37 Eleonora Mihaela Popa Public School, Pantelimon nora_popa35@yahoo.com THE INFLUENCE OF FAMILY CLIMATE ON THE ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Keywords Family climate; Surveillance; Acceptance; Autonomy; Conflict; Attitude toward school _______________________________________________ Abstract In recent years, not only researchers, but also the large public have focused on topics such as family, family relationships, family climate, education in the family and the psychological and social impact of family relationships on children, at various levels of their development. Following a series of studies, it has been found that the basis of healthy behaviour and a positive attitude toward life is laid during the first years one spends in the family. At the same time, some experts argue that at the moment children reach adolescence, family members must renegotiate their roles. In this light, the close relationship between parents and children becomes highly important to building one’s individuality. Of great importance in developing a child’s identity is his/her perception on 38 his/her family climate and on his/her parents’ educational style. These factors affect everyone’s capacity for self-regulation and self- control. _______________________________________________ 1. Review of literature Many researchers have studied the problem of the family climate, as well as the students' attitude towards the school. "The Scale of Educational Attitudes" (SEA) is a tool for evaluating the opinion of students in school. The different attitude will place students in four categories: disinterested students, interested in having a job, interested in studying and interested in having a profession. Those in the first category do not admit the importance of education and therefore do not do their homework, are not interested in anything related to school, are unruly and find school boring. Their motivation is extrinsic. Those in the second category recognize that it is good to study, to obtain a diploma, but only for the reason of being able to practice a profession, not because they are interested in education. They are performance oriented, have learning skills, but consider many of the school subjects uninteresting. Their motivation is both intrinsic but also extrinsic. The third category is the students who like to learn, are interested in many fields of knowledge, do their homework conscientiously and recognize the importance of education and studies. Their motivation is intrinsic. The fourth category consists of students who have high levels of motivation and orientation of learning and have set high goals from a professional and academic point of view that they want to achieve. The structural analysis conducted by Abu-Hilal (2000) shows that the attitude towards school influences achievements, but only indirectly. The aspiration level has a significant direct effect on achievements. 39 Holfve-Sabel (2006) concludes from his study that the attitude of the students towards school is better than 35 years ago. If in the past the emphasis was put only on theoretical knowledge, at present the emphasis is on the interactional aspects of learning, and children are more interested. The studies conducted by Mombourquette (2007) revealed that the school performance of the students was positively correlated with the involvement of parents in the school life of the students. Parents need to set expectations for their children, expectations that they can meet. Children should not be prevented from taking decisions, taking responsibility, but should be encouraged in these directions. Parents need to help their teenage children understand their personality and possibilities, go beyond their limits by, expanding their horizons. Being a parent is not just about giving life to a child, but also being willing to offer love, help, encouragement, comfort and support; it means understanding the difference between the child's wishes and his real needs; it means giving time, interaction and support; above all, the availability of understanding, listening and being close. Arsene and Constantin (2013) define two golden rules of education: the first rule - to love the child unconditionally; the second rule - to show the child love through deeds. The two researchers identify the following family values: compassion and tolerance, courage, moral integrity, dignity, honesty, friendship, kindness, perseverance, self-discipline, responsibility, patience, promptness, cleanliness, religious belief. Parents have the utmost influence on children, determining their behavior and actions in different situations, which is why the model they offer to children is very important. Parents need to be genuine, to be a visible match between what they claim to be and what they practice. The authors argue that parents need to be honest with their children, to acknowledge their feelings and limitations. 40 Children depend on their parents from birth until late, when they can handle it on their own. The strong bond between the mother and her child develops as an attachment that can be extended throughout life. The feeling of safety, comfort, well-being develops in the child's positive attitudes towards life, towards those around him, so that he becomes more resistant to the factors that generate stress, can manage his emotions much easier and will have a correct image with about oneself and others. Effective communication between parents and the child will help the child feel understood, protected and have a sense of belonging. Siegel and Hartzell (2017) propose three stages of attachment development: alignment, balance and coherence. They suggest that, first of all, it is necessary to give / align the parents' spiritual state with that of the child, after which the child obtains a state of bodily, emotional and mental balance, that will help him to feel integrated and connected. Thus the relationship becomes coherent. Although most parents love their children, there are times when they behave inappropriately, because, within the parent-child relationship, the unresolved traumas from the parents' childhood can be triggered. In these situations, parents may be dominated by anger, fear, sadness or frustration, and their response to the child's behavior will be inappropriate. Parental frustration can cause disorientation, insecurity, and frustration in the child. These behaviors will lead to unhappiness and exhaustion on both sides, and the relationship will become increasingly difficult. Often the unresolved traumas and problems are transmitted from one generation to another. The only solution proposed by Siegel and Hartzell (2017) is acceptance, understanding and solving of past problems. Only in this way, the relationship between parents and children will be a healthy one and will produce positive results in each one's life. The attitude of children towards school can be influenced by several factors. One of these, which has a great weight, is the family 41 climate. The warmer the family climate and, the more open it is to the needs of the children, the better the children's attitudes towards the new ones, the challenges and the school will be. Defining the keywords The family climate is defined by Matheis and Adams (2004) as the relationship established between expressivity, cohesion, and conflict within the family. Expressiveness refers to the ability of family members to feel free to discuss their feelings openly, cohesion is represented by the factors that make it possible for family members to feel united, and conflict relates to how family members interact at times, of anger and aggression. Abu-Hilal (2000) defines the attitude towards school as constituting solid and well-organized structures of social beliefs that predispose the individual to think, feel, perceive and behave selectively towards the references or cognitive targets of the attitudes. Family climate Ionescu and Negreanu (2006) define the family as a social group whose members are linked by age, marriage or adoption and who live together, cooperate in economic relations and care for children. The family is the most important environment for socialization and a source of influence for the moral development of adolescents. The family is also the gateway to the outside world, where young people will demonstrate and exercise value judgments developed in the home (White and Matawie, 2004). The family is a topic of great interest for researchers from a practical-applicative point of view because it provides information on data, mechanisms and causal determinations due to the small number of members, of the family microcosm (Iluț, 2007). Several studies on parental roles concluded that the family environment has a major influence on the development of the child. Although the mother's IQ, language, and behavior are 42 considered to be the defining factors in the development of the child's personality and intelligence, the father's role is also becoming increasingly important and it is considered that no differences should be made regarding the role and influence of each child. on the child (Vrasmas, 2008, pg. 39). A study by Hofer et al. (2006) showed the beneficial influence of a positive family climate on the development of children's identity. The more the self-image of children grows, the more interest in school be noticed on their part. Four parenting styles have been identified: the authoritarian style - parents who often restrict and demand obedience rather than listening to children, and who do not on meet the children's needs; permissive style - parents who set some restrictions, rules or limits on the behavior of their children; authoritative style - parents who are flexible and open to the needs of their children, but also impose reasonable standards of leadership; the negligent style - parents who set no boundaries and demand little performance from their children (Baumrind, 1971). Several questionnaires and tests were developed for the assessment of the family climate. These include the Test of Self- Conscious Affect and The Family Closeness Questionnaire (Walter and Bumaford, 2006). Svedin, Back and Söderback (2002) propose the use of the Family Climate Test questionnaire to assess the family climate. The questionnaire has 85 characteristics, of which the family members choose 15 which they think can be applied. This test is homogeneous due to the four factors of analysis: proximity - it includes 18 characteristics, among which harmony, safety and warmth; distance - with 11 features, including cold and distance; spontaneity - includes six terms that describe the spontaneity and richness of expressing emotions; and chaos - it includes six characteristics that describe confusion, anxiety and instability. Yip (1998) identifies two types of families: one-parent and two- parent families. One-parent families include families with divorced 43 parents and families with a widowed parent. Parents are believed to have difficulty maintaining boundaries for their children. Children from such families have reported behavioral problems and other dysfunctions in family and school life. Gennetian's (2005) research has shown that the experience of a child without the presence of both biological parents influences the children's future well-being. Mixed families, consisting of a natural parent and a step-parent, have several short-term mismatches and connections. Hofferth and Anderson (2003) conclude that differences between fathers can be verified, in the sense that biology explains the lack of involvement of non- biological fathers. The different types of family structures experienced during childhood have varied effects on socio-economic achievement and social mobility and are correlated with the dimensions of the parent-child relationship, such as parental values, control and support offered to children. Children who do not spend most of their childhood with both biological parents will have lower socio- economic achievements than the others. The depth of the link between socio-economic origins and destination depends on the family structure (Biblarz, Raftery and Bucur, 1997). The study by Ang and Goh (2006) reveals that the authoritarian parenting style may have a different cultural significance for Asians. To highlight the effects of parenting on children's school attitudes, McHale, Rao, and Krasnow (2000) demonstrated that students whose mothers reported more frequent and active efforts to promote family integrity were listed as having higher academic skills. than their colleagues. Children whose mothers had more conflicts with their husbands were described as students who raise problems and who are more anxious than their peers. Children who raise problems have also been associated with mothers whose activities are suppressed by their spouses. 44 Kurdek, Fine and Sinclair, cited by Yip (1998), developed a questionnaire to identify the family climate. They identified four types of family climate, described by the following keywords: supervision, acceptance, autonomy and conflict. The first type represents the families that permanently supervise and supervise the activities of the children. The second type is the families where the parents accept and support the children whenever possible. The third type is the families in which parents give their children a high degree of autonomy and confidence. The last type is the families in which conflicts frequently occur. The effects of particular parenting practices on children's relationships with their friends may differ by age and gender (Engels et al., 2002). From here it can be assumed that the family climate influences the way children interact with playmates and schoolmates, and the quality of these relationships could play an important role in their interest in school. Attitude towards school Attitude is the foreshadowing of behavior, a latent psychic variable that determines behavior. It does not represent a momentary disposition, but a stable propensity, a unifying principle of acts of conduct and prefigures the general way of reacting to people, ideas, situations, values (Pîrșan, 2011). Children's attitudes are very important and affect their psychological status, such as feelings, self-esteem, stable behavior, and educational performance (Sa'di, 2001). The attitude towards the school consists of the self-reported interest of the students and of the pleasure towards school and towards courses. Studies have shown that young people are more interested in learning. The cognitive attitude of the children towards school demonstrates statistically significant associations with the achievement. Students' interest in courses is related to the use of self-regulation strategies and motivation. The attitude of the students in the courses is influenced by the interest towards 45 the course and the perception of the relevance of its future usefulness. Negative attitudes toward school can influence school performance (McCoach, 2002). Self-confidence is a very important trait, which can determine the response to certain life situations. The child should be encouraged to accept himself as he is, even if he sometimes perceives himself as different from the others. Often parents make the mistake of forcing their children to achieve what they, in their turn, have not succeeded. This behavior makes the child an insecure person, who does not know exactly what he wants. Even if the child's wishes are different from the parent's, the parent should encourage him or her to carry out the plans he or she proposes. (Arsene and Constantin, 2013, pg.82-90) It is often said that young students need a special physical and emotional atmosphere. In other words, they need educational facilities, such as audio-visual materials, playgrounds, specially decorated rooms, sports halls, exhibitions and materials for learning tasks and activities. If primary schools provided children with these basic conditions for learning, they might be more attracted to school (Sa'di, 2001). Most of the time children are influenced by the mood and emotions of the adults. In the classroom, the teacher may be stressed by the disturbing attitudes of certain children. If there are already a few children in the classroom like this, the stress increases; the teacher feels more and more upset, and therefore changes their attitude towards them. On the other hand, the other children feel this attitude of the teacher and transfer it to the turbulent children, behaving negatively way towards them. Jennings (2017) argues that sometimes children with behavioural problems become victims of colleagues' prejudices. From the perspective of disturbing children, the problem becomes more serious: they do not understand why everyone rejects them and therefore their behaviour becomes increasingly aggressive. They conclude that they don't like school with everything going on there. 46 Research has shown that these children have poorer school outcomes than the other children. (Dwyer, Osher and Warger, 1998, cited in the book above) Murphy, Ambusaidi and Beggs (2006) argue that there are differences in school attitudes of students depending on the geographical location, for example Ireland and Oman. Thus, young Irish children prefer all the subjects of learning, while those in Oman only half of them. If the Irish girls have a more positive attitude, there are slight differences between boys and girls in Oman. Both Irish and Oman students prefer experiments and practical work and are more optimistic as they gain experience. Several tools have been developed for assessing children's attitudes towards school. The Student Attitudes Toward School Safety Measures (SATSSM) was developed as a new tool to accurately assess the attitude of high school students toward school. This instrument has 30 items, operationalized on a Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). SATSSM can also be adapted for use in middle school and can provide important information about students' attitudes toward research, meditation, and supervision (Young et al., 2002). McCoach (2002) developed the "School Attitude Assessment Survey - Revised" to determine students' attitudes toward school. The questionnaire has 35 items, on a Likert scale from 1 to 7, where 1 means "Strongly disagree", and 7 represents "Strongly agree". The results of the tool highlight the students' self-perception from the academic point of view, the attitude of the students towards the school itself, towards the teachers, the importance given to the goals, the motivation and the self-regulation. To examine the factors associated with the school-related feelings of kindergarten and first-grade children, researchers Valeski and Stipek (2001) proposed an instrument called Feelings About School (FAS). It measures children's perceptions of academic competence, their feelings about the teacher and their general attitude toward school. FAS has 12 items, operationalized on a 47 Likert scale from 1 (not good) to 5 (very good). In general, in kindergarten and the first year of school, the attitude of the children is positive, and their feelings about their relationship with teachers are more positive in the first class, compared to kindergarten. Children's perception of their competence is a predictor of their attitude to school. 2. Methodology Objectives of research This study aimed to study how family climate influences children’s attitude toward school. Given the fact that there are different types of families, it can be assumed that each one of them influences in a different way children’s attitude towards school. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to identify the type of family climate that positively influences children’s attitudes towards school. This research also aims to highlight the fact that a family climate favourable to the harmonious development of children leads to a positive attitude towards the educational-educational activities and towards life. Children living in such families are more open, sociable, more interested in new life, easily face life's challenges, have more self-confidence, are more optimistic and find the necessary emotional, spiritual, and physical support in the family. and intellectual. The representative population taken into the study is made up of students from high school. The population is represented by students from a high school in Bucharest. Questions of the research There are four independent variables for each of the five hypotheses formulated: the family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict and a dependent variable, namely: 48 academic self-perception, for the first hypothesis; attitude towards teachers, for the second hypothesis; the attitude towards the school, for the third hypothesis; the value given to the targets, for the fourth hypothesis and the motivation / self-regulation, for the fifth hypothesis. The interest of the specialists regarding the influence of the family environment on the behavioral aspects of the students is increasing. Some studies that show that students' attitudes towards school can depend on several factors. Following the problem mentioned above, the following hypotheses will be formulated: H1: The family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the academic self-perception of the high school students. H2: The family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the attitude towards teachers and courses of the high school students. H3: The family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the attitude towards the school of the high school students. H4: The family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the value given to the targets by the high school students. H5: The family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the capacity of self-regulation and the motivation of the high school students. 49 Methodological indications The present research was a quantitative, cross-sectional study. To ascertain the relationship between the family climate and the attitude towards the school of the children, the tools described below were used. Both questionnaires were initially rated on a Likert scale from 1 to 7. To determine the family climate was used the "Family Climate Inventory", developed by Kurdek, Fine and Sinclair and adapted for the Romanian language. The questionnaire determines four types of family climate, in which the children have: supervision, acceptance, autonomy and conflict. Each category corresponds to six items, on a Likert scale from 1 to 6, defined as follows: 1 - strongly disagree, 2 - disagree, 3 - partially disagree, 4 - partially agree, 5 - agree, 6 - strongly agree. Questions 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 21 highlights how subjects perceive the level of control and monitoring they have in the family. A high score indicates a high degree of supervision that the family exercises over the subjects. Questions 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22 highlight the subjects' perception of the level of warmth and support they receive from the family. A high score indicates a high degree of acceptance from the family. Questions 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23 assess how subjects perceive the extent to which they were allowed to make decisions and were encouraged to trust their family. A high score shows a high level of family trust. Questions 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 highlights how subjects perceive the level of conflict and disorder in their families. Achieving a high score shows a high level of family conflict. To determine the attitude towards school was used "School Attitude Assessment Survey - Revised", elaborated and validated by McCoach (2002), adapted for the Romanian language. This questionnaire consists of 35 items, on a Likert scale from 1 to 6, as follows: 1 - strongly disagree, 2 - disagree, 3 - slightly disagree, 4 - easily agree, 5 - agree, 6 - strongly disagree agreement. 50 The questionnaires used are "Family Climat Inventory", for the identification of the family climate and "School Attitude Assessment Survey - Revised", for the identification of the students’s attitude towards school. After administering the two tests, the results were correlated and analyzed in the SPSS data operating system. 3. Research results The statistical analysis showed that, in general, the predominant family climate is the one of acceptance, and in the families with girls the climate of supervision predominates, whereas in the families with boys the climate of trust predominates. On the other hand, the scores of the family climate increase as students move to a higher class. From the perspective of the family status, the variation of the scores of the family climate is not significant for the trusted family climate and the family climate of conflict. In contrast, the family climate of supervision is most commonly encountered in single-parent families, that is, where the parents are either separated, divorced or deceased. On the other hand, in the two-parent families a climate of acceptance prevails. Single- parent families predominantly exhibit a surveillance climate. Most families are those in which there is a climate of acceptance (74.8%), distributed relatively evenly between the families of boys and girls. The second place is the family climate of supervision (9.7%), present more in the families of girls than of boys. In the third place is the climate of confidence (5.9%), which is more common in families with boys than in girls with girls. Only two families reported a conflict climate, and these are boys and represent 0.8%. It can be concluded that the most common family climate is that of acceptance. The statistical analyses carried out in this study showed that the attitude towards the school of the high school students varies according to the demographic factors: gender and family status. So, girls generally have a better attitude towards school than boys. 51 Analyzing the results obtained from the correlation of the four types of family climate with the five aspects of the attitude of the students towards the school, these being the main variables of the study, it was found that all the five hypotheses of the research were accepted, so the family climate of supervision, the family climate of acceptance, the family climate of trust and the family climate of conflict significantly influence the five aspects of the attitude towards the school: academic self-perception, attitude towards teachers, attitude towards school, the value given to the targets and the degree of motivation / self-regulation. 4. Conclusions 1. The family climate of trust significantly influences the academic self-perception of high school students. 2. 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