Abstract

This study examined School Environment as a Determinant of Students’ Academic Performance in the University of Buea. Three research objectives which were; To find out the effect of school infrastructure on student’s academic performance in the University of Bamenda, To investigate the impact of social atmosphere on students’ academic performance in the University of Bamenda and To investigate how psychological atmosphere affect students’ academic performance in the University of Buea were used to guide the study.

The study adopted the survey research design. The population of the study consisted of students, drawn at Random from the Faculty of Education of the University of Bamenda. The sample size consisted of 90 students of the department of Educational Psychology. A closed ended questionnaire was used for data collection.

The data was analyzed descriptively using SPSS Version 21. The findings revealed that school infrastructure, social atmosphere and psychological atmosphere all have a positive impact on students’ academic performance in the University of Buea.

Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made; The government should help build more lecture halls in the University of Buea. This will go a long way in reducing overcrowding of students during lectures, The University of Buea should repair seats in some halls so as to create much space for lectures, and Lecturers should always find time to see in to students’ problems when brought to them.

Especially when students have mistakes with their CA and examination marks on their results sheets, The University should also provide enough school councilors dues to the increasing population of students each year and Students should try as much as possible to communicate on what was taught with their friends after lectures. This will help in the understanding of the course better.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Historically, school environments vary greatly; while some schools have friendly, inviting and supportive environments others are exclusionary, unwelcoming, and even unsafe. The feelings and attitudes that are elicited by a school’s environment are referred to as the school climate. It is important to note that improved surroundings can also enhance pupil’s self-esteems and have a positive impact on academic performance and students’ attitudes towards learning.

The learning environment plays an inherent role in molding the innate potentialities of the individual and school has always been regarded as an important factor (Arul Laurence, 2012). The forces  of these environments influence the growth and development of the individual right from the womb of the mother. Educational process of development occurs in physical, social, cultural and psychological environment process of environment is very much necessary stimulus for learning experience.

The child spends most of his time in school and here his environment is exerting a different influence on performance through curricular teaching techniques relationship (Singh, 2012, 22). The school environment has been called the forth leg of schools; success after curriculum materials, instructional strategies and teachers. It is usually measured by asking students and staffs what it feels like to be learning and teaching in a particular school and asking families to describe their perceptions and sense of being welcome or not (Doll, 2011). According to the National School Climate Council (2007) it’s the norms value and expectations that support people being socially, emotionally and physically safe. Alexander (2017) states that although sometimes it has been difficult to provide a concise definition for school environment; most researchers agree that it is multi-dimensional construct that include physical; social and academic dimension as follows;

The physical dimension includes:

• Appearance of the school building and its classroom.
• School size and ratio of student to teachers in the school
• Availability of resources, Safety and comfort.
• Quality and interpersonal relationship between and among student’s teachers and staff (that is administration inclusive).
• Equitable and fair treatment of students by teachers and staff.
• Degree of competition and social comparisons between students and
• Degree to which teachers, students and staff contribute to decision making at the school.

The Academic Dimension includes:

• Quality of instruction
• Teachers expectation for students’ achievement
• Monitoring students’ progress and promptly reporting results to students and parents.

Conceptually, one of the most discussed issues in the school environment is the issues of social environment and student academic performance. The environment plays a very important role in one’s personal growth. A healthy environment creates a perfect individual while the environment is a less healthy environment will produce problematic society (Hutchinson and Reiss, 2009).

Hoffman, Hutchinson and Reiss (2009) conclude that positive social environment has been linked to enhancing students’ behavior, academic achievement, and motivation. It also has a positive impact on the formation of students’ attitudes and behaviors in many key areas like making decisions, equality and justice, caring, sensitivity, and discipline of a student.

The physical environment refers to the physical setting of the learner’s environment which should evoke positive responses and hold the interests of those who inhabit it (Balog, 2018). Physical environment refers to features that are experienced by everyone in that environment, and in the case of the school setting, the physical environment include elements such as class size, student demographics, and learning resources.

These factors are often completely static or not easily amenable to change (Benner, Graham, and Mistry, 2008). When we are talking about physical school environment, we are talking about ideal characteristics that distributed in many areas which are major keys to enhance learning process and promote student performance in the schools that shouldn’t be forgotten.

There are several studies that take a more comprehensive approach. In a study, Berner (1993) found that the condition of school buildings in Washington, DC was predictive of students’ achievement scores. Berner’s model looked at how parental involvement predicted the condition of school buildings, which in turn predicted academic achievement.

One limitation of this study, however, was the lack of control of other variables that could also have an impact on achievement. Maxwell (2007) found that the quality of a classroom’s physical environment affects preschool children’s cognitive competence. In classrooms that were rated higher on physical characteristics related to attributes such as control, privacy, complexity, etc., children scored higher on a measure of cognitive abilities than peers in classrooms with lower ratings.

The social-environment is a most powerful informal learning situation in which the family, more specially parents, acts as an educator. Sharma and Vaid (2005) states that, the family is a place in which; the whole ranges of human experiences take place. Youniss and Smollar, (2005) also stated that, it is what parents do in the home that counts for learning development of children. It goes without saying that lack of encouragement, low quality of parental involvement and lack of stimulating activity in the home will reduce the home’s effectiveness as a learning environment. According to Feldman and Wentzel (2000), home environment shows generally stronger relationship to cognitive development.

Several researchers (McCullough, Ashbridge, and Pegg, 2004) have found relationships between social environment and academic achievement. Children, who have received good social environment and positive attitudes from parents, can academically perform well. Parents are different from one another, both in their relationship  with their own children and their feelings or reactions towards schooling of their children.

Emotional competence or incompetence of parents has affirmative or adverse effects on adolescents. Findings of many research indicated that children raised in loving, caring, secure, consistent and stable social environment have a greater probability of developing well in socially, psychologically, physically, emotionally and morally (Harlock B. Elizabeth, 2014).

During the adolescence period individual begins to form a sense of self, seeks to develop more mature relationships with peers and family and attempt to increase independence (Bhatia and Bhatia, 2008). Supportive relationship with family members have been shown to influence a broad range of social behavioural ,emotional and academic outcomes, including depression, anxiety, self-esteem, delinquency, social competence, involvement with drugs and alcohols, achievement motivation and academic achievement of an adolescents (Mohanraj, 2005).

According to Gaengler, De Vries and Akota (2002), an ideal academic environment should enable students to acquire the necessary theoretical and interpersonal competences and expose them to ‘experiences’ equivalent to the environment in which they are likely to be after graduation. It is commonly stated that students should ‘learn how to learn’.

This phrase accurately reflects the desired outcome of students leaving school with a positive approach towards knowledge acquisition, as well as a life-long learning and a critical attitude (Gaengler, De Vries and Akota, 2002). Involving undergraduates in research has to be an excellent way to build problem-solving and team-working skills, stimulate active learning and shape critical attitudes.

Statement of the Problem

The School Environment is not uniquely a place where only learning takes place. But it’s also, a place where Students are acquainted with different skills such as social and communicational skills with the creation of friendly ties among them.

For such skills to be better, the students need to be in environments that are calm, conducive, endowed with good infrastructures and a good academic set –up. But upon observation and examination, the University of Bamenda is still far from having a calm and sociable environment due to the noise from stand by Generators students, cleaners when clearing the bushes around lecture halls and many others.

The Academic Set up in the University of Buea is limited as seen in the Infrastructures, with students finding it difficult to learn especially, in halls like the Open Amphitheatre where students, are sometimes seen standing and struggling to write with no comfort. It is in this regard, that this study on the nature of the environment of the University of Bamenda was carried out to find out the impacts of its environment on the student’s academic performance.

Objective of the Study

General objective of the study

To find out the effect of the school environment on student’s academic performance in the University of Buea.

Specific Objective of the Study

1. To find out the effect of school infrastructure on student’s academic performance at the University of Bamenda
2. To investigate the impact of social atmosphere on students’ academic performance at the University of Bamenda
3. To investigate how the psychological atmosphere affects students’ academic performance at the University of Bamenda

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