School climate multidimensionality and measurement: a systematic literature review

School climate refers to individual perceptions of moral, relational and institutional aspects of school life. A growing body of research has confirmed the importance of studying school climate for developing interventions able to reduce problem behaviours and to promote student and teacher wellbeing. However, the literature shows that research in the field meets some challenges, as it is difficult to empirically capture the nature of such a complex and broad construct. In the current work, we build on the results of previous reviews for addressing in particular two main concerns of researchers, namely school climate multidimensionality and measurement. In particular, we present an overview of empirical research carried out from 2010 and on, with the aim of specifically addressing three issues. First, to describe which measures were actually used in the empirical studies. Second, to explore whether Wang and Degol's (2016) effort to establish a common multidimensional ground was echoed by authors researching in the field. Third, to account for studies that were based on multiple informants and longitudinal data. In the conclusion, we discuss the main limitations in the current literature and suggest areas of future development and intervention.