The Impact of School Climate on Student Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Mamfe Sub Division of the South West Region of Cameroon
Keywords:
School climate, academic performance, motivation, community of practice, school environmentAbstract
The Impact of School Climate on Student’s Academic Performance in Secondary Schools in Mamfe Sub Division of the South West Region of Cameroon. School climate is considered a key factor in influencing student’s academic performance. Two Specific Research Questions were used to guide the study. To what extent does classroom management impact secondary school students’ academic performance in Mamfe Sub Division of the South West Region of Cameroon. To what extent does orientation service impact academic performance of secondary school students in Mamfe Sub Division of the South West Region of Cameroon. The research questions were later transformed to research hypothesis. The study made use of the concurrent research design within the mixed-methods approach, with a sample size of 250 students and 50 teachers. The simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The questionnaire and interview guide were also used for the study. Data was collected using questionnaires for students and interviews for teachers, and was analyzed using simple linear regression. The findings show that the null hypothesis was rejected and the alternative hypothesis accepted indicating that school climate has a significant impact on student academic performance. The simple linear regression test showed that school climate is an important predictor of student academic performance (β = 0.40, p < 0.01). The recommendations include implementing programs to improve school climate, training teachers to better manage student behavior, and providing resources to support students in their learning.
References
1. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.
2. Biesta, G. (2010). Good education in an age of measurement: Ethics, politics, democracy. Paradigm Publishers.
3. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
4. Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Harvard University Press.
5. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
6. Dweck, C. S. (2000). The role of mindsets in facilitating adaptive change. In M. Beer & N. Nohria (Eds.), Breaking the code of change (pp. 179-196). Harvard Business School Press.
7. Ecclestone, K. (2007). Lost and found in transition: Dropping out and disengaging from education. In R. Moore, M. Arnot, J. Beck, & H. Daniels (Eds.), Knowledge, power and educational reform: Applying the sociology of Basil Bernstein (pp. 97-113). Routledge.
8. Fielding, M. (2001). Students as radical agents of change. Journal of Educational Change, 2(1), 77-91.
9. Flutter, J. (2007). Teacher and pupil relationships: 'teacher bashing' - a discourse analysis. Educational Research, 49(2), 179-194.
10. Fraser, B. J. (1998). Science learning environments: Assessment, effects and determinants. In B. J. Fraser & K. G. Tobin (Eds.), International handbook of science education (pp. 527-564). Kluwer Academic Publishers.
11. Hargreaves, A. (2000). Four ages of professionalism and professional learning. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 6(2), 151-182.
12. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
13. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.
14. Noddings, N. (2005). The challenge to care in schools: An alternative approach to education. Teachers College Press.
15. Pianta, R. C. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. American Psychologist, 54(5), 404-415.
16. Rudduck, J. (2007). Student voice, student engagement, and school reform. In D. Thiessen & A. Cook-Sather (Eds.), International handbook of student experience in elementary and secondary school (pp. 587-610). Springer.
17. Rutter, M., Maughan, B., Mortimore, P., & Ouston, J. (1979). Fifteen thousand hours: Secondary schools and their effects on children. Harvard University Press.
18. Thomson, P. (2002). Schooling the rustbelt kids: Making the difference in changing times. Allen & Unwin.
19. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Interaction between learning and development. Readings on the development of children, 22-27.
20. Wang, M. C., Haertel, G. D., & Walberg, H. J. (2014). What helps students learn? Spotlight on student success. Center on Innovations in Learning, Temple University.
21. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.
22. Wentzel, K. R. (1997). Student motivation in middle school: The role of perceived pedagogical caring. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89(3), 411-419.
