Investigation of The Effect of The Motivational Language Used by School Administrators on School Climate and Academic Achievement

Abstract

The current research examines how the motivational language utilized by school principals affects teachers' views of the school climate alongside students' academic success. Furthermore, it investigates whether teachers' perspectives on motivational language vary based on demographic characteristics, including gender, teaching field, professional seniority, and academic background. The study adopts a relational survey model, representing a quantitative methodology intended to analyze the associations between these variables. The target population for this study consists of all teaching staff working at public and private middle schools situated in Hakkari province over the 2023–2024 educational year. A total of 635 teachers were chosen from this target group via a simple random sampling technique. Research data were collected utilizing three distinct tools: a "Personal Information Form," the "Motivational Language Scale," and the "School Climate Scale." To evaluate student achievement, the mean scores derived from the High School Transition System (LGS) central examination for the corresponding academic period were utilized. The collected data were processed using SPSS and AMOS statistical software, applying descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. The findings indicate that teachers' evaluations of motivational language positively and meaningfully predict the school climate. Additionally, variations were detected concerning demographic factors such as age, gender, subject area, years of teaching, and educational degree. Moreover, the results demonstrated a favorable and meaningful predictive impact of roughly 10% on students' academic success. The outcomes also highlight that directive language is the predominant motivational tactic adopted by school administrators.