CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION
For over four decades, series of studies have suggested the importance of school as social

environment of learning. Some of these studies examined locational planning, school facilities

and peer influence and their attendant consequences on academic performance in various regions

of Cameroon. School is a building or place that transmits formal education. School is the most

dynamic institution which keeps pace with the changing needs of the society. The attainment of

such objectives require proper school environment. The school is a social-psychological system

for example principal and teachers working in a school constitute socially and psychologically

interacting units and through their interactions, school acquires a land of distinct personality or a

distinct atmosphere. The school administration should work towards the improvement of school

environment which play a vital role on the academic performances of students, school facilities,

school location and peer influence, so that a better output from school could be expected. This is

why Many people have attributed the success of schools to factors such as class size, number of

students, seats, teachers’ attitudes, playground, school location, school facilities such as;

laboratories, libraries, infrastructures, and even the beauty of the school. This study aims at

studying the impact of school environment on students’ academic performance in the Buea

Municipality , it highlights the background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives and

research questions of the study, justification of the study and scope of the study, justification of

the study in the same chapter the researcher will state operational definitions of key terms.

Background to the Study

People acquire most of their knowledge through the interaction with facilities provided in the

environment for learning. Also learning is influenced by the environment people are exposed to

and the facilities provided in such environment lead to experience. As in the words of Piaget

(1964) that active interaction with the environment is regarded as the most basic requirement for

proper intellectual development. Hence, the school environment remains an important area that

should be studied and well managed to enhance students’ academic performance.

Historically, the first European missionaries in Africa established Christian schools in the late

15th century, but these were not widespread until the 19th century. European colonial officials

established secular schools for Africans in the early 20th century. Africans made demands for

more schools and a more literary curriculum in the 1930s and 1940s and in some cases,

established their own schools. This period also saw the development of higher education for

Africans.

Two separate systems of education were used in Cameroon after independence: East Cameroon’s

system was based on the French model, West Cameroon’s on the British model. Uniting the two

systems was deemed a symbol of national integration between West and East Cameroon. The

two systems were merged by 1976. Education became compulsory up to the age of 12 years,

when 6 years of primary schooling are complete. Primary school education was free (since

2000), but families were to pay for uniforms, book fees, and sometimes even anti-malaria

prophylaxis for pupils. Tuition fees at the secondary school level were high, and therefore

unaffordable for many families. The country has institutions for teacher training and technical

education. There is, however, a growing trend for the wealthiest and best-educated students to

leave the country to study and live abroad. Domestic workers were generally not permitted by
their employers to attend school. In 2004, government study found there was a large gap

between the capacity of the schools and the number of potential students. According to the study,

preschools served only 16% of the potential student population. Within the school system, the

northern provinces were the most underprivileged, with only 5.7% of all teachers working in the

Adamawa, North, and Extreme North provinces combined. The study showed that elementary

schools only had enough seats for 1.8 million students, although 2.9 million attended

school. After these findings, Cameroonian government launched a three-years programme to

construct and renovate schools, improve teacher competency, and provide instructional

materials,  which was apparently renewed in 2010. Absenteeism of teachers was a reason

generally considered to contribute to the poor level of education in the country. Teachers from

both English and French sub-systems, for cultural and historical reasons, were still operating as

separate in the educational system, and this prevented "teachers from developing a joint

pedagogical repertoire about professional matters and to engage in productive debates around

new discourses and repertoires such as ICTs in support of teaching," even if as private

individuals, they "appear to be open to the challenges of modern Cameroon and multilingual

communication in large urban centres.

School learning environments are a matter of global policy and systemic government investment

(Dumont & Istance, 2010). The strategic reconsideration of school learning spaces is a response

to demographic, economic and technological changes that have altered the perceptions of what

constitutes effective teaching and learning (see MCEETYA, 2008; New `Zealand Ministry of

Education, 2011; New Zealand Ministry of Education, 2014; OECD, 2013).

administered schools were taking shape during the inter-war period, a number of independent

schools focusing on literacy and offering alternative curricula began to emerge. Such schools

were thought of as a threat to the colonial system and colonial governments were worried that

these so-called ‘outlaw’ schools would instil subversiveness and anti-colonial thought in the

native populations. In the early and mid-1990s, studies focused on individual classes or teachers

(Griffith 1995; Stockard& Mayberry 1992). Griffith (1995) argued that the relationship between

the level of study depended on the level at which the students identified themselves in their

school environment. Thus in an educational environment where classes are held in different

classrooms with different teachers, it naturally follows that the unit of school environment

measure is the school as a whole, whereas the individual classroom would be the appropriate

measurement unit where students spend all or most of their time with a single teacher. Since the

end of the 1990s and continuing today, researchers have attempted to link school environment to

different outcomes including school performance (Hoy &Hannum, 1997) aggression,

victimization, bonding connectedness and engagement (libbey, 2004) and health problem (Coker

& Borders, 2001).

Relating this study to international occurrences are the assertions of Williams, Persaud, and

Turner (2008), quoting Marsden (2005), which reported that safe and orderly classroom

environment (aspect of instructional space), School facilities (accessories) were significantly

related to students’ academic performance in schools.

Conceptually, School environment is the thread that connects the multitude of activities on the

school. In many respects, this thread is almost invisible, yet everyone experiences its influence.
School environment includes the school building and the surrounding grounds such as noise,

temperature and lighting as well as physical, biological or chemical agent, (Chiu 1991). School

environment can then be seen to include material and human resources, a learning place which

consist of the entire interaction. The learning environment is both the natural and provided

setting where teaching and learning takes place. Maduewesi (1990) referred to teaching and

learning environment as the setting physical and conceptual in which teaching and learning are

carried out as deliberately planned.

The physical characteristics of the school have a variety of effects on teachers, students, and the

learning process. Poor lighting, noise, high levels of carbondioxide in classrooms, and

inconsistent temperatures make teaching and learning difficult. Poor maintenance and ineffective

ventilation systems leads to poor health among students and teachers, which leads to poor

performance and higher absentee rates (Frazier, 2002; Lyons, 2001; Ostendorf, 2001). These

factors which are peer influence According to Olalekan (2016), it is generally observed that peer

group has a lot of influence on students. This is seen from the role played by the peer group in

the life and learning of a child, evidence abound that students feel more comfortable and relaxed

among fellow students. A child who is brilliant and surrounded by dull friends would lose

interest in learning. On the other hand, a peer group which is prone to study would have positive

effect on a dull member towards learning and stimulate his/her interest on learning. Katz in

Olalekan (2016) wrote that the nature of a peer group determines the impact on the motivation of

and achievements of its member. He further suggests that one group may have a negative impact

on its members while the other may have positive impact on its members as well. The question at

this point is, how many of the young people have the will power to choose a group that thus
impact positively on them? However, the attractive nature and the morals of the group determine

whether a group is

Likely to have positive or negative impact on members’ motivation and achievement. If the

atmosphere of the group is warm, understanding and supportive, the group influence, task

performance and achievement will most likely be positive. A hostile group will constantly,

mostly such that does not place prominence to academics will frustrate and produce a negative

impact not only on the

Member’s growth and behavior but also on their drive to studies and academic achievement.

Conversely, the kind of person a student is shows the type of group he or she is most likely to

join. In the same vein Festigen as quoted in Lavy and Schlosser (2007) also noted that imitation

of behaviors in a group occurs when a person acts in a way that is likely to be joined by the rest

of the group. Students who are playful but have academic traits should be encouraged to join a

study inclined group.

School facilities constitute major determining factor toward ensuring quality education. It is one

of the yardsticks for measuring the level of educational growth and development. It implies

substantial cost of the school system for their establishment, if not properly managed and

maintained, it will affect the academic performance of students. School facility is the process of

ensures that buildings and other technical systems support the operations of an organization.

Programme in Educational Building (2008) described school facilities as the practice of co-

ordination of the physical workplace with the people and the work of the organization; it

integrates the principles of school administration, architecture and the behavioural and

engineering sciences. Students’ academic performance can be measured in many ways but the

commonly used method is the result of students in public examinations, which is used to pass
judgment on the schools and teachers. Students’ academic performance is the final grade which

students get after a systematic and comprehensive measurement and evaluation of the individual

student in a school.

education, and are comprised of the school grounds, buildings, furniture, areas for specialized

teaching and auxiliary use, as well as all portable equipment. School facilities played a

significant role in directing the task of teaching and that of shaping students learning process in

and out of school. No doubt, school building as a tool for instituting an effective teaching and

learning process constituted sizeable investment of public funds over its development and

maintenance by the administrators. Today, most of the school facilities which are supposed to

promote and enhanced teaching, learning and extra-curricular activities in secondary education

are absolute and thereby, creating serious challenges to the 21st century educational needs of the

learners. Others are dilapidated and not suitable to motivate secondary students to learn. School

facilities are otherwise referred to as school facilities. The school facilities are the physical

facilities provided for in the school, such as the school site, the buildings and equipment. These

facilities are likened to capital in any industrial settings. Buildings are needed to shelter staff and

students, sports, games facilities are needed to develop the mental, social and physical aspects of

the students.

School location reminds us of schools that are located in rural or urban areas. According to Orji

(2013), school location refers to rural and urban schools. Thus, Orji further conceptualized urban

schools as those schools in the municipalities or schools found within the towns and rural

schools as those located in the villages or semi-urban areas. many parents look at factor such as

the location of schools (urban or rural) and the distance to the school before enrolling their

wards. To that end, Owoeye and Yara (2011) noted that many parents prefer their children to
attend schools in urban areas because they (parents) believe that students from urban schools

perform better than their counterparts from rural schools. Thus, Orji (2013) explained that many

students in the interior villages struggle with the challenge of walking a long distance to school.

The implication is that while people in some urban areas convey their children to school through

vehicle and enjoys minimum travelling distances to acquire education, some

People in other places suffer by having to cover maximum distances to acquire education; some

people in some rural places suffer by having to cover maximum distances to get to their school.

Some of these schools are located beside market places like the school in muea, while some are

located in open places where we have night clubs, bars, restaurants, and most often located in

places where there is a lot of distraction which have a great impact of the students. This is

because some of these students miss classes, joint gang on their way to school.

Theoretically, Lev Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory (1896-1934), Albert Bandura, social

learning theory (1961) and Urie Bronfenbrenner ecological theory (1979). In this regard, Lev

Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of learning expands the school of cognitivism to social

constructivism and outlines learning as a process where people actively build new concepts and

discover new understandings through language and social interaction. And, as illustrated by

Albert Bandura, social learning theory emphasizes cognitive, self-regulatory, and self-reflective

processes in acquiring information and skills via observation, imitation, and modeling and the

ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner was founded on the person, the environment, and the

continuous interaction of the two. This interaction constantly evolves and develops both

components. However it is not only the environment that directly affects the person, but there are

layers in between, which all have resulting impacts on the next level.
For each of these theorists, their learning theory is an explanation of what happens when the

process of learning takes place. Explaining the process of learning is their attempt to illustrate

how people discover and enhance their comprehension. . To complement these studies, the

present research will examine the aforementioned areas of school environment in Buea Sub

Division which is the context in which the researcher is focused on is a very good example

Contextually, as concerns the educational system in Cameroon on school environment as a

whole, the main problems include: limited access, the low internal and external output and

governance. This situation results from factors such as; the poor pedagogic management,

inadequate consideration of educational needs, insufficient teaching materials, varying statutes of

teaching staff and training/employment discrepancies which affect greatly the academic

performance of students. By the late 1970s researchers were attempting to associate school

environment with students’ outcomes in schools. Brook over and colleagues (1978) examined

the environment of the school, defined as the set of norms and expectations that were defined

and perceived by individuals within the school, and determined that school environment was

positively linked to the difference in mean outcomes between schools, even when adjusting for

race, and other demographics. In this study the greatest indicator of achievement is the way

students feel within themselves about the social environment within the school.

We can also add inadequate infrastructure and equipment, low income of teachers, insufficient

teaching staff, poor enforcement of existing legal provisions and inadequate financial resources.

The educational sector in Cameroon is compelled today modernisation, in reaction to this, the

different ministry in charge of education came together with strategies to face this new changes.

The 1996 constitution of the Republic of Cameroon states on the preamble that education is the

basic fundamental right of all Cameroon citizens. They are the agents of social change and
transformation. Therefore, the general condition of our schools, colleges and universities is a

matter of great concern to the nation. Environment plays a vital role in the development of the

personality of the students. As students spend most of their life at school, the school environment

is highly responsible for the inculcating of great values in them.

In 1995, the convening of a national forum on education in may in order to find solutions to

problems plaguing the sector of school. Provision of framework to guide the conduct of

education in law no.98\004. The health of students and teachers depend on a healthy

environment. In some schools, the environment is enclosed by a fence consisting of buildings,

lawn, farms, playgrounds, flower, beds, teaching learning materials and equipment.

The extent to which student learning could be enhanced depends on factors such as the location

of the school, peer influence, availability of instructional facilities and accessories. It is believed

that a well-planned school will gear up expected outcomes of education that will facilitate good

social, political and economic emancipation, effective teaching and learning process and

academic performance of the students.

Since the end of the 1990s and continuing today, researchers have attempted to link school

environment to different outcomes including school performance (Hoy &Hannum, 1997).

Previous studies have investigated the relationship of poor school environment including school

location, availability of educational facilities, and peer influence (Crandell & Smaldino, 2000;

Davis, 2001; Johnson, 2001; Lyons, 2001; Moore, 2002; Stricherz, 2000; Tanner, 2000). Levin,

Wasanga and Somerset (2011) assert that the academic performance of students at secondary

school level is not only a pointer of the effectiveness of schools, but also a major determinant of

the well-being of youths in particular and the nation in general. Other scholars, (Yusuf and

Adigun, 2010), (Lydiah and Nasongo, 2009), (Achoka, J. S. K et al, 2007) noted that the
performance of students in any academic task has always been of special interest to the

government, educators, parents and society at large for higher personal incomes, higher rates of

innovation, higher overall productivity and faster introduction of new technology .

An Act Relative to Gender Identity (Chapter 199 of the Acts of 2011),1 which became effective

on July 1, 2012, amended several Massachusetts statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis

of specified categories, to include discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Among the

statutes amended is G.L. c. 76, and 5, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity

against students who enroll in or attend the public schools. Every person shall have a right to

attend the public schools of the town where he actually resides, subject to the following section.

No school committee is required to enroll a person who does not actually reside in the town

unless said enrollment is authorized by law or by the school committee. Any person who violates

or assists in the violation of this provision may be required to remit full restitution to the town of

the improperly-attended public schools. No person shall be excluded from or discriminated

against in admission to a public school of any town, or in obtaining the advantages, privileges

and courses of study of such public school on account of race, color, sex, gender identity,

religion, national origin or sexual orientation.

The amended Access to Equal Educational Opportunity regulations, 603 CMR 26.00, and the

non-discrimination provision of the Charter School regulations, 603 CMR 1.00, require schools

to establish policies and procedures, provide training, and implement and monitor practices to

ensure that obstacles to equal access to school programs are removed for all students. The Public

Schools strives to provide a safe, respectful, and supportive learning environment in which all

students can thrive and succeed in its schools. The Public Schools prohibits discrimination on the

basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation and
ensures that all students have equal rights of access and equal enjoyment of the opportunities,

advantages, privileges, and courses of study.

Section 12 of law no-98\004 states that education shall be financed budgetary appropriations

from regional and local authorities. In addition the councils contribute to the functioning of

schools as follows; build class’s room, offer scholarships to pupils and students provide transport

facilities to students at very low rates for instance the limbe city council provides transport

facilities to students in limbe who study in GTHS ombe. They also allocate land for the building

of school infrastructure.

The government of Cameroon officially recognized the importance of parent’s contribution to

education through ministerial decision no 242\c\729\MINEDUC\MJS of 25 October 1979. This

recognition encouraged the creation of PTA (parents teacher association) through the country in

addition to pay school fees, parents form a PTA in other to contribute in building classrooms,

halls, playgroups and other infrastructures.

All children have the right to enjoy a safe and good school environment that promotes health,

well-being and learning. This means that your child should not suffer bullying or harassment

from other children or from teachers. If your child is unhappy, he or she is entitled to get help

from the adults at the school. The new law concerning school environment and bullying came

into force on 1 August 2017. The principle is a zero tolerance approach to bullying. Pupils have a

right to feel safe and content at school. Every child is entitled to express their views and to be

heard. This is a principle stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Aong with its partners, UNESCO is committed to the achievement of the Sustainable

Development Goals and targets which aim to ensure that all children and adolescents are able to

fulfil their right to an inclusive, quality education in a safe school environment.

Statement of the Problem

Despite the relevant of school environment on student intellectual development, school

performance has great intuitive appeal and has been popularized in educational practice, Because

of the importance attributed to the school environment, the specific means through which the

environment might influence intellectual development need to be delineated both  physically and

psychologically .This is because these two are undergoing changes, such as in the increase

number of infrastructures within the school environment and also how parents react toward the

educations of their children, the increased participation on the side of the government in

continues construction of better and bigger classroom sizes. Many factors such as lack of

facilities in school, lack of teachers in some area especial the rural areas, peer influence, have

been found to cause poor academic performance. While these factors have been identified as

possible factors that contribute to the variations in academic performance not much has been

done to show the role played by the students’ school environment on his/her academic

performance. This calls for further research to find out the causes of the poor performance of the

students and then proffer solutions.

General objective

The impact of school environment on student academic performances of students in Secondary

Schools in the Buea municipality.

Specific objectives

 To access the impact of peer influence on the academic performance of students in the

secondary schools in Buea municipality.

 To find out the impact of school facilities on the academic performance of students in

the secondary schools in Buea municipality.

 To identify the impact of school location on the academic performance of students in the

secondary schools in Buea municipality.

Research Question

General research question

 To what extent does the impact of school environment have on students’ academic

performances in the secondary schools in Buea municipality..

Specific research question

in Buea municipality

 How does school location affect students’ academic performances in secondary

schools in Buea municipality?

 To what extent does the school facilities affect students’ academic performances in

secondary schools in Buea municipality?

Justification of the Study

The impact of school environment has affected the performances of students in so many ways

which can be through the location of the school, the school facilities and peer influence.

Subsequently, the researcher will attempt to identify the aspects of school environment design

that have the greatest potential to impact learning. The findings of this study have implications

for policy and practice regarding the planning, funding and design of school environment

construction and renovation.

Despite the rules endorsed by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training but they are not

followed by many of the students and their teachers in some government schools, who

misbehave wherever they are outside the school environment. As Omari (1995:25) observes, the

most important thing is not so much to have written rules pinned in the office of the head teacher

or discipline master as to have rules actually implemented. School rules and regulations should

facilitate administrative work, should focus on the creation of a good atmosphere for teaching

and learning.
Some schools have adequate school buildings, good library and suitable textbooks, good

administrative management, professionally qualified teachers, good laboratory equipment as well

as good location. While in some schools little or none of these exist. It is because of this

that Chike-Okoli (1997) in line with Ikediashi (2002) have pointed out that poor teaching

experience, inadequate or poor physical infrastructure, unsatisfactory building design are likely

to cause some physical discomfort for the students and are therefore bound to influence their

academic achievement.

There is a great difference between the physical and demographic characteristics of rural and

urban areas.  The rural areas are characterized by lack of infrastructures, aging population and

agrarian orientation Adediji (1998); whereas the urban areas are characterized by increasing

industrialization and availability of modern infrastructures. This, however, tend to define class

size in both rural and urban schools. The citing of secondary school by the government does not

take cognizance of the differing characteristics of the rural and urban areas because of its plan to

make secondary school more accessible to the people

Significance of the Study

The findings from this study will be of immense benefits to the government, principals, teachers,

parents as well as student researchers:

The findings will help the government or the policy makers in formulating effective planning and

implementation policies and programmes for improved school academic activities, The

government of any country is always interested in knowing how its investment is utilized
effectively in school education. It will also provide policy makers with intelligent forecast and

analysis of future needs of the schools in the areas of building and facilities.

It will provide the school principals the opportunity to improve in school supervision so as to

ensure both qualities teaching and learning in the schools. Educational administrators look from

the view point of resources. They want to ensure that the available resources are effectively

utilized. It will enable them appreciate the contribution of school facilities and equipment on

students’ academic achievement.

The result will enable the teacher to know more about the peer group which in turn will continue

to enhance teaching and learning process. And also The factors when identified will form a base

for proffering appropriate solutions to parents and teachers to beware of the ways they can direct

peer group relationship.

A parent expects that the school should give good education to his/her child. They have so many

reasons why the send their children to school so the choice of school is very important. Students

want the schools to be in places where they can enjoy learning, where they feel safe, and their

entire school requirement are provided. This greatly influences parents in determining the choice

of the type of school for their children.

The findings will enable the teachers to appreciate the need for proper instructional delivery. It

will help the teacher to improve both in teaching effectiveness and increased productivity in the

schools This is because, their wards will enjoy good school learning environment that will lead

to quality school products.

document or literature in investigating other areas not covered by this study, increase GPA,

Thus, it will serve as a point of reference to future researchers in the field.

Scope of the Study

This research work focuses on investigating the impact of school environment on academic

performance of secondary school students in some selected schools in Buea municipalities. Buea

is situated in the south west region of Cameroon. Peer influence, school facilities such as

infrastructures, class size, laboratories, and school location which can be either urban or rural but

also location depends on the distance between the student house and the school. , the present

research will examine the aforementioned areas of school environment in Buea Sub Division

which is the context in which the researcher is focused on is a very good example. The theories

relating to the study are the, Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivism theory of learning, Albert

Bandura, social cognitivist (1977) and ecological theory of Bronfenbrenner (1917). Though buea

municipality is made up of government schools, lay private schools, confessional schools, the

research work covers all government secondary schools in Buea municipality. However, three

government secondary schools will be used as case study.

Operational definition of key concepts

School environment: It is broadly characterized by its facilities, classrooms, school-based

health supports, and disciplinary policies and practices. It sets the stage for the external factors

that affect students. According to Zais (2011), School Environment means the extent to which

school settings promote student safety and student health, which may include topics such as the
physical plant, the academic environment, available physical and mental health supports and

services, and the fairness and adequacy of disciplinary procedures, as supported by relevant

research and an assessment of validity.

School: It is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning

environment for teaching of students (or pupils) under the direction of teachers.

Environment: Okwelle (2016) refers to environment as the facilities available for instruction

and it possesses a strong influence in teaching-learning process. An environment is the natural

surroundings of an organism and it can be land, air or water (Asogwa, 2008).

Academic Performance: It is the measured ability and achievement level of a learner  in

a school,  subject or particular skills. It simply means the outcome of the educational goals that

are achieved either by the students or teacher. It is a measurement in terms of specific and

desirable results in examination.

Performance: Performance in this study is the act or a process of performing a task or an action.

How well or badly you do things is also involved. So the learner’s actions at school indicate his

performance.

Peers: This refers to children of same sex and usually within the same age range.

Peer Group: This is the association of close friends of the same sex, which are bound together

by common emotional attachment and have a complex social system of which they possess

certain code of conduct such as dressing codes.

Location of the school: It refers to the community in which the school is located, such as a

village, urban or rural area.

the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a

specified age, takes place. It follows elementary or primary education, and may be followed by

university (tertiary) education.

Disciplinary polices: Discipline in this study means a form of discipline appropriate to the

regulation of children and the maintenance of order in the school. Disciplinary policy is a set of

rules and regulations set to maintain standards of conduct within the school, and in doing so,

ensure that all the students are treated fairly and consistently. It is design to help and encourage

students to achieve and maintain satisfactory standards of conduct.

School Facilities: School facilities can be defined as comprising of location, weather, lighting,

ventilation, floor, space per pupil, health, and safety conditions, play areas, cafeteria and library

Also, Ogbaodo (2004) considers school facilities as synonymous with educational facilities

which includes buildings such as classrooms, assembly halls, libraries, laboratories ,workshop

and instructional, materials.

Summary of Chapter One

This chapter covered issues at stake that included background to the problem, statement of

the problem, purpose of the study, specific objectives, justification of the study, research

objectives and questions as well as significance of the study. It also covered scope of the study

and chapter summary.