Executive Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The goal of infrastructure development in primary education is to increase school attendance motivation and to improve academic performance of students. It is assumed that favorable attitude towards school infrastructure quality facilitates the above two. This has been increasingly questioned in recent years. On this backdrop, current study examined attitude towards school infrastructure of students in primary schools and its relation with school effectiveness (school attendance motivation and academic achievement).
Multistage random sampling was followed in collection of data from 572 students of different schools located in 6 high and 6 less literate rural blocks in 6 different districts of West Bengal. Four questionnaires were developed to assess (a) Demographic and socio-economic conditions (b) Attitude towards school infrastructure (c) School attendance motivation and (d) Academic performance of students.
Nine attitudes (cleanliness, safety, comfort, adequacy, exploring, reliability, easiness, equal opportunity, willingness to participate in school activities) towards school infrastructure were initially conceptualized and accordingly one highly reliable (Kuder Richardson reliability = 0.90) 68-item questionnaire was developed. More students (above 70%) felt that school infrastructures were easy to handle, reliable and capable to develop students’ inquisitiveness. On the other hand, they felt that infrastructures were not safe and easily accessible. They felt less willingness to participate into sports and cultural programs. Results revealed that attitude varies with differences in religion, socio economic status, districts, literacy rate of blocks, and with available school infrastructure facilities.
Attitude is formed by one’s perception of infrastructure. Principal component analysis explored 3 latent perceptions of school infrastructures as basic, supportive and activity based infrastructures. Students usually paid attention to basic (Classroom, blackboard, teaching, book, Mid-day meal), next supportive (Drinking water, Toilet, Friend, Book bank, Health checkup) and finally activity based (TLM, Games, Cultural programs) infrastructures. Perception of above 3 infrastructures also varies with differences in religion, socio economic status, districts, literacy rate of blocks, and with available school infrastructure facilities.
Attitude determines one’s motivation to use infrastructure. Results revealed that only 67% of students were motivated to attend the school. This motivation does not vary with one’s socioeconomic status contrary to common assumptions. School attendance motivation varies with exposure. Students of high literate blocks and of good school infrastructure motivated more to attend the school than their counterparts. It is noted that all the attitudinal variables towards school infrastructure are related to school attendance motivation. Stepwise regression analysis shows that linear combination of 4 variables (Easiness, Willingness to Participate, Exploring, Safety) predicted changes in school attendance motivation. This suggests that students like infrastructures that can be controlled easily, safe and exploring. Their willingness to participate in different school programs motivated them to attend school. In comparison with other infrastructure types, activity based infrastructure is more preferred to students for school attendance motivation. Out of three activity-based infrastructures (TLM, Games and Cultural programs), students like games and cultural programs for attending school. TLM satisfaction had very little effect on school attendance motivation. Findings raised question about proper use of TLM in primary school. Basic infrastructures like mid-day meal, textbooks and teaching predicted changes in school attendance motivation. Among supportive infrastructures, friendship, health check up and toilet facilities acted as important motivating factors to attend school.
Though attitude and school infrastructure perception play important roles in school attendance motivation, they failed to show any predictable change in academic performance of students. Even school attendance motivation failed to correlate academic performance.
The study has got a few limitations that should be taken care of before making any such generalization. Some limitations are selection of few rural blocks and few schools. However, the findings revealed importance to assess attitude towards school infrastructure in primary schools. Based on the findings few suggestions can be made so that school attendance motivation could be increased and relation of school infrastructure attitudes with academic performance could be established. Students wanted to come school in order to explore and to apply their potentialities. Possibly, due to this reason, students like activity based infrastructure. Teaching learning materials play important role in exploring and applying human potential. It enhances one’s academic performance also. It alone can change total educational climate of school as well as total locality. But it is not used properly. Possibly, due to this reason, it has own lost predictive power in this study. Therefore attention should be paid to appropriate use of TLM.
To sum up, one vicious circle is in process. Attitude towards quality of school infrastructure is formed with the exposure of different school infrastructures. Again availability of school infrastructure depends upon literacy rate and communication system in locality. Favorable attitude towards school infrastructure leads to school attendance motivation that again improves literacy rates of the locality. Success of this circle largely depends upon students’ academic performance. It is alarming to note that students’ academic performance is not related to both attitude and school attendance motivation revealed in this study.