Building a supportive learning climate through school culture and discipline: Evidence from a rural secondary school in indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64780/jole.v1i4.192Abstract
Background: A supportive learning climate is widely viewed as a foundation for student engagement and character development. In rural school settings, where limitations in facilities and access can affect learning conditions, the strength of school culture and the consistency of discipline practices often become decisive in maintaining an orderly and encouraging environment.
Aims: This study investigates how school culture and discipline practices work together to build a supportive learning climate in a rural secondary school in Indonesia. It focuses on the ways daily routines, social interaction norms, and structured student programs shape students’ learning experiences.
Methods: A qualitative descriptive case study design was applied. Data were gathered through two weeks of direct observation, semi structured interviews with the principal and several teachers, and document analysis of school regulations and routine activities. Data were analyzed through thematic and narrative approaches to capture recurring patterns and meaningful links between culture, discipline, and engagement.
Result: The findings show that the learning climate is strengthened through consistent rule enforcement, clear reward and sanction procedures, and the cultivation of respectful social relations in everyday school life. Extracurricular and routine activities provide additional spaces for students to practice responsibility and belonging, which reinforces discipline not as punishment, but as shared expectations supported by the school community.
Conclusion: This study concludes that a supportive learning climate in rural contexts is primarily sustained by coherent school culture and disciplined practices that are implemented consistently and experienced collectively.
References
AbdulRaheem, Y. (2023). Unveiling the significance and challenges of integrating prevention levels in healthcare practice. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 14, 21501319231186500. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231186500
Attard, C., Berger, N., & Mackenzie, E. (2021). The positive influence of inquiry-based learning teacher professional learning and industry partnerships on student engagement with STEM. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.693221
Banks, B., Borghi, A. M., Fargier, R., Fini, C., Jonauskaite, D., Mazzuca, C., Montalti, M., Villani, C., & Woodin, G. (2023). Consensus paper: Current perspectives on abstract concepts and future research directions. Journal of Cognition, 6(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.5334/joc.238
Barker, R., Hartwell, G., Egan, M., & Lock, K. (2023). The importance of school culture in supporting student mental health in secondary schools: Insights from a qualitative study. British Educational Research Journal, 49(3), 499–521. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3853
Bisbey, T. M., Kilcullen, M. P., Thomas, E. J., Ottosen, M. J., Tsao, K., & Salas, E. (2021). Safety culture: An integration of existing models and a framework for understanding its development. Human Factors, 63(1), 88–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018720819868878
Brown, A. D., Lewis, M. A., & Oliver, N. (2021). Identity work, loss and preferred identities: A study of UK business school deans. Organization Studies, 42(6), 823–844. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840619857464
Cena, E., Burns, S., & Wilson, P. (2021). Sense of belonging and the intercultural and academic experiences among international students at a university in Northern Ireland. Journal of International Students, 11(4), 812–831. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i4.2541
Charlton, C. T., Moulton, S., Sabey, C. V., & West, R. (2021). A systematic review of the effects of schoolwide intervention programs on student and teacher perceptions of school climate. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 23(3), 185–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098300720940168
Chaudhry, S., Tandon, A., Shinde, S., & Bhattacharya, A. (2024). Student psychological well-being in higher education: The role of internal team environment, institutional, friends and family support and academic engagement. PLOS ONE, 19(1), e0297508. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297508
Cheng, Y., Wang, W., Kinoshita, T., & Ikebe, K. (2025). Fostering sustainable livelihoods and community resilience in a depopulated Japanese mountainous settlement: Connecting local culture and ikigai-zukuri through the Ōsawa Engawa Café. Sustainability, 17(11), 5174. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115174
Cruz, G., Payan-Carreira, R., Dominguez, C., Silva, H., & Morais, F. (2021). What critical thinking skills and dispositions do new graduates need for professional life? Views from Portuguese employers in different fields. Higher Education Research & Development, 40(4), 721–737. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1785401
Dost, G., & Mazzoli Smith, L. (2023). Understanding higher education students’ sense of belonging: A qualitative meta-ethnographic analysis. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(6), 822–849. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2191176
Dundon, J. T. (2025). “And I do think you have to give a kind of yes or no answer to that question”: Supportive alignment in US Supreme Court oral arguments. Language in Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404525101863
Frahm, M., & Cianca, M. (2021). Will they stay or will they go? Leadership behaviors that increase teacher retention in rural schools. The Rural Educator, 42(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v42i3.1151
Gonzales, L. S., Salazar, G. O., Negrete, P. Y. Q., & Vargas, C. G. A. P. (2025). Integrating STEAM in primary education: A systematic review from 2010 to 2024. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 15(2), 343–359. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2025-0064
Gonzálvez, C., Bacon, V., & Kearney, C. A. (2023). Systematic and evaluative review of school climate instruments for students, teachers, and parents. Psychology in the Schools, 60(6), 1781–1836. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22838
Grazia, V., & Molinari, L. (2021). School climate multidimensionality and measurement: A systematic literature review. Research Papers in Education, 36(5), 561–587. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1697735
Haack, P., Schilke, O., & Zucker, L. (2021). Legitimacy revisited: Disentangling propriety, validity, and consensus. Journal of Management Studies, 58(3), 749–781. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12615
Hagenauer, G., Muehlbacher, F., & Ivanova, M. (2023). It’s where learning and teaching begins: Insights on the teacher–student relationship at university from the teachers’ perspective. Higher Education, 85(4), 819–835. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00867-z
Hirsh, Å., & Segolsson, M. (2021). Had there been a Monica in each subject, I would have liked going to school every day: A study of students’ perceptions of what characterizes excellent teachers and their teaching actions. Education Inquiry, 12(1), 35–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2020.1740423
Ho, L., & Dimmock, C. (2023). Changing teachers’ beliefs and practices towards learner-centred education: Experiences and lessons from Vietnam’s education system reforms. Practice, 5(3), 200–219. https://doi.org/10.1080/25783858.2023.2177191
Ingersoll, R. M., & Tran, H. (2023). Teacher shortages and turnover in rural schools in the US: An organizational analysis. Educational Administration Quarterly, 59(2), 396–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X231159922
Jancovich, L., & Stevenson, D. (2021). Failure seems to be the hardest word to say. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 27(7), 967–981. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2021.1879798
Jones, S. R., Cobb, C., Asaka, J. O., Story, C. R., Stevens, M. C., & Chappell, M. F. (2021). Fostering a sense of community among Black faculty through a faculty learning community. Adult Learning, 32(4), 165–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159520977909
Jordanoska, A. (2021). Regulatory enforcement against organizational insiders: Interactions in the pursuit of individual accountability. Regulation & Governance, 15(2), 298–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12280
Kahu, E. R., Ashley, N., & Picton, C. (2022). Exploring the complexity of first-year student belonging in higher education: Familiarity, interpersonal, and academic belonging. Student Success, 13(2), 10–20. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.544244789917082
Leach, T., & Bradbury, O. (2024). Equipping teachers for success in rural communities: Unveiling the key characteristics and attributes of thriving rural teachers. Education Sciences, 14(12), 1384. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121384
Lo, W. Y. W. (2025). Trust and tension: Shared governance in higher education amid student activism. Studies in Higher Education, 50(12), 3016–3031. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2024.2449243
Lustick, H. (2021). “Restorative justice” or restoring order? Restorative school discipline practices in urban public schools. Urban Education, 56(8), 1269–1296. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085917741725
Markus, A. F., Kors, J. A., & Rijnbeek, P. R. (2021). The role of explainability in creating trustworthy artificial intelligence for health care: A comprehensive survey of the terminology, design choices, and evaluation strategies. Journal of Biomedical Informatics, 113, 103655. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbi.2020.103655
Martha, A. S. D., Junus, K., Santoso, H. B., & Suhartanto, H. (2021). Assessing undergraduate students’ e-learning competencies: A case study of higher education context in Indonesia. Education Sciences, 11(4), 189. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11040189
Mayger, L. K., & Hochbein, C. D. (2021). Growing connected: Relational trust and social capital in community schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 26(3), 210–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2020.1824676
O’Donohue, W. (2023). The scientific status of acceptance and commitment therapy: An analysis from the philosophy of science. Behavior Therapy, 54(6), 956–970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2023.07.006
Patel, F. (2021). Discipline in the higher education classroom: A study of its intrinsic influence on professional attributes, learning and safety. Cogent Education, 8(1), 1963391. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2021.1963391
Ralebese, M. D., Jita, L., & Badmus, O. T. (2025). Examining primary school principals’ instructional leadership practices: A case study on curriculum reform and implementation. Education Sciences, 15(1), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010070
Tang, K. (2025). Teacher conceptions of climate change and their role in climate change education: Insights from Indonesian upper-secondary teachers. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01334-2
Tomaszewski, W., Xiang, N., & Huang, Y. (2024). School climate, student engagement and academic achievement across school sectors in Australia. The Australian Educational Researcher, 51(2), 667–695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-023-00618-8
Waters, C. C., & Orange, A. (2022). STEM-driven school culture: Pillars of a transformative STEM approach. Journal of Pedagogical Research, 6(2), 72–90. https://doi.org/10.33902/JPR.202213550
Yang, N., Chen, H., & Wang, X.-H. (Frank). (2025). Stealth innovation: The dance of paradoxical leadership behavior, leader trustworthiness, and psychological safety in fueling employee bootlegging behavior. European Management Journal, 43(2), 286–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2024.03.007
Zamir, S., & Wang, Z. (2023). Uncovering COVID-19, distance learning, and educational inequality in rural areas of Pakistan and China: A situational analysis method. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 679. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02025-x
Zorkić, T. J., Mićić, K., & Cerović, T. K. (2021). Lost trust? The experiences of teachers and students during schooling disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 11(Special issue), 195–218. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.1150
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Melkior Wewe, Karolina Anu, Maria Anastasia Nono
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.