How do students acquire knowledge and character at school: School Culture as Predictor of Student Engagement

Abstract

Building a peaceful and secure Africa should start from the home front of the constituting nations. Education remains the most vibrant means through which culture is transmitted from older generations to the younger ones. School culture has been regarded as the fulcrum through which other activities in school revolve. The objectives of this study were to identify the prevailing culture in the public schools as well the various aspects of student engagement. The study also sought to determine the relationship between the school culture factors and student engagement and investigate the predictive ability of the school culture on student engagement. A descriptive survey design was adopted. A total of 200 teachers and 200 students in 8 public schools completed School Culture Survey and Classroom Engagement Inventory respectively. Unity of purpose, learning partnership, and collegial support received higher rating. Students were found engaged more in behavioural engagement-effortful and cognitive dimensions. School culture factors were found not adequate in predicting student engagement. The results implied that school culture had no significant influence on student engagement. It is therefore recommended that teachers should be more proactive in discharging their professional functions in schools.