The OCDQ: A Four Factor Solution for Australian Schools?

For almost a decade the OCDQ has proven to be one of the most “popular” instruments in research in educational administration. Developed by Halpin and Croft, the instrument claims to measure eight dimensions of a school's organizational climate. Such scores are then used to classify the school according to which one of six climate categories it belongs. Increasingly, the OCDQ is being subjected to closer scrutiny. Currently in the U.S.A. intense validation studies are in progress. This article reports on a similar study conducted in a sample of 72 primary schools in South Australia. Data from 727 respondents are analysed to produce a four factor solution. The factors are identified as supportiveness, operations emphasis, intimacy and disaffiliation.