The objective of the present study is to determine the effects of implementing a policy that requires the students of a subject educational institution to wear a school uniform when going to school. The working hypothesis in this paper suggests that wearing school uniforms directly and positively affects the student’s educational outcomes (and academic achievement levels). For the second part of the proposal, the author focuses on reviewing the current best evidence on the topic of wearing school uniforms.
Theory
There are numerous factors that can directly or indirectly (sometimes both) affect a student population’s educational outcome and achievement. Some of the typical factors being discussed in previously published literatures include but may not be limited to the use of different teaching strategies, the reality that students have different learning styles; and that there are students who have unique and multiple types of intelligence. There are, however, peculiar factors that are being reviewed too. In this case, that factor would be the policy that requires the weaning of school uniforms.
According to an academic journal sponsored by The World Bank (2008), policies that require the use of school uniforms have led to the reduction of school absenteeism by 44% for average students and 62% for students who were not subjected to the same policy; and that both groups of students managed to improve their average test scores by a standard deviation of 0.25 a year after the testing program’s (i.e. wearing of school uniforms) inception. This was the result of a study that involved data coming from students from various educational institutions in Kenya . This basically supports the initial statement (i.e. the working hypothesis) about the use of such policies regarding school uniforms. It would be detrimental to conduct further review on the topic.
Studies Directly Related
In another study authored by Gentile & Imberman (2009), the researchers examined the impact of wearing school uniforms on improving student behavior, attendance, and academic achievement. There were essentially three independent variables in the said study namely: student behavior, attendance, and achievement. They hypothesized that wearing of school uniform can actually improve the students’ outcomes on these variables. Using a regression analysis-based data interpretation, the authors determined how students were affected by student uniform wearing policies in their school. Their academic achievement, for example, was quantified using their scores in the Stanford Achievement Test; discipline and behavior data were soured from the students’ infarction and suspension records. Attendance rate was so far the easiest to assess because the students’ attendance records are readily available. Overall, Gentile & Imberman (2009) found that uniforms indeed have a positive impact on the students’ academic performance especially for those who are in middle and high school levels; the smallest positive impact was observed on primary school students. It was also observed that these positive impacts were more prominent on female students compared to the males .
In a study authored by Reed (2011), he described how an outstanding school uniform policy affects the students of an urban school district’s behaviors and academic performance. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, he concluded that there were no correlation between the two variables—school uniform wearing policies and the students’ academic achievement. However, it was rather ironic that he also recommended for improvements in the effectiveness of such policies in order to improve compliance rates at the elementary and middle school levels .
And lastly, in a dissertation published by Liberty University Press, author and researcher Russell Sowell (2012) also examined the same theoretical framework about student uniform wearing policies. The same set of dependent and independent variables, including their order, were investigated. This time, the researcher focused on student attendance, achievement, and discipline—as a result of the uniform wearing policy. This is similar to Gentile and Imberman’s (2009) study. The subject educational institution in this case, however was the two high schools in rural Southwest Georgia’s school systems. After getting the baseline results for all the subjects across the three independent variables (i.e. attendance, behavior and discipline, and academic achievements), they were grouped into two (i.e. Groups A and B). The first group was those subjected to the standard uniform wearing policy; the second group was not required to do the same (i.e. control group). Results of the said study showed that the first group (with uniforms) had significant better outcomes across all of the three independent variables than those from the second group (without uniforms) .
Studies Tangentially Related
There are always two sides to every academic argument. There are studies that suggest that wearing school uniforms positively correlate with higher levels of academic achievement. On the other hand, there are studies that say otherwise. A study published by the Korean Society for Clothing Industry in 2009 was one of the researches that suggest that policies requiring students to wear school uniforms negatively correlate with academic achievements. In the said study, they investigated the wearing situation and satisfaction of school uniforms among a population of high school and middle school students. The subjects have been in a school uniform wearing policy for at least one year. The total number of students they interviewed was 560; they used a 60-item questionnaire. The questionnaire was aimed at determining how satisfied the students were with their school uniforms. It is important to note that the study did not directly assess the students’ academic achievement as a dependent variable like in other studies. Instead, the researchers suggested that a high-enough level of satisfaction in wearing school uniforms would have the tendency to lead to improved academic outcomes. The results of the said study based on a frequency analysis, percentage, t-test, and chi-square tests showed that some 61.3% of the students were unsatisfied with the outcomes of their uniform fittings and were forced to modify their uniforms at least once . This study so far offers a unique perspective on just how complex this field of study about the effects of student uniforms on academic achievement.
Conclusions
In conclusion, majority of the studies reviewed in this section supported the idea that an outstanding student uniform wearing policy would indeed lead to significant and measurable improvements in student outcomes—including attendance rates and student behavior and discipline. One study reviewed indirectly supported this finding. Instead of focusing directly on the students’ achievements, the Choi & Son (2012) focused on the students’ perceptions on and level of satisfaction in wearing their prescribed school uniforms. In that study, , it has been found that majority (some 61%) of the students were not contented with the way how their student unfirms fitted them and so they opted for repairs and alterations. If one is to follow the notion that suggests that low levels of satisfaction in wearing school uniforms lead to negative effects on academic achievements, then Choi & Son’s (2012) study would be the only one that tells that student uniform wearing policies have a negative impact on the students’ academic achievement. Despite this, majority of the studies reviewed still support this paper’s working hypothesis.
References
Choi, M., & Son, M. (2012). A study on school uniform modification behavior and school uniform fitting evaluation of middle and high school students. Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association, 37-48.
Evans, D., Kremer, M., & Ngatia, M. (2008). The Impact of Distributing School Uniforms on Children's Education in Kenya. The World Bank.
Gentile, E., & Imberman, S. (2009). Dressed for Success: Do School Uniforms Improve Student Behavior, Attendance, and Achievement? University of Houston Press, 01-24.
Reed, J. (2011). Effects of a School Uniform Policy on an Urban School District. Northern Michigan University Press, 01-29.
Sowell, R. (2012). The Relationship of School Uniforms to Student Attendance, Achievement, and Discipline. Liberty University Press, 01-122.
