Relationship among school size, school culture and students' achievement at secondary level in Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to determine the relationship among school size, school culture and students' achievement at secondary level in Pakistan.

Design/methodology/approach

The study was descriptive (survey type). It was conducted on a sample of 90 secondary school head teachers and 540 primary, elementary and high school teachers working in the government boys secondary schools of Punjab province. Data was collected through three sources: first, statistics on education from Education Management Information System (EMIS) Punjab; second, annual results of grade 9 and 10 students of Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISEs) Punjab; and third, a questionnaire which contained 39 items at five‐point rating scale and ten items in yes/no form. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were ensured through experts' opinions and pilot testing in early 2006; the overall reliability was established at 0.967.

Findings

There was a significant correlation between school size and school culture, and school size and students' achievement. Small schools revealed positive school culture and performed better than medium and large schools.

Originality/value

The policy makers, administrators and managers, and teachers at secondary level may improve school culture by bringing schools to a reasonable size, which may improve the students' achievement in Pakistan. The findings may be useful for other countries of almost similar socio‐economic status to improve the quality of teaching‐learning at secondary level.

Citation

Salfi, N.A. and Saeed, M. (2007), "Relationship among school size, school culture and students' achievement at secondary level in Pakistan", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 21 No. 7, pp. 606-620. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540710822201