational climate is a dimension of a characterized and distinctive collection of working environments, perceived straight away or indirectly by the workers, which is believed to be a major drive applying workers to do a certain task.

Some schools are cheerful with excitement and purpose. Others seem to lack enthusiasm. Some classrooms are active with anticipation. Others appear as stagnant. Some people who work and study in schools see each new day and each new person as an opportunity for ameliorating their experience of the world around them, while others are fright that today will be worse than yesterday. These feelings of gratification and productivity form the school climate (Kelly, 1981). Stringer (2002) explained that climate is the collective feelings of people working in an organization about measurable aspects of the environment, based on their motivation and behavior. 

In a cooperative environment where everyone cooperates with others, the workers can perform effectively when their needs are satisfied. The teachers should be given due respect, and their feelings should be given a prominent status so that they can perform their job effectively (Brookover, 2003). Chauncey (2003) inquiries about the relationship of the perceptual experience of people about temperament, job contentment, and frame of mind with the degree of excellence of their place of work. The findings of the study show that variables concerned with a job like working conditions, administrative manners, cooperation among workers and decision-makers, and organizational climate plays a very important role in constituting the perception of individuals about their workplace.

In the last few decades, the concept of good teaching has changed revolutionary. Teaching has emerged as an art of conveying knowledge and sharing ideas and information with students skillfully and proficiently. The teacher plays the role of a facilitator and a guide. He assists students in knowing and comprehending concepts and terminology (Sadker & Sadker, 2003). A teachers’ role is the most prestigious in society. He is a role model for his students. In a casual routine, he can change the lives of students, straightaway utilizing curriculum and indirectly through behavior and practice (Sarita & Tomer, 2004). Performance evaluation determines the rational motive for policy-making and managerial decisions. It is also important because it enables the teachers and administrators to assess and improve their performance (Kadtong & Usop, 2013). The present study highlights the relationship between organizational climate and teachers’ performance on a gender basis.




Problem Statement

It is mostly observed that schools are not working properly according to our desires. One of the most common reasons behind this is the poor organizational climate that affects the performance of teachers. Numerous shreds of evidence indicate that positive and negative climates influence the attitudes and behavior of people teaching and studying in schools. It is indeed necessary to understand the change in performance of teachers due to organizational climate on a gender basis. The present study investigates the relationship of school climate with teachers’ performance on a gender basis.

Objectives of the Study

The study objectives were:

1. To determine the relationship between organizational climate and teachers’ performance.

2. To compare organizational climate and teachers’ performance on a gender basis.




Research Questions

The research questions formulated to fulfill the objectives are as under:

1. What is the relationship between organizational climate and teachers’ performance?

2. What is the difference in the organizational climate of secondary schools on a gender basis?

3. What is the difference in teachers’ performance on a gender basis?

Methodology

The study was quantitative and the survey method was used to conduct it. A multi-stage sampling technique was applied to determine the sample. The data were collected from the teachers working in public sector secondary schools using two adapted five-point Likert scales namely School Climate Scale (SCS) and the Teacher Performance Evaluation Scale (TPES). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. The frequency analysis and Pearson correlation r, independent-sample t-test were used to analyze and interpret the results. As the research attempted to examine the relationship among various variables hence the research was correlational. 

Population

The teachers of public sector secondary schools were the population of the study. The population of the study was scattered in 38 districts of Punjab. The target population comprised 133260 secondary school teachers performing their responsibilities on regular basis in 6674 public secondary schools in the Punjab province of Pakistan.




                                                                                       

Table 1. Details of the Population of the Study

Gender	School	Teachers
Male	3485	67346
Female	3189	65914
Total	6674	133260

Source: SED, Punjab Lahore

 




Sampling

Sampling is used to utilize limited resources i.e., time and finance. So, a multi-stage random sampling technique was feasible, suited, and applied to draw the study sample. At first, one division (Faisalabad Division) from the nine divisions was randomly selected. Secondly, one district (Faisalabad District) was selected from the division. Thirdly, the required sample was selected using a simple random technique. The details of the randomly selected sample are given in Table 2.




 

Table 2. Summary of the Selected Sample

Gender	Frequency	Percent
Male	260	56%
Female	200	44%
Total	460	100%

 




Research Instruments

Two adapted instruments were used in this study. School Climate Scale (SCS), an adapted questionnaire, was used to measure the organizational climate of schools. The original SCS developed by Halpin & Craft (1966) comprised 34 Likert scale items. It was used several times to examine the organizational climate of schools. The teacher Performance Evaluation Scale (TPES) developed by Shahzad (2016) is comprised of 43 Likert scale items. The research tool should be pilot tested before data collection. The scales were piloted with the help of 100 SSTs of secondary schools of district Multan. The Reliability Coefficient (Cronbach Alpha) of the School Climate Scale (SCS) is .964. Whereas the Reliability Coefficient (Cronbach Alpha) of TPES is .921.

 

Data Collection

Data were collected through personal visits. A total of 460 questionnaires were delivered to the research participants but 450 questionnaires were returned. The response rate for males was 98% and for females was 97%. Overall, the response rate was 98%. The details of the response rate are given in the table below.




 

Table 3. Response Rate of the Population

Gender	Questionnaires Sent	Returned	Response Rate
Male	255	250	98
Female	205	200	97
Total	460	450	98

 




Table 4 shows the details of the respondents of the study i.e., gender (Male =55%, Female = 45 %), Location (rural =30.3%, urban = 69.7%), Academic Qualification (BA/BSc = 4%, MA/MSc/BS = 62%, M.Phil./MS = 31%, PhD = 14%, Post-Doctoral = .22 %)




 

Table 4. Summary of the Respondents.

Variable	Frequency	Percent
Gender
Male	250	55.5
Female	200	44
Location
Rural	136	30.23
Urban	314	69.77
Academic Qualification
B.A./BSc	18	4
M.A./MSc/BS	279	61.91
M.Phil./MS	138	30.73
PhD	14	3.11
Post-Doctoral	1	.22
Professional Qualification
Nil	12	2.67
B. Ed	255	56.67
M. Ed	183	40.66
Teaching Experience (Years)
Below 5	207	46
6-10	101	22.44
11-15	44	9.77
16-20	37	8.23
Above 20	61	13.56

Data Analysis and Results

Data were analyzed using SPSS 26 version. The relationship between organizational climate and teacher performance was determined by applying the Pearson correlation coefficient r. A T-test was applied to compare organizational

climate on a gender basis.

 

Correlations

Table 5 indicates the relationship among the study variables calculated by using Pearson correlation r.




 

Table 5. Relationship between Organizational Climate and Teacher Performance                                   

Variables	Mean	SD	Correlation (r)	P-value
Organizational Climate	4.69	0.810	0.099*	0.035
Teacher performance	3.88	0.665
Open Climate	4.67	0.921	0.l22**	0.010
Teacher performance	3.88	0.665
Open Climate	4.92	0.345	- 0.019	0.769
Teacher Performance (Male)	3.78	0.797
Open Climate	4.38	1.262	0.462*	0.000
Teacher Performance (Female)	4.00	0.419
Closed Climate	3.99	0.402	0.108	0.090
Teacher Performance (Male)	3.78	0.797
Closed Climate	3.80	0.944	0.421	0.000
Teacher Performance (Female)	4.00	0.419
Closed Climate	3.91	0.703	0.177**	0.000
Teacher performance	3.88	0.665

N= 450; (Male = 250, Female = 200)

 




The calculations from Table 5 show that a low significant relationship between organizational climate and teachers’ performance is found as the value of correlation r is 0.099 with a p-value of 0.035. The value of r (0.122) with a p-value (.010) indicates a low significant relationship between open climate and teachers’ performance. The relationship between open climate and performance of male teachers is not significant as the p-value is .769, whereas a positive significant relationship between open climate and female teachers’ performance exists as the value of r is 0.462 with a p-value .000. In the case of closed climate, there is a weak significant relationship between closed climate and teachers as the r is 0.177 with a p-value of .000. This relationship is insignificant in males as the p-value is 0.090 and significant in female school teachers as the r-value is 0.421 with a p-value of .000.




T-test Results

Table 6. Comparison of Organizational Climate on a Gender Basis

Variables	Gender	Mean	SD	T- value	P-value	Cohen’s d
Organizational Climate	Male	4.91	0.360	6.773	.000**	0.606
	Female	4.42	1.086
Teacher Performance	Male	3.78	.797	3.690	.000**	.361
	Female	4.01	.419

Male = 250, Female = 200

 




From table 6, it is clear that the mean is different for males and females as the p-value is .000. The standard deviation (S.D.) for males (.360) is less than that of females (1.086). So, the male teacher’s organizational climate is better as it is clear from the mean values. As Cohen’s d value is .606, that indicates a medium effect size.

In the case of teacher performance, the above table indicates that the mean of males and females are different as the effect size is large. The value of standard deviation (S.D.) for females is lesser than for males.

 

Regression Analysis

Regression 1

Dependent Variable: Y= Teachers’ Performance               

Independent Variable: X= Organizational Climate

Regression Model: Y_i = ?₀ + ?₁ X_i + µ_i

Estimated Model: Y_i =3.495 + 0.082 X_i




 

Table 7. Regression Analysis Organizational Climate and Teachers’ Performance

Model	Parameters	Standard Error	t-ratio	Sig	R2
Constant	3.495	0.184	18.998	0.000	0.010
Organizational Climate	0.082	0.039	2.110	0.035

 




Table 7 shows that both parameters intercept and slope are significant because the t-ratio is greater than or equal to 2 and in the table, both t-ratio is greater than 2. Also, it has been seen that both the parameters of the model are significant and the coefficient of determination is very low i.e., 0.01 which shows that there should some other variable should be included in the model as an independent variable.

Regression 2

Dependent Variable: Y=Female Teachers’ Performance                 

Independent Variable: X= Organizational Climate

Regression Model: Y_i = ?₀ + ?₁ X_i + µ_i

Estimated Model: Y_i =3.298 + 0.160 X_i




 

Table 8. Regression Analysis of Organizational Climate and Female Teachers’ Performance

Model	Parameters	Standard Error	t-ratio	Sig	R2
Constant	3.298	0.114	29.043	0.000	0.172
Organizational Climate	0.160	0.025	6.416	0.000

 




Table 8 shows the regression model in which Female teachers’ performance is considered as the dependent variable and organizational climate as the independent variable. It can be seen from the table that the t-ratio of both parameters is greater than two which shows that both co-efficient is significant also, the significant level is zero. Co-efficient of determination is also very low which shows that this model is not good and some other factor should be included in the model.

 

Regression 3

Dependent Variable: Y= Teachers’ Performance               

Independent Variable: X= Open Climate

Regression Model: Y_i = ?₀ + ?₁ X_i + µ_i

Estimated Model: Y_i =3.467 + 0.088 X_i




 

Table 9. Regression Analysis of Open Climate and Teachers’ Performance

Model	Parameters	Standard Error	t-ratio	Sig	R2
Constant	3.467	0.162	21.431	0.000	0.015
Open Climate	0.088	0.034	2.589	0.010

 




Table 9 presents the regression model in which teachers’ performance is considered as a dependent variable and open climate as an independent variable. It can be seen from the table that the t-ratio of both parameters is greater than 2 which shows that both co-efficient is significant also the significant level is zero for the constant and 0.01 for the open climate parameter. Co-efficient of determination is also very low which shows that this model is not good and some other factor should be included in the model.

 

Regression 4

Dependent Variable: Y= Teachers’ Performance               

Independent Variable: X= Closed Climate

Regression Model: Y_i = ?₀ + ?₁ X_i + µ_i

Estimated Model: Y_i =3.224 + 0.167 X_i




 

Table 10. Regression Analysis of Closed Climate and Teachers’ Performance

Model	Parameters	Standard Error	t-ratio	Sig	R2
Constant	3.224	0.175	18.423	0.000	0.031
Closed Climate	0.167	0.044	3.792	0.000

     




Table 10 presents the regression model in which teachers’ performance is considered as the dependent variable and closed climate as the independent variable. Table 10 shows that the t-ratio of both parameters is greater than 2 which means that both co-efficient is significant also the significant level (p-value) is zero for both constant and closed climate parameters. Co-efficient of determination is also very low which shows that this model is not good and some other factor should be included in the model.

Discussion

The results affirmed that there is a positive significant relationship between organizational climate and teacher performance. The study of Spruill (2008) supported the results of the study at hand. A positive significant relationship was found between teachers’ performance and open climate. The study of Raza (2010) supports the results of the study at hand. The overall relationship of a closed climate with teachers' performance is positively significant. The study found a significant difference in organizational climate between male and female schools. Also, the performance of male and female teachers is different. So, female teachers perform better in close climates as compared to males. Male teachers' performance did not affect significantly by the climate, whether it is open or closed while in the case of female teachers, their performance is better in an open climate than in a closed climate (Gunbayi, 2007).

Conclusion and Recommendations

The study concludes that organizational climate and teachers’ performance are positively correlated. The relationship of organizational climate with performance was significant in the case of female teachers and in the case of male school teachers, this relationship was not significant. Male teachers' performance did not affect significantly by the climate, whether it is open or closed, while in the case of female teachers, their performance is better in an open climate than in a closed climate. The study recommends the open climate to make the institutional environment conducive for teachers, as a teacher is a key component for educational success and development.

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