Students\' basic psychological needs and the school culture: a focal analysis

The relationship between school culture and students' needs, such as self-determination, competence, and communication was explored with the help of a cluster sample of 320 male high school students who responded to a questionnaire on these two constructs. The data analysis yielded a significant correlation between the two and all their constituent factors. Further focal analyses showed two sets of significantly correlated factors: one consisting of inter-student relations, teacher-student relations, standard expectations, and educational opportunities correlating with the basic needs, while the other consisting of low inter-student relation, high student-teacher relations correlated with high competence and low communication. It can be said that in schools where friendly relationships and inter-personal trust, as well as security and quality educational services exist, competence, self- determination, and cohesion are high.