Abstract

The climate among the teaching staff, as an influential component of the climate of the organisation of the whole school, is a very complex phenomenon and also one that is not unequivocally anchored conceptually. As a result, the options for research into it are also problematic. As a collective phenomenon, the climate among the teaching staff is usually examined by quantitative questioning approaches. Because of the subjective nature of the phenomenon under observation, the questionnaire is an appropriate research tool for diagnosing the climate. However, it turns out that results obtained quantitatively cannot give a sufficiently three-dimensional picture of such a complicated phenomenon. A qualitative methodology does not allow the generalisation of the research results.

The combination of a quantitative and qualitative approach, known as mixed research, displays high research requirements for examining the climate among the teaching staff. However, a suitable combination of both approaches brings more compact data and more dense results, and, as a result, has a greater potential for interpretation. It can thus give a more reliable picture of the climate among the teaching staff and in the school.

The aim of the text is to analyse the possibilities of a mixed methodology in research on the climate among basic school teaching staff by using the experience and results of a large three-year research project. The investigation has shown that the data obtained by both research approaches is in agreement (or is not inconsistent), is significantly complementary in nature, and significantly enriches the possibilities for the interpretation of the research data that is obtained.