Theoretical Basis for Building School Culture in High Schools

Step 2: The individual or group of founders bring in a few key players, creating a core group to share the vision of the idea.

Step 3: The core team begins to act in coordination to implement the idea.

Step 4: Add more people to the organization and their shared history begins to build.

Step 5: Assess and adjust organizational culture

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1.2.3. School culture

From studies of different perspectives on school culture, author Le Thi Ngoc Thuy (2014) believes that: "School culture is the basic consensus, beliefs and shared values ​​that create the school's identity and way of working, as well as orient the behavior between school members, reflected through cultural realities".

School management (SLM) is the process of influencing the school management subject (Principal, Department Head) on the management objects (lecturers, students, teaching and learning processes) to achieve the educational goals set by the school. In the content of school management, cultural development is an important content (Vu Thi Quynh, 2018).

School culture is a set of basic values, ethical standards, means and behavioral patterns that govern the way in which cadres, teachers, employees and students in a school interact with each other and invest their abilities in their work and in the implementation of the school's mission in general (Tran Thi Tuyet Mai et a1., 2013).

School culture is expressed through aspects of the relationships of school members with each other and with stakeholders and with the common work of the school.

- Awareness

- Behavior

- Attitude

Organizational culture reflects the entire material and spiritual life of a school. It specifically reflects the following points:

- Vision

Mission​

- Value

- Philosophy

- Leadership and management style

- The psychological atmosphere of the school…

These are good values, standards, and codes of conduct that are accepted, preserved, and developed by every member of the school.

From our research, we agree to define school culture as a system of values, beliefs, and traditions that are agreed upon and shared during the working process among school members and are expressed in material and spiritual forms, thereby creating a distinct identity to distinguish this school from other schools.

1.2.4. Concept of building school culture

To build is to create with the intellect elements that the intellect arranges, on the basis of practice, theory or aesthetics, into a unified whole. To build is to create material or spiritual living conditions, or for a community on the basis of a certain policy, an ideological system or for an individual according to a thoughtful, considered intention (Nguyen Lan, 1997).

Construction is the process of forming a social, political, economic, and cultural entity in a certain direction. Creating, inventing something of spiritual value and abstract meaning.

Developing school culture is the process in which the management subject (Principal) performs the management function through implementing activities that impact the school culture in order to inherit, preserve and promote positive cultural values ​​that exist in the school, while helping the school develop stably and achieve educational goals. Developing school culture is a long-term process, requiring the efforts and contributions of all members of the school, emphasizing the leading role of

school administrator

We believe that: Building school culture is the process in which the management subject influences the management objects and related individuals and organizations to inherit, preserve and form new cultural values ​​on the basis of promoting positive cultural values, eliminating cultural values ​​that are no longer suitable in the school, helping the school develop stably, and carry out the educational goals and tasks set forth by the school.

Steps to determine VHNT:

- Identify existing school cultural values

- Analyze and evaluate existing school culture

- Building ideas for new cultural institutions

- Contribute ideas and improve them

- Implement ideas to change school culture

- Evaluation and adjustment during implementation

1.3. Theoretical basis for building school culture in high schools

1.3.1. The importance of school culture

Culture determines the longevity of an organization, that is the greatest meaning and importance of organizational culture. For schools, culture has a special meaning and importance, because culture is a special characteristic of schools, more than any other organization. This is determined based on the following bases:

1.3.1.1. School culture affects the thinking and perception of each member of the school.

School culture represents the values ​​and beliefs of the organization, shared by members of the school. When members of the school have the same values ​​and beliefs, it creates consensus, empathy and creates a positive school culture. School culture helps members of the organization to agree on how to perceive problems, evaluate, choose, orient and act. It is like the glue that binds members together, creates positive public opinion, and limits negative manifestations that go against the rules of the organization. It limits

risks of contradictions and conflicts, and when conflicts are inevitable, school culture creates a suitable legal and ethical corridor to help overcome and resolve conflicts on the principle of not breaking the integrity of the school organization.

1.3.1.2. School culture creates a positive working environment for staff, teachers and employees.

School culture encourages cooperative relationships, experience sharing, and mutual learning among staff, teachers, and employees. Staff, teachers, and employees feel comfortable and easy to discuss problems or difficulties they are facing at work or in life. Staff, teachers, and employees are willing to share knowledge and professional experience; staff, teachers, and employees actively exchange teaching methods and skills; staff, teachers, and employees care about each other's work, and cooperate with school leaders to achieve the set educational goals.

1.3.1.3. School culture creates a positive learning environment for students.

born

School culture creates the most beneficial learning environment for students:

- Students feel comfortable, happy and eager to learn;

- Students are respected, recognized and feel valued;

- Students clearly see their rights, obligations and responsibilities;

- Students actively explore, continuously experience and actively interact with

teacher and group of friends;

- Students strive to achieve the best results in study and training;

School culture creates a friendly environment for students:

- Students feel safe;

- Be open and accepting of students' different needs and circumstances;

- Encourage students to speak up and express their personal opinions;

- Building a cultural relationship, respect, mutual understanding, and mutual learning between teachers and students.

1.3.1.4. School culture encourages staff, teachers, employees and students to act in a positive direction.

Pedagogical motivation is created by many factors, including school culture.

is an invisible motivation but has more stimulating power than economic or legal measures, specifically: School culture helps cadres, teachers, and employees clearly see the goals, orientations, and nature of their work. Appropriate and positive school culture creates a comfortable pedagogical atmosphere, positive and good relationships between cadres, teachers, and employees in the pedagogical collective, between teachers and students, and students with students. At the same time, it creates a comfortable, happy, and healthy working environment. That is the spiritual foundation for creativity - which is extremely important for pedagogical activities whose objects are knowledge and people. Positive school culture helps teachers, students, and everyone in the surrounding social forces feel proud and honored to be a member of the school organization. And to work, study, and contribute to the noble goals of the school.

To create motivation, it is necessary to arouse needs and meet people's legitimate needs. When the ability to meet needs is low, the motivation for pedagogical workers is salary, income and material values. When the needs reach a certain level, material needs are satisfied to a certain extent, workers in general, pedagogical workers in particular are willing to make trade-offs, choosing a lower income to work in a harmonious, friendly environment. So that they are recognized and respected, dedicated, creative and self-affirmed.

1.3.1.5. School culture reduces conflicts, contradictions, and negativity in schools

School culture helps coordinate and control the behavior of individuals through norms, procedures, processes, rules, and public opinion and legends built by generations of people in the school organization. When a school faces a complex problem, it is the school culture that is the spiritual support, helping school administrators and teachers cooperate and develop their intelligence to make the right decisions and choices.

1.3.1.6. School culture encourages cooperative relationships, sharing of experiences, and mutual learning among school members.

School culture makes staff, teachers and employees feel comfortable and easy to discuss.

discuss the problems or difficulties they are facing in their work or in life; school culture makes school members willing to share knowledge and professional experience; school culture makes teachers and staff actively exchange teaching methods and skills; school culture makes school members interested in each other's work; cooperate with school leaders to achieve the educational goals set by the school.

1.3.1.7. School culture creates an atmosphere of trust that encourages teachers and staff to care about the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning at the school.

School culture creates an open and trusting psychological atmosphere that encourages staff and teachers to care about the quality and effectiveness of teaching and learning; to cooperate, share and help each other to achieve the educational goals set by the school; and to improve the school's teaching and learning achievements.

1.3.1.8. School culture promotes and improves the quality of school activities.

Synthesizing all the above factors, from cohesion, motivation, coordination, control and limiting the risks that reduce the strength of the organization, it is clear that school culture has increased the effectiveness of school activities. On that basis, it gradually creates distinctive qualities for the school organization. That is the basis for enhancing the reputation and "brand" of the school, creating momentum for better development steps.

1.3.2. Basic elements of school culture in high schools

School culture in high school is a type of organizational culture, so its basic elements are similar to the culture of an organization in general. There are many viewpoints in dividing the elements of school culture or culture of an organization, typically the following authors:

According to the group of authors Nguyen Ba Duong, Nguyen Cuc, Duc Uy (2004), there are 6 main elements in the culture of an organization, which are:

- Philosophy, which gives meaning to the organization's existence and its relationship to others.

officers and people involved.

- The core values ​​by which the organization determines its goals or the means of achieving those goals.

- Norms are shared by members of an organization and define the principles of interaction within the group.

- The rules of the “game” take place in groups.

- The atmosphere exists in the group.

- The behavioral rituals, symbols, and signs used in the organization.

According to Edgar Henry Schein (2012), organizational culture consists of many layers with many components:

- Surface layer: objects, human-made means and behavioral patterns (dress, signs, festivals, customs, habits, idols, heroes) of the organization.

- Next layer (middle layer): core values, specifically expressed as standards and ethical foundations governing the behavior of members in the organization.

- The deepest layer: includes implicit assumptions, abstract premises about human nature, truth and reality, interpersonal relationships, and relationships with the environment in the organization.

According to Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thuy (2014), there are three main elements of school culture, which are:

- The enactment factor includes elements such as symbols, rituals, anecdotes, and behavioral patterns seen and heard (believing everything is obviously true).

- Cultural values ​​(a sense of what should be done).

- Basic consensuses and beliefs, obviously true

From the explanations of the components of organizational culture, today basic researchers agree to determine that school culture includes the following elements (Tran Thi Tuyet Mai et a1., 2013):

- The visible part: school scenery, pedagogical landscape, classroom arrangements, logos, slogans, symbols, uniforms of staff, teachers, employees, students, rituals, customs, habits, historical figures of the school.

- Submerged part (hard to observe):

+ Values ​​serve as fundamental standards, as measures of right and wrong, determining what should and should not be done in the general and individual behavior of people in schools. Values ​​in schools include values ​​that have been formed and nurtured by the school, preserved during the development process and new values ​​that the management staff, teachers, and students want their school to have and create step by step to bring about appropriate development.

+ Daily behavior style (warm, intimate or distant, serious; casual, funny or formal; enthusiastic, caring or cold, indifferent); decision-making method (democratic, liberal or authoritarian), communication method (widely to members or limited to a department)

+ Implicit assumptions in school culture: These are the foundations of beliefs, pride, unwritten conventions, taken for granted, thoughts and emotional states, feelings that are deeply ingrained in the subconscious of each individual and create common features in the school community. Thus, school culture is expressed through the perceptions, attitudes, behaviors and behavioral habits of school members in internal relations or with forces outside the school as well as the values ​​of facilities and landscape in a school. We believe that, from the elements of school culture analyzed above, to evaluate school culture, we propose the following criteria:

- School and classroom space

+ Green - clean - beautiful, comfortable school

+ The rooms are arranged appropriately.

+ Neat and tidy classroom

+ Facilities and equipment ensure teaching and learning activities.

+ Spacious, standard school space

+ Safe school campus

- Teacher-teacher relationship

+ Members behave humanely.

+ Members support and help each other in work.

+ Members are treated fairly