Abstract:

The presentation analyses the role played by teachers while enhancing the adolescents’ school engagement. The research studies (Allen, Kern, 2017; Cemalcilar, 2010) allow concluding that the teachers’ assistance is significantly more important compared to any other kind of social support – teachers have a bigger influence on more sustainable development of adolescents, their academic achievements as well as development of adolescents’ social and emotional competence. According to the research conducted by Johnson (2009) and Roffey (2012), it can be stated that the teacher’s ability to create positive interpersonal relations with pupils considering their needs of developmental periods enable pupils to enhance their relation with their school. Microclimate plays a significant role in the adolescent-school relation. Beane, Lipka, Ludewig (1986), who conducted research on school microclimate, distinguish between patronizing and humanistic. Patronizing environment is perceived as providing priority to autocratic order, which is characterised through stereotyping and depersonalisation. Humanistic microclimate includes democratic relations, development of pupils’ self-governance and their involvement in creating both cultural and physical environments. The conducted scientific research proved that in schools where democratic relations prevail pupils demonstrate higher academic achievements and more intensive engagement in school life compared to ones, who attended schools with patronizing microclimate.

However, most of schools lack programmes targeted at enhancement of pupils’ school engagement and perception of oneself as a part of school community. Thus, at present the perception of this phenomenon is relevant at the conceptual level.

The goal of presentation is to identify the role of teachers creating the school microclimate that promotes adolescents’ school engagement.

The method of quantitative research was applied employing the international Student (School) Engagement Instrument, which consists of 35 questions that focus on six areas: relevance of performed activities at school; extrinsic motivation; future aspirations and goals; family support for learning; peer support for learning; teacher-student relationships. The research instrument was also supplemented by a form of demographic variables, which aimed to reveal the pupils’ age, gender, the average mark of study subjects, the number of missed classes. The research data were processed applying the methods of descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation analysis, regression analysis.

Keywords:

School Microclimate, Adolescents’ school engagement, Teachers’ Role.