Abstract
The positive effect of school climate on adolescents’ prosocial behavior is supported in literature, but the influencing mechanisms in this association remain unclear. The current study uses a moderated mediation model to examine the potential mediation of self-identity, social dominance, and social competence, and moderation of gender in the link between school climate and adolescents’ prosocial behavior. A valid sample of students (n = 659, Mage = 15.09 years) are requested to complete questionnaires and scales to measure school climate, self-identity, social dominance, social competence, and prosocial behavior in Jiangsu Province, China in 2021. The relationship between school climate and prosocial behavior is mediated by self-identity and social competence but not by social dominance. A significant gender difference is observed regarding the association of self-identity and social dominance with prosocial behavior. Findings contribute to the further understanding of how school climate predicts adolescent prosocial behavior, and provide practical implications for social work programs to promote students’ prosocial behaviors.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The datasets analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Aldridge, J. M., Fraser, B. J., Fozdar, F., Ala’i, K., Earnest, J., & Afari, E. (2016). Students’ perceptions of school climate as determinants of wellbeing, resilience and identity. Improving Schools, 19(1), 5–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480215612616.
Anderson, C. S. (1982). The search for school climate: A review of the research. Review of Educational Research, 52(3), 368–420. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543052003368.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action. Prentice-Hall.
Bear, G. G., Gaskins, C., Blank, J., & Chen, F. F. (2011). Delaware School Climate Survey—Student: Its factor structure, concurrent validity, and reliability. Journal of School Psychology, 49(2), 157–174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.01.001.
Bradshaw, C. P., Koth, C. W., Thornton, L. A., & Leaf, P. J. (2008). Altering School Climate through School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports: Findings from a Group-Randomized Effectiveness Trial. Prevention Science, 10(2), 100–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0114-9.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Harvard University Press.
Caldarella, P., Shatzer, R. H., Gray, K. M., Young, K. R., & Young, E. L. (2011). The effects of school-wide positive behavior support on middle school climate and student outcomes. RMLE Online, 35(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2011.11462087.
Caprara, G. V., & Pastorelli, C. (1993). Early emotional instability, prosocial behavior, and aggression: Some methodological aspects. European Journal of Personality, 7(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2410070103.
Carlo, G., Mestre, M. V., McGinley, M. M., Tur-Porcar, A., Samper, P., & Opal, D. (2014). The protective role of prosocial behaviors on antisocial behaviors: The mediating effects of deviant peer affiliation. Journal of Adolescence, 37(4), 359–366. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.02.009.
Choi, J., Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. (2011). The roots of social dominance: Aggression, prosocial behavior, and social interdependence. The Journal of Educational Research, 104(6), 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2010.514689.
Collie, R. J., Martin, A. J., Roberts, C. L., & Nassar, N. (2018). The roles of anxious and prosocial behavior in early academic performance: A population-based study examining unique and moderated effects. Learning and Individual Differences, 62, 141–152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2018.02.004.
Crocetti, E., Moscatelli, S., Van der Graaff, J., Rubini, M., Meeus, W., & Branje, S. (2016). The interplay of self-certainty and prosocial development in the transition from late adolescence to emerging adulthood. European Journal of Personality, 30, 594–607. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2084.
Cunha, O. S., & Goncalves, R. A. (2016). Severe and less severe intimate partner violence: From characterization to prediction. Violence and Victims, 31(2), 235–250. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-14-00033.
Damon, W., Lerner, R. M., & Eisenberg, N. (Eds.). (2006). Handbook of child psychology, social, emotional, and personality development. John Wiley & Sons.
Dirks, M. A., Treat, T. A., & Robin Weersing, V. (2007). Integrating theoretical, measurement, and intervention models of youth social competence. Clinical Psychology Review, 27(3), 327–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2006.11.002.
Dykas, M. J., & Cassidy, J. (2011). Attachment and the processing of social information across the life span: Theory and evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 137(1), 19–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021367.
Espinosa, M. P., & Kovářík, J. (2015). Prosocial behavior and gender. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 9, 88. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2015.00088.
Finch, J. E., Akhavein, K., Patwardhan, I., & Clark, C. A. (2023). Teachers’ self-efficacy and perceptions of school climate are uniquely associated with students’ externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 85, 101512.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2023.101512.
Flouri, E., & Sarmadi, Z. (2016). Prosocial behavior and childhood trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems: The role of neighborhood and school contexts. Developmental Psychology, 52(2), 253–258. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000076.
González-Torres, M. A., & Fernandez-Rivas, A. (2015). Self-identity and gender differences. In M. Sáenz-Herrero (Ed.), Psychopathology in women. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05870-2_4.
Groh, A. M., Fearon, R. P., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., Steele, R. D., & Roisman, G. I. (2014). The significance of attachment security for children’s social competence with peers: A meta-analytic study. Attachment & Human Development, 16(2), 103–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2014.883636.
Grossi, G., Strappini, F., Iuliano, E., Passiatore, Y., Mancini, F., Levantini, V., & Buonanno, C. (2023). Psychopathic traits, externalizing problems, and Prosocial Behavior: The role of Social Dominance Orientation. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 12(10), 3521. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12103521.
Hawley, P. H. (1999). The ontogenesis of social dominance: A strategy-based evolutionary perspective. Developmental Review, 19, 97 – 132. https://doi.org/10.1006/drev.1998.0470.
Hawley, P. H., Little, T. D., & Card, N. A. (2007). The allure of a mean friend: Relationship quality and processes of aggressive adolescents with prosocial skills. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 31, 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025407074630.
Hayes, A. F. (2013). An introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
Hertz, S. G., & Krettenauer, T. (2016). Does moral identity effectively predict moral behavior? A meta-analysis. Review of General Psychology, 20(2), 129–140. https://doi.org/10.1037/gpr0000062.
Hirschi, T. (2015). Social Control Theory: A Control Theory of Delinquency. Criminology theory (pp. 289–305). Routledge.
Hoftede, G., Hofstede, G. J., & Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation and its importance for survival. McGraw-Hill.
Hong, M., Dyakov, D. G., & Zheng, J. (2021). The influence of self-identity on social support loneliness and internet addiction among Chinese college students. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 31(3), 242–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2021.1927353.
Jarvinen, D. W., & Nicholls, J. G. (1996). Adolescents’ social goals, beliefs about the causes of social success, and satisfaction in peer relations. Developmental Psychology, 32(3), 435. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.32.3.435.
Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.3102/006599X09339057.
Kiefer, S. M., & Ryan, A. M. (2008). Striving for social dominance over peers: The implications for academic adjustment during early adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100(2), 417. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.100.2.417.
LaRusso, M. D., Romer, D., & Selman, R. L. (2008). Teachers as builders of respectful school climate: Implications for adolescent drug use norms and depressive symptoms in high school. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 386–398. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9212-4.
Leaper, C. (2015). Gender and Social-Cognitive Development. Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science, 1–48. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy21.
Leng, J., Guo, Q., Ma, B., Zhang, S., & Sun, P. (2020). Bridging personality and online Prosocial Behavior: The roles of Empathy, Moral Identity, and Social Self-Efficacy. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.575053.
Lounsbury, J. W., Levy, J. J., Leong, F. T., & Gibson, L. W. (2007). Identity and personality: The big five and narrow personality traits in relation to sense of identity. Identity, 7(1), 51–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283480701319641.
Luengo Kanacri, B. P., Eisenberg, N., Thartori, E., Pastorelli, C., Tirado, U., Gerbino, L. M., M., & Caprara, G. V. (2017). Longitudinal relations among positivity, perceived positive School Climate, and Prosocial Behavior in Colombian adolescents. Child Development, 88(4), 1100–1114. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12863.
Luo, H., Liu, Q., Yu, C., & Nie, Y. (2021). Parental warmth, gratitude, and prosocial behavior among Chinese adolescents: The moderating effect of school climate. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(13), 7033. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18137033.
Luo, Y., Ma, T., & Deng, Y. (2023). School Climate and adolescents’ Prosocial Behavior: The mediating role of Perceived Social Support and Resilience. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1095566. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1095566.
Manzano-Sánchez, D., Gómez-Mármol, A., Valero-Valenzuela, A., & Jiménez-Parra, J. F. (2021). School Climate and responsibility as predictors of antisocial and prosocial behaviors and violence: A study towards self-determination theory. Behavioral Sciences, 11(3), 36. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11030036.
Midgley, C. (2002). Goals, goal structures, and patterns of adaptive learning. Erlbaum.
Moradi, A., & Chemelnezhad, M. (2021). Predicting emotional-social competence based on academic engagement, self-efficacy and perception of school climate in high school students. Iranian Evolutionary and Educational Psychology Journal, 3(4), 574–582. https://doi.org/10.52547/ieepj.3.4.574.
Olthof, T., Goossens, F. A., Vermande, M. M., Aleva, E. A., & van der Meulen, M. (2011). Bullying as strategic behavior: Relations with desired and acquired dominance in the peer group. Journal of School Psychology, 49(3), 339–359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2011.03.003.
Perez Sanchez, L. F. (2019). Epistemological, psychological, sociological and pedagogical considerations of values education. RIDE Revista Iberoamericana Para La Investigación Y El Desarrollo Educativo, 9(18), 184–194. https://doi.org/10.23913/ride.v9i18.417.
Pianta, R. C., & Hamre, B. K. (2009). Conceptualization, measurement, and improvement of classroom processes: Standardized observation can leverage capacity. Educational Researcher, 38, 109–119. https://doi.org/10.3102/006599x09332374.
Purdie, N., Tripcony, P., Boulton-Lewis, G., Fanshawe, J., & Gunstone, A. (2000). Positive self-identity for indigenous students and its relationship to school outcomes. Queensland University of Technology.
Putallaz, M., Hellstern, L., Sheppard, B. L., Grimes, C. L., & Glodis, K. A. (1995). Conflict, social competence, and gender: Maternal and peer contexts. Early Education and Development, 6, 433–447. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15566935eed06048.
Schunk, D. H., & Pajares, F. (2009). Handbook of motivation at school. Routledge.
Shek, D. T., Siu, A. M., & Lee, T. Y. (2007). The Chinese positive youth development scale: A validation study. Research on Social work Practice, 17(3), 380–391. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731506296196.
Sidanius, J., Van Laar, C., Levin, S., & Sinclair, S. (2003). Social hierarchy maintenance and assortment into social roles: A social dominance perspective. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 6(4), 333–352. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684302030064002.
Sun, J., Liu, J., Liu, M., Feng, Y., & Li, Y. (2023). Maternal warmth and prosocial behaviors among Chinese Preschool children: The roles of social competence Sibling Presence. Early Education and Development, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2023.2200338.
Taborsky, B., & Oliveira, R. F. (2012). Social competence: An evolutionary approach. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 27(12), 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2012.09.003.
Vallerand, R. J. (1997). Toward a hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. In Berkowitz, L. (Eds.), Advances in experimental social psychology (pp. 271–360). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60019-2.
Vollebergh, W. A., Iedema, J., & Raaijmakers, Q. A. (2001). Intergenerational transmission and the formation of cultural orientations in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(4), 1185–1198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.01185.x.
Wang, M. T. (2009). School climate support for behavioral and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating effect of social competence. School Psychology Quarterly, 24(4), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017999.
Wang, M. T., & Degol, J. L. (2016). School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 28(2), 315–352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-015-9319-1.
Weissbourd, R., Bouffard, S. M., & Jones, S. M. (2013). School Climate and Moral and Social Development. School Climate Practice brief. National School Climate Center.
Williford, A., Fite, P. J., Isen, D., & Poquiz, J. (2019). Associations between peer victimization and school climate: The impact of form and the moderating role of gender. Psychology in the Schools, 56(8), 1301–1317. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22278.
Xie, J. S., Lv, Y. X., Ma, K., & Xie, L. (2016). Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of Delaware School Climate Survey-Student. Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology, 23(4), 594–596.
Yang, Y., Guo, Z., Kou, Y., & Liu, B. (2019a). Linking self-compassion and prosocial behavior in adolescents: The mediating roles of relatedness and trust. Child Indicators Research, 12, 2035–2049. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-9623-2.
Yang, Y., Li, W., Sheldon, K. M., & Kou, Y. (2019b). Chinese adolescents with higher social dominance orientation are less prosocial and less happy: A value-environment fit analysis. International Journal of Psychology, 54(3), 325–332. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12474.
Acknowledgements
We want to thank all the participants in the present study.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Zhiyou Wang and Chunkai Li designed the study. Zhiyou Wang and Chunkai Li administered the survey, collected data, performed the statistical analysis.Zhiyou Wang and Zhe Xie wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the research ideas, literature review, methodology and interpretation of the data. All authors agreed the submission of the manuscript in current version.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have on conflict of interest.
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, Z., Xie, Z. & Li, C. How is School Climate Related to Adolescent Prosocial Behavior? A Moderated Mediation Analysis. Child Adolesc Soc Work J (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-024-00960-5
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-024-00960-5