“School life”! What’s the first thought comes to your mind by reading this? A school life is such a memorable part of everyone’s life which includes a lot of memories, a lot of friends and some of study actually. The most important part of school life is the school uniform worn by students.
Everyone knows that a school uniform is a uniform worn by student’s primary for a school or otherwise educational institution. But it is difficult for anyone to trace the origins of the uniform as there is no comprehensive written history but rather a variety of known influences.
Although uniforms can often be considered conservative and old-fashioned, uniforms in recent years have changed as societal dress codes have changed. Wearing a school uniform is a badge of pride, creates an identity for a school.
Despite the beliefs of many parents and teachers, school uniforms do not seem to affect the behaviour or overall attendance of young students, a new national survey has been found.
However, students attending schools that required uniforms reported a lower level of “school affiliation” in fifth grade than students in schools without uniforms.
The findings were obtained from data on more than 6,000 school-aged children.
“Many of the central discussions about why school uniforms are suitable for student behaviour are not supported in our sample,” said Aya Ansari, Lead author and associate professor of research at The Ohio State University. He also added, “Whether the school has a unified policy or not, we haven’t seen a big difference in behavioural measurements.”
Ansari worked with Michael Shepherd, a graduate student in human sciences at Ohio State University, and Michael Gottfried, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
Whereas, according to Ansari, this issue is important because uniforms are becoming more popular, not just in private schools. About 20% of public schools needed uniforms in 2011-12, from just 3% in 1995-96. From 2011 to 2012, about 6 out of 10 private schools needed uniforms.
Each year, teachers evaluated each student in three ways. Internalisation of behavioural problems (such as anxiety and social withdrawal), externalisation of behavioural problems (such as aggression and property destruction), and social skills. The teacher also reported how often each student was absent.
Overall, school uniforms did not affect three aspects of student behaviour, even after considering various other factors that could affect student behaviour.
According to the survey, the attendance rate of low-income students in schools requiring uniforms was slightly higher, but the difference was less than one day a year, Ansari said.
Researchers also evaluated self-reporting measures from the same student in fifth grade. The students reported on the school’s sense of belonging, including how familiar they were with their teachers and classmates. They also reported experiences of bullying and social unrest.
The data in this study cannot explain this finding, Ansari said, but there are some plausible reasons this may be. “Uniforms are supposed to build a sense of community, but they may have the opposite effect,” said Ansari.
He further added“Fashion is one way students express themselves, and it may be an important part of their school experience. When students are unable to demonstrate their personality, they are less affiliated. You may not feel it.”
The results of this study should caution parents, teachers and administrators from assuming that school uniforms have positive effects that they may not have, Ansari said.
“School uniforms may not be the most effective way to improve student behaviour and engagement,” Ansari concluded.