The Relationship between School Climate and Teachers' Organizational Silence Behaviors

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship between school climate and teachers' organizational silence behaviors. The sample of the study, which employed a survey research method, consisted of 379 secondary school teachers in Kutahya, a city in western Turkey. The data was collected using the "Organizational Climate Scale at Schools" and the "Organizational Silence Scale". The data was analyzed through descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and multiple regressions. The findings show that the level of openness of the climate of those schools under the study is "low" for school principals and "very high" for teachers. Teachers' organizational silence behaviors are at a moderate level. Teachers' organizational silence behaviors decrease as their time in service increases. School climate explains almost one-third of the total variance of organizational silence. The school principals' directive and restrictive behaviors increase teachers' organizational silence behaviors whereas supportive manners of school principals as well as teachers' collegial manners decrease silence behaviors.