The Impact of School Climate on Student Well-Being and Academic Motivation Among High School Students: A Quantitative Investigation

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of school climate on student well-being and academic motivation among high school students. Employing a quantitative, correlational-predictive research design with mediation analysis, data were collected from 468 students enrolled in grades 11 and 12 across 32 higher secondary schools in Maharashtra, India. Three validated instruments were used: the School Climate Assessment Instrument (SCAI, α = .93), the WHO-5 Well-Being Index adapted for adolescents (WHO-5A, α = .87), and the Academic Motivation Scale-High School Version (AMS-HS, α = .91). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that school climate significantly predicted student well-being (β = .54, p < .001), accounting for 33.6% of the variance after controlling for demographic variables. School climate also significantly predicted academic motivation (β = .49, p < .001), explaining 28.8% of the variance. Among the four dimensions, teacher-student relationships (β = .28) and sense of safety and belonging (β = .24) were the strongest predictors. Structural equation modeling confirmed that student well-being partially mediated the relationship between school climate and academic motivation (βindirect = .21, 95% CI [.14, .29]). Students in schools with positive climates reported significantly higher well-being (M = 4.02) than those in schools with poor climates (M = 2.86), t(302) = 8.14, p < .001, d = 0.94. These findings underscore the critical importance of cultivating positive school climates for promoting holistic student development.